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Agricultural Engineering at Purdue University-Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN · Public · Bachelor's Degree
71 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
71
Optimistic
71
Base Case
65
Pessimistic
Earnings $72,168/yr (11% vs median)
AI Risk High (45% exposed)
Job Market Medium (18,700 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

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

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $879K $738K $552K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 22.0x 18.5x 13.8x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 7.6x 6.4x 4.8x
Viable Career Paths 3 of 3 3 of 3 3 of 3
DegreeWorth Score 71 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)
$39,968
Out-of-state: $115,176
Median Debt at Graduation
$20,000
3.3 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$85,404
18% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Agricultural Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 18,700 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120 4,100 +8.1% 50%
Agricultural engineers $84,630 100 +5.9% 43%

Compare & Explore

Agricultural Engineering at Other Schools

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ($75,434) Texas A & M University-College Station ($74,655) University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($73,907) California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($72,713) Iowa State University ($72,376) University of Maryland-College Park ($69,848) University of Wisconsin-Madison ($67,746) North Carolina State University at Raleigh ($67,281)

Other Majors at Purdue University-Main Campus

Computer Science ($94,786) Computer Engineering ($89,965) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($84,300) Industrial Engineering ($81,379) Chemical Engineering ($81,105) Mechanical Engineering ($80,374) Materials Engineering ($78,265) Construction Engineering ($76,966)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Agricultural Engineering at Purdue University-Main Campus?
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 71 (optimistic) to 65 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Agricultural Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Agricultural Engineering graduates retain 3 of 3 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $551,793 (pessimistic) to $878,598 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Agricultural Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Agricultural Engineering have roughly 18,700 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Agricultural Engineering at Purdue University-Main Campus worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 18.5x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 13.8x. 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.