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Metallurgical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO · Public · Bachelor's Degree
63 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
63
Optimistic
63
Base Case
58
Pessimistic
Earnings $78,984/yr (11% vs median)
AI Risk High (47% exposed)
Job Market Medium (20,100 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

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

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $967K $805K $595K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 11.4x 9.5x 7.0x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 5.4x 4.5x 3.3x
Viable Career Paths 3 of 3 3 of 3 3 of 3
DegreeWorth Score 63 63 58

10-Year Earnings Projection

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

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$84,744
Out-of-state: $177,504
Median Debt at Graduation
$25,745
3.9 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$93,910
19% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Metallurgical Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 20,100 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Materials engineers $108,310 1,500 +5.7% 49%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120 4,100 +8.1% 50%

Compare & Explore

Metallurgical Engineering at Other Schools

Missouri University of Science and Technology ($80,627) South Dakota School of Mines and Technology ($71,985) The University of Texas at El Paso ($53,478)

Other Majors at Colorado School of Mines

Computer Science ($86,268) Mining and Mineral Engineering ($83,309) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($80,815) Petroleum Engineering ($77,400) Mechanical Engineering ($74,145) Engineering Physics ($72,858) Civil Engineering ($70,301) Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering ($69,102)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Metallurgical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines?
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 63 (optimistic) to 58 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Metallurgical Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Metallurgical Engineering graduates retain 3 of 3 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $594,542 (pessimistic) to $967,070 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Metallurgical Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Metallurgical Engineering have roughly 20,100 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Metallurgical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 9.5x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 7.0x. 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.