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Systems Engineering at University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ · Public · Bachelor's Degree
72 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
74
Optimistic
72
Base Case
64
Pessimistic
Earnings $76,660/yr (2% vs median)
AI Risk Very High (56% exposed)
Job Market Large (57,100 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

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

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $1,105K $821K $536K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 20.3x 15.1x 9.8x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 6.7x 5.0x 3.3x
Viable Career Paths 5 of 5 5 of 5 4 of 5
DegreeWorth Score 74 72 64

10-Year Earnings Projection

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

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$54,504
Out-of-state: $164,380
Median Debt at Graduation
$18,500
2.9 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$103,877
36% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Systems Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 57,100 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Database architects $135,980 4,000 +8.7% 94%
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%

Compare & Explore

Systems Engineering at Other Schools

University of Virginia-Main Campus ($91,178) University of Florida ($85,698) George Mason University ($84,942) Washington University in St Louis ($83,874) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($81,785) Massachusetts Maritime Academy ($79,942) University of North Carolina at Charlotte ($68,034) Otterbein University ($63,243)

Other Majors at University of Arizona

Mining and Mineral Engineering ($86,924) Computer Science ($86,040) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($82,864) Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($78,168) Mechanical Engineering ($75,211) Engineering-Related Fields ($75,109) Chemical Engineering ($73,479) Industrial Engineering ($72,440)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Systems Engineering at University of Arizona?
This program scores 72/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 74 (optimistic) to 64 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Systems Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Systems Engineering graduates retain 5 of 5 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $536,414 (pessimistic) to $1,104,840 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Systems Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Systems Engineering have roughly 57,100 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Systems Engineering at University of Arizona worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 15.1x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 9.8x. 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.