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Forestry at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
63 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
64
Optimistic
63
Base Case
60
Pessimistic
Earnings $55,092/yr (29% vs median)
AI Risk Moderate (34% exposed)
Job Market Medium (18,100 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Forestry graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $773K $578K $445K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 17.4x 13.1x 10.0x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 6.2x 4.7x 3.6x
Viable Career Paths 6 of 6 6 of 6 6 of 6
DegreeWorth Score 64 63 60

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$44,300
Out-of-state: $123,980
Median Debt at Graduation
$17,333
3.8 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$73,077
33% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Forestry graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 18,100 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary $100,830 100 +4.0% 48%
Foresters $70,660 1,100 +1.2% 37%
Conservation scientists $67,950 2,500 +3.4% 52%
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers $59,330 8,500 +2.5% 28%
Forest and conservation technicians $54,310 3,900 -3.2% 33%
Forest and conservation workers $43,680 2,000 -4.7% 4%

Compare & Explore

Forestry at Other Schools

North Carolina State University at Raleigh ($61,142) Clemson University ($53,850) California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt ($52,810) Auburn University ($51,421) University of Idaho ($47,399) University of Georgia ($47,214) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ($45,817) Michigan Technological University ($45,571)

Other Majors at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Computer Engineering ($111,560) Computer Science ($111,141) Construction Management ($92,785) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($90,576) Industrial Engineering ($87,226) Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering ($85,509) Mechanical Engineering ($83,011) Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering ($82,197)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Forestry at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo?
This program scores 63/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 64 (optimistic) to 60 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Forestry career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Forestry graduates retain 6 of 6 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $444,543 (pessimistic) to $772,709 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Forestry graduates?
The career paths mapped to Forestry have roughly 18,100 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Forestry at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 13.1x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 10.0x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
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. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.