Chemical Engineering graduates from Montana State University earn $87,590 median salary, below the national average for this program. Median debt: $25,000.
Chemical Engineering at Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana • Bachelor's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Chemical Engineering at Montana State University
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Montana State University and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Chemical Engineering at the bachelor's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 85 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Montana State University, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $87,590 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $97,277 across all institutions offering Chemical Engineering, graduates here earn below the national average for this program. Across all programs at Montana State University, the mean median-earnings figure is $64,909, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Chemical Engineering graduates at Montana State University is $25,000, which translates to roughly $208 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.29: reported annual earnings exceed cumulative debt. This is a PlainCollege comparison, not a federal gainful-employment verdict. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Chemical Engineering at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $122,093 | $17,000 |
| Vanderbilt University | $121,641 | - |
| University of California-Berkeley | $121,027 | $18,155 |
| Cornell University | $116,165 | $14,361 |
| Lafayette College | $115,726 | $17,000 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | $115,423 | $19,672 |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | $114,226 | $20,500 |
| University of Notre Dame | $113,614 | $16,750 |
| Rice University | $113,605 | $13,178 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | $113,317 | $14,937 |
Other Programs at Montana State University
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $126,894 | $55,433 |
| Computer Science | $111,728 | $21,750 |
| Computer Engineering | $99,411 | $27,000 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $98,331 | $21,747 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $92,689 | $16,345 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | $89,002 | $25,185 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $88,653 | $24,980 |
| Industrial Engineering | $88,087 | $26,000 |
| Chemical Engineering (current) | $87,590 | $25,000 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | $87,162 | $21,952 |
Other Schools with Chemical Engineering
Quick picks offering the same program – compare side by side
About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.
PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.