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Applied Mathematics at University of California-Merced

Merced, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
56 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
63
Optimistic
56
Base Case
44
Pessimistic
Earnings $39,138/yr (-38% vs median)
AI Risk Very High (61% exposed)
Job Market Large (87,000 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Applied Mathematics graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $985K $513K $263K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 17.4x 9.1x 4.6x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 5.5x 2.9x 1.5x
Viable Career Paths 12 of 12 12 of 12 10 of 12
DegreeWorth Score 63 56 44

10-Year Earnings Projection

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

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$56,668
Out-of-state: $179,776
Median Debt at Graduation
$15,500
4.8 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$79,461
103% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Applied Mathematics graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 87,000 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Natural sciences managers $161,180 8,500 +3.7% 50%
Actuaries $125,770 2,400 +21.8% 50%
Mathematicians $121,680 100 -0.7% 100%
Economists $115,440 900 +1.2% 61%
Data scientists $112,590 23,400 +33.5% 64%
Financial risk specialists $106,000 4,800 +6.5% 53%
Statisticians $103,300 2,000 +8.5% 66%
Financial and investment analysts $101,350 25,100 +5.7% 46%

Compare & Explore

Applied Mathematics at Other Schools

Harvard University ($114,279) Brown University ($99,193) Stevens Institute of Technology ($97,700) Northwestern University ($94,684) Columbia University in the City of New York ($91,559) Ohio State University-Main Campus ($82,523) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ($82,275) Wentworth Institute of Technology ($82,152)

Other Majors at University of California-Merced

Mechanical Engineering ($67,096) Computer Engineering ($58,835) Biomedical/Medical Engineering ($57,223) Economics ($51,212) Chemistry ($50,944) Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering ($47,028) Business Administration, Management and Operations ($46,378) Sociology ($37,092)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Applied Mathematics at University of California-Merced?
This program scores 56/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 63 (optimistic) to 44 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Applied Mathematics career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Applied Mathematics graduates retain 12 of 12 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $263,083 (pessimistic) to $984,778 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Applied Mathematics graduates?
The career paths mapped to Applied Mathematics have roughly 87,000 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Applied Mathematics at University of California-Merced worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 9.1x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 4.6x. 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.