Woodworking at Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, RI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
27
Optimistic
26
Base Case
24
Pessimistic
Earnings
$19,151/yr (0% vs median)
AI Risk
Low (10% exposed)
Job Market
Medium (23,200 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Woodworking graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $636K | $301K | $175K |
| Earnings Multiple | 2.7x | 1.3x | 0.7x |
| Viable Career Paths | 7 of 7 | 7 of 7 | 7 of 7 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 27 | 26 | 24 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition
$239,040
Median Debt at Graduation
$26,558
16.6 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$46,712
144% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Woodworking graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 23,200 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patternmakers, wood | $52,520 | — | -5.0% | 26% |
| Model makers, wood | $51,850 | 100 | -4.5% | 15% |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters | $46,020 | 8,100 | -1.6% | 12% |
| Furniture finishers | $42,530 | 2,000 | -3.3% | 3% |
| Woodworkers, all other | $41,220 | 1,800 | -4.4% | 0% |
| Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing | $40,440 | 6,400 | -1.8% | 7% |
| Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood | $39,950 | 4,800 | -0.6% | 6% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Woodworking at Rhode Island School of Design?
This program scores 26/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 27 (optimistic) to 24 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Woodworking career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Woodworking graduates retain 7 of 7 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $175,367 (pessimistic) to $635,910 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Woodworking graduates?
The career paths mapped to Woodworking have roughly 23,200 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Woodworking at Rhode Island School of Design worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 1.3x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 0.7x. 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.