Home › Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute › Materials Engineering

Materials Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's Degree
50 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
51
Optimistic
50
Base Case
45
Pessimistic
Earnings $66,927/yr (-6% vs median)
AI Risk High (48% exposed)
Job Market Large (37,000 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

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

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $877K $675K $489K
Earnings Multiple 3.5x 2.7x 2.0x
Viable Career Paths 4 of 4 4 of 4 4 of 4
DegreeWorth Score 51 50 45

10-Year Earnings Projection

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

4-Year Tuition
$247,536
Median Debt at Graduation
$23,250
4.2 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$84,117
26% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Materials Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 37,000 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%
Cost estimators $77,070 16,900 -4.2% 50%

Compare & Explore

Materials Engineering at Other Schools

University of Florida ($79,200) Drexel University ($78,623) Michigan State University ($78,276) Purdue University-Main Campus ($78,265) Arizona State University Campus Immersion ($77,646) University of Wisconsin-Madison ($76,662) Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus ($76,488) University of Connecticut ($75,607)

Other Majors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Computer Science ($104,943) Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians ($94,722) Computer and Information Sciences, General ($85,172) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($83,412) Mathematics ($80,196) Chemical Engineering ($78,263) Nuclear Engineering ($77,014) Industrial Engineering ($74,787)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Materials Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
This program scores 50/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 51 (optimistic) to 45 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Materials Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Materials Engineering graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $489,087 (pessimistic) to $877,260 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Materials Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Materials Engineering have roughly 37,000 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Materials Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 2.7x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 2.0x. 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.