2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Engineering is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 6th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 200,458 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,888 and had an average of $23,564 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 23,743 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,902 and $21,894 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 1,010 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,605 and $16,886 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Engineering Schools

The engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 5 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Tulsa Community College

Tulsa, Oklahoma

#1 in overall quality

$7,730 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tulsa Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Tulsa, Oklahoma is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s engineering degrees to 85 students in 2019-2020.

Tulsa Community College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Engineering Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,730 for southwest region associate degree engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Tulsa Community College.

Read full report on Engineering at Tulsa Community College

#2

Houston Community College

Houston, Texas

#2 in overall quality

$7,595 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Houston Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Houston Community College is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 134 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Houston Community College, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Houston Community College is $7,595 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Engineering at Houston Community College

#3

Central New Mexico Community College

Albuquerque, New Mexico

#4 in overall quality

$5,676 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Central New Mexico Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 46 associates’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

CNM also took the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CNM is $5,676 for southwest region associate degree engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Engineering at CNM

#4

Austin Community College District

Austin, Texas

#3 in overall quality

$8,877 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Austin Community College District landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 83 degrees to qualified associates’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

Austin Community College District not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Engineering Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,877 for southwest region associate degree engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Austin Community College District.

Read full report on Engineering at Austin Community College District

#5

Northwest Vista College

San Antonio, Texas

#5 in overall quality

$7,596 Average Net Price

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest Vista College landed the #5 spot on the list. Northwest Vista College is a fairly large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 14 associates’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwest Vista College, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,596 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwest Vista College.

Full Northwest Vista College Engineering Report

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $48-$75k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.

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