Best Schools for Design Engineering Technologies in 2026
These are the top schools offering Design Engineering Technologies, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Design Engineering Technologies graduate earns $56,837/yr across 9 schools.
All Design Engineering Technologies Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses
Angola, IN · Private nonprofit |
63
59–63 |
$65,013/yr | 20.2x |
| 2 |
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO · Public |
60
56–61 |
$60,774/yr | 17.7x |
| 3 |
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI · Public |
57
54–58 |
$60,153/yr | 12.2x |
| 4 |
Trine University
Angola, IN · Private nonprofit |
51
47–51 |
$65,013/yr | 4.7x |
| 5 |
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI · Public |
47
43–48 |
$63,862/yr | 10.3x |
| 6 |
Murray State University
Murray, KY · Public |
46
42–47 |
$53,085/yr | 11.5x |
| 7 |
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Williamsport, PA · Public |
43
39–44 |
$57,854/yr | 7.1x |
| 8 |
Indiana University-Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN · Public |
39
38–39 |
$36,798/yr | 11.6x |
| 9 |
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit |
38
34–38 |
$48,978/yr | 3.4x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.