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Materials Engineering Degree

33 schools compared · Average earnings $71,341/yr
Schools Offering
33
Avg Grad Earnings
$71,341/yr
Avg DegreeWorth Score
54/100
AI Automation Risk
High
54% task exposure

Best Schools for Materials Engineering

Top 33 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

# School DW Score Earnings AI Risk ROI
1 University of Florida
Gainesville, FL		 74
68–75		 $79,200/yr High 32.7x
2 Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN		 72
67–73		 $78,265/yr High 18.6x
3 North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC		 72
66–73		 $74,058/yr High 19.8x
4 University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI		 71
65–71		 $76,662/yr High 18.0x
5 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA		 71
65–73		 $74,496/yr High 23.3x
6 University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL		 71
65–72		 $69,498/yr High 23.9x
7 Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ		 70
65–71		 $77,646/yr High 15.1x
8 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA		 70
65–71		 $76,488/yr High 18.0x
9 Winona State University
Winona, MN		 70
65–71		 $72,944/yr High 18.8x
10 University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA		 69
63–71		 $71,174/yr High 18.5x
11 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI		 69
64–70		 $69,175/yr High 16.3x
12 Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI		 68
62–68		 $78,276/yr High 14.0x
13 Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH		 68
62–69		 $70,371/yr High 16.9x
14 Iowa State University
Ames, IA		 68
63–70		 $65,831/yr High 19.9x
15 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL		 67
61–68		 $75,080/yr High 14.1x
16 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI		 66
60–67		 $75,041/yr High 12.9x
17 University of California-Davis
Davis, CA		 66
62–66		 $74,110/yr High 11.2x
18 University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
Waterbury, CT		 65
60–64		 $75,607/yr High 11.4x
19 University of Connecticut-Avery Point
Groton, CT		 65
60–64		 $75,607/yr High 11.4x
20 University of Connecticut-Stamford
Stamford, CT		 65
60–64		 $75,607/yr High 11.4x
21 University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
Hartford, CT		 65
60–64		 $75,607/yr High 11.4x
22 Clemson University
Clemson, SC		 64
59–64		 $69,763/yr High 12.2x
23 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA		 64
58–66		 $66,888/yr High 13.7x
24 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN		 63
59–63		 $63,505/yr High 10.8x
25 University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT		 62
58–62		 $75,607/yr High 9.7x
26 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN		 61
54–64		 $60,445/yr High 12.6x
27 University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA		 60
56–60		 $58,177/yr High 9.2x
28 Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI		 59
54–61		 $63,135/yr High 10.1x
29 Washington State University
Pullman, WA		 56
52–56		 $49,560/yr High 8.5x
30 Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA		 54
49–56		 $78,623/yr High 3.1x
31 Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA		 53
47–53		 $74,971/yr High 2.0x
32 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA		 51
45–53		 $65,919/yr High 3.1x
33 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY		 50
45–51		 $66,927/yr High 2.4x

Highest Earning Materials Engineering Programs

Schools where Materials Engineering graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School 1-Year Earnings DW Score AI Risk
University of Florida $79,200/yr 74 High
Drexel University $78,623/yr 54 High
Michigan State University $78,276/yr 68 High
Purdue University-Main Campus $78,265/yr 72 High
Arizona State University Campus Immersion $77,646/yr 70 High
University of Wisconsin-Madison $76,662/yr 71 High
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus $76,488/yr 70 High
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus $75,607/yr 65 High
University of Connecticut-Avery Point $75,607/yr 65 High
University of Connecticut-Stamford $75,607/yr 65 High

Best ROI for Materials Engineering

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Materials Engineering.

School ROI Multiple Earnings DW Score
University of Florida 32.7x $79,200/yr 74
University of Alabama at Birmingham 23.9x $69,498/yr 71
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo 23.3x $74,496/yr 71
Iowa State University 19.9x $65,831/yr 68
North Carolina State University at Raleigh 19.8x $74,058/yr 72
Winona State University 18.8x $72,944/yr 70
Purdue University-Main Campus 18.6x $78,265/yr 72
University of Washington-Seattle Campus 18.5x $71,174/yr 69
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus 18.0x $76,488/yr 70
University of Wisconsin-Madison 18.0x $76,662/yr 71

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Mechanical Engineering Electrical Civil Engineering Business Administration Biology, General Chemical Engineering Biomedical/Medical Engineering Political Science and Government Mathematics Computer Engineering Sociology English Language and Literature, General

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Materials Engineering graduates earn?
Across 33 schools, Materials Engineering graduates earn an average of $71,341 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $49,560 to $79,200 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Materials Engineering?
Materials Engineering is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 54% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Materials Engineering program?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of Florida ranks #1 for Materials Engineering with a score of 74/100 and graduate earnings of $79,200/yr.
Is a Materials Engineering degree worth it?
On average, Materials Engineering graduates earn 13.8x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

About This Data

This page aggregates Materials Engineering programs across 33 schools using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.

The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each school's program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.