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Mechanical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

What traits are you looking for in a school for Mechanical Engineering, consider the program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The following information will help you decide if it is a good fit for you.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is located in Troy, NY.

During the most recent reporting year, 194 mechanical engineering degrees were awarded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Online Class Availability at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Online coursework is an option at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Of 7,040 students, 171 (2%) studied exclusively online and 3 (0%) took at least some classes online.

Mechanical Engineering Rankings at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

These rankings give you a sense of how Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Mechanical Engineering program to other colleges that offer this major.

Master’s-Level Rankings

Ranking	Scope	Rank
Best Schools (Quality)	New York	#3 of 23
Best Value	New York	#18 of 23
Best Schools (Quality)	Middle Atlantic (Region)	#19 of 61
Best Value	Middle Atlantic (Region)	#48 of 61
Best Schools (Quality)	Nationwide	#83 of 365
Best Value	Nationwide	#325 of 364

Doctoral-Level Rankings

Ranking	Scope	Rank
Best Schools (Quality)	New York	#3 of 23
Best Value	New York	#18 of 23
Best Schools (Quality)	Middle Atlantic (Region)	#19 of 61
Best Value	Middle Atlantic (Region)	#48 of 61
Best Schools (Quality)	Nationwide	#83 of 365
Best Value	Nationwide	#325 of 364

Earnings for Mechanical Engineering Graduates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Those who finish Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Mechanical Engineering program earn at the following median levels (per the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard):

Years After Graduation	Median Earnings
1 year	$68,043
2 years	$69,477
3 years	$78,440
4 years	$86,146
5 years	$96,093

How does this compare to the school overall? Four years out, Mechanical Engineering graduates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute take home a median $86,146, compared with $100,392 for all Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates — about 14% lower than the school-wide median.

Median Debt at Graduation

Typical debt at graduation for Mechanical Engineering graduates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute stands at $25,000.

Student Demographics & Diversity

The following sections describe the student demographics for Mechanical Engineering graduates at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, by degree type.

Looking at the program as a whole, Mechanical Engineering graduates at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are 17% women (33) and 83% men (161).

Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Among the 146 bachelor’s mechanical engineering degrees awarded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 20% were women (29) and 80% were men (117).

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity of Mechanical Engineering bachelor’s degree recipients at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Race / Ethnicity	Number of Graduates
White	84
Hispanic / Latino	11
Black / African American	4
Asian	18
American Indian / Alaska Native	1
Two or More Races	7
International (Nonresident)	17
Unknown	4

Minority students account for 28% of Mechanical Engineering bachelor’s degree recipients at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, below the national average of 34%.*

Mechanical Engineering Master’s Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Of the 32 master’s mechanical engineering degrees awarded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 6% were women (2) and 94% were men (30).

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity of Mechanical Engineering master’s degree recipients at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Race / Ethnicity	Number of Graduates
White	12
Hispanic / Latino	3
Black / African American	2
Asian	6
Two or More Races	1
International (Nonresident)	6
Unknown	2

Minority students account for 38% of Mechanical Engineering master’s degree recipients at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, higher than the national average of 23%.*

Mechanical Engineering Doctoral Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Of the 16 doctoral mechanical engineering graduates at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 12% were women (2) and 88% were men (14).

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity of Mechanical Engineering doctoral degree recipients at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Race / Ethnicity	Number of Graduates
White	3
Black / African American	2
Two or More Races	1
International (Nonresident)	10

Racial-ethnic minorities make up 19% of Mechanical Engineering doctoral degree recipients at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, higher than the national average of 13%.*

*The racial-ethnic minorities figure is the total number of graduates minus White, international (nonresident), and unknown-race graduates.

More Specific Mechanical Engineering Concentrations at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

This Mechanical Engineering program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute includes the following sub-specializations:

Concentration	Graduates
General Mechanical Engineering	194

Top-Paying Careers for Mechanical Engineering Graduates

Those who complete Mechanical Engineering program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute work across a variety of fields. The table below ranks the top-paying careers for Mechanical Engineering majors, ordered by median annual salary:

Occupation	Nationwide Median Wage
Fuel Cell Engineers	$137,020
Automotive Engineers	$107,733
Architectural and Engineering Managers	$101,277
Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers	$89,263
Cost Estimators	$80,966
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary	$79,889
Mechanical Engineers	$79,543
Aerospace Engineers	$63,328

References

• IPEDS — Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
• U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard
• O*NET Online (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• National Center for Education Statistics

More about our data sources and methodologies.