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Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR · Public · Bachelor's Degree
71 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
72
Optimistic
71
Base Case
65
Pessimistic
Earnings $72,154/yr (-0% vs median)
AI Risk High (47% exposed)
Job Market Large (70,000 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

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

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $964K $743K $532K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 17.9x 13.8x 9.9x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 6.8x 5.2x 3.7x
Viable Career Paths 5 of 5 5 of 5 5 of 5
DegreeWorth Score 72 71 65

10-Year Earnings Projection

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

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$53,976
Out-of-state: $142,656
Median Debt at Graduation
$20,653
3.4 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$92,078
28% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Manufacturing Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 70,000 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Engineers, all other $117,750 9,300 +2.1% 46%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120 4,100 +8.1% 50%
Industrial engineers $101,140 25,200 +11.0% 48%
Cost estimators $77,070 16,900 -4.2% 50%

Compare & Explore

Manufacturing Engineering at Other Schools

Georgia Southern University ($83,438) California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ($79,549) Dunwoody College of Technology ($77,857) Grand Valley State University ($76,754) Arizona State University Campus Immersion ($74,119) University of Wisconsin-Stout ($72,830) Oregon State University-Cascades Campus ($72,154) Brigham Young University ($69,520)

Other Majors at Oregon State University

Computer Science ($85,376) Construction Engineering ($80,936) Industrial Engineering ($78,425) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($77,636) Chemical Engineering ($71,618) Engineering, Other ($71,549) Civil Engineering ($70,635) Nuclear Engineering ($69,657)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University?
This program scores 71/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 72 (optimistic) to 65 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Manufacturing Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Manufacturing Engineering graduates retain 5 of 5 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $531,804 (pessimistic) to $963,894 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Manufacturing Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Manufacturing Engineering have roughly 70,000 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 13.8x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 9.9x. 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.