Systems Engineering Degree

11 schools compared · Average earnings $75,193/yr
Schools Offering
11
Avg Grad Earnings
$75,193/yr
Avg DegreeWorth Score
57/100
AI Automation Risk
Very High
56% task exposure

Best Schools for Systems Engineering

Top 11 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
77
69–79
$85,698/yr Very High 41.3x
2 George Mason University
Fairfax, VA
74
66–77
$84,942/yr Very High 20.9x
3 Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Buzzards Bay, MA
74
67–75
$79,942/yr Very High 17.5x
4 University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
73
66–75
$68,034/yr Very High 29.9x
5 University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ
72
64–74
$76,660/yr Very High 18.1x
6 Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, GA
72
65–74
$62,015/yr Very High 25.8x
7 University of Virginia-Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA
70
62–73
$91,178/yr Very High 14.6x
8 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
70
64–70
$81,785/yr Very High 11.8x
9 Texas A & M International University
Laredo, TX
66
59–67
$49,755/yr Very High 14.9x
10 Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO
57
50–58
$83,874/yr Very High 2.3x
11 Otterbein University
Westerville, OH
55
48–57
$63,243/yr Very High 3.5x

Highest Earning Systems Engineering Programs

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

School 1-Year Earnings DW Score AI Risk
University of Virginia-Main Campus $91,178/yr 70 Very High
University of Florida $85,698/yr 77 Very High
George Mason University $84,942/yr 74 Very High
Washington University in St Louis $83,874/yr 57 Very High
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign $81,785/yr 70 Very High
Massachusetts Maritime Academy $79,942/yr 74 Very High
University of Arizona $76,660/yr 72 Very High
University of North Carolina at Charlotte $68,034/yr 73 Very High
Otterbein University $63,243/yr 55 Very High
Kennesaw State University $62,015/yr 72 Very High

Best ROI for Systems Engineering

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

School ROI Multiple Earnings DW Score
University of Florida 41.3x $85,698/yr 77
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 29.9x $68,034/yr 73
Kennesaw State University 25.8x $62,015/yr 72
George Mason University 20.9x $84,942/yr 74
University of Arizona 18.1x $76,660/yr 72
Massachusetts Maritime Academy 17.5x $79,942/yr 74
Texas A & M International University 14.9x $49,755/yr 66
University of Virginia-Main Campus 14.6x $91,178/yr 70
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 11.8x $81,785/yr 70
Otterbein University 3.5x $63,243/yr 55

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Systems Engineering graduates earn?
Across 11 schools, Systems Engineering graduates earn an average of $75,193 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $49,755 to $91,178 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Systems Engineering?
Systems Engineering is rated "Very High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 56% 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 Systems Engineering program?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of Florida ranks #1 for Systems Engineering with a score of 77/100 and graduate earnings of $85,698/yr.
Is a Systems Engineering degree worth it?
On average, Systems Engineering graduates earn 18.2x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

About This Data

This page aggregates Systems Engineering programs across 11 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.