Telecommunications Engineering Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Telecommunications Engineering maps to BLS occupations averaging about $77,640, with roughly 1,901,620 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $11,283; common paths include Sales & Office Occupations and Computer Hardware Engineers.
Key Statistics
Telecommunications Engineering: what the data shows
Common questions about telecommunications engineering degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a telecommunications engineering degree?
A Telecommunications Engineering program is classified under NCES CIP 14.1004 in the Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering field family (14.10).
A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development, and maintenance of telecommunications technology, networks, and systems. Includes instruction in telecommunications, computer networking, communications networks and systems, signals, circuits, fiber optics, and wireless systems and technology
Types of telecommunications engineering degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 14.10 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Electrical & Electronics Engineering (CIP 14.1001)
- Laser and Optical Engineering (CIP 14.1003)
How long does it take to get a telecommunications engineering degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 14.1004 in our file:
- 111 Master's (100.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Sales & Office Occupations (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a telecommunications engineering degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Telecommunications Engineering to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 293,930 | $100,070 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a telecommunications engineering degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering bachelor's program family: median debt $29,194, median earnings $100,647 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.38.
About 4.2% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $11,283 and median net price is $17,354.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Telecommunications Engineering and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$11,283 Median In-State Public
$54,398 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Telecommunications Engineering majors are, on average, $11,283 for in-state public colleges, and $54,398 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Telecommunications Engineering programs.
Institutions awarding the most Telecommunications Engineering degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tri-County Adult Career Center | OH | 47 |
| 2 | University of Colorado Boulder | CO | 38 |
| 3 | Southern Methodist University | TX | 30 |
| 4 | University of Maryland-College Park | MD | 27 |
| 5 | Arizona Western College | AZ | 19 |
| 6 | Stony Brook University | NY | 7 |
| 7 | Ana G. Mendez University | FL | 7 |
| 8 | The University of Texas at Dallas | TX | 6 |
| 9 | Florida International University | FL | 5 |
| 10 | George Washington University | DC | 4 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
N/A Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Telecommunications Engineering from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Telecommunications Engineering.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 5 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Telecommunications Engineering programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego City College | CA | $1,146 |
| 2 | San Diego Miramar College | CA | $1,146 |
| 3 | Las Positas College | CA | $1,168 |
| 4 | San Bernardino Valley College | CA | $1,196 |
| 5 | San Bernardino Valley College | CA | $1,196 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Telecommunications Engineering programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carroll Community College | MD | $2,725 |
| 2 | El Paso Community College | TX | $3,206 |
| 3 | San Diego Miramar College | CA | $3,337 |
| 4 | American Samoa Community College | AS | $3,386 |
| 5 | Del Mar College | TX | $3,399 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Telecommunications Engineering programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Telecommunications Engineering programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 14.10 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Electrical & Electronics Engineering CIP 14.1001
- Laser and Optical Engineering CIP 14.1003
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 14.1004 in the survey year used in our extract (111 total across levels below).
- 111 Master's (100.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $77,640. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Telecommunications Engineering graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | $62,097 | 1,441,580 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $188,333 | 75,710 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $53,312 | 43,640 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | $74,538 | 53,520 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | $58,116 | 36,880 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $131,986 | 293,930 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering CIP family (57 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Telecommunications Engineering graduate.
- $29,194 median federal loan debt among completers
- $100,647 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.38 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 4.2% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$78,198 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Telecommunications Engineering majors is $78,198.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Telecommunications Engineering majors.
Occupations by Share
1,901,620 2023 Workforce
The number of Telecommunications Engineering graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Telecommunications Engineering by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Telecommunications Engineering in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Telecommunications Engineering.
Age distribution for Telecommunications Engineering degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
194 Total Degrees Awarded
161 Male (82.99%)
33 Female (17.01%)
Gender distribution of Telecommunications Engineering degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
56 White (28.87%)
23 Hispanic or Latino (11.86%)
15 Black or African American (7.73%)
8 Asian (4.12%)
5 American Indian/Alaska Native (2.58%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Telecommunications Engineering degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Telecommunications Engineering are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Telecommunications Engineering.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Telecommunications Engineering field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Telecommunications Engineering majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Telecommunications Engineering majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Telecommunications Engineering majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development, and maintenance of telecommunications technology, networks, and systems. Includes instruction in telecommunications, computer networking, communications networks and systems, signals, circuits, fiber optics, and wireless systems and technology
In 2023, N/A degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Telecommunications Engineering.
CIP Code
14.1004 - Telecommunications Engineering
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $29,194 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $100,647, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.38. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Telecommunications Engineering graduate.
Men earned 17.0% of 194 Telecommunications Engineering completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $77,640. The largest mapped role by headcount is Sales & Office Occupations (1,441,580 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $11,283 in-state at public colleges and $54,398 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.