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Biological/Biosystems Engineering at University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
63 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
63
Optimistic
63
Base Case
58
Pessimistic
Earnings $67,016/yr (15% vs median)
AI Risk High (49% exposed)
Job Market Medium (29,200 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

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

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $768K $653K $495K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 12.6x 10.7x 8.1x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 4.2x 3.5x 2.7x
Viable Career Paths 4 of 4 4 of 4 4 of 4
DegreeWorth Score 63 63 58

10-Year Earnings Projection

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

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$61,060
Out-of-state: $184,168
Median Debt at Graduation
$18,716
3.4 months of Year 1 earnings

Career Paths

Where Biological/Biosystems Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 29,200 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Engineers, all other $117,750 9,300 +2.1% 46%
Bioengineers and biomedical engineers $106,950 1,300 +5.2% 59%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120 4,100 +8.1% 50%

Compare & Explore

Biological/Biosystems Engineering at Other Schools

University of Georgia ($62,842) University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($61,755) University of Missouri-Columbia ($60,190) Auburn University ($59,050) Oakland University ($57,337) Utah State University ($52,951) University of Florida ($46,917)

Other Majors at University of California-San Diego

Computer Science ($112,006) Computer Engineering ($96,256) Mathematics and Computer Science ($89,651) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($80,687) Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology ($76,592) Mechanical Engineering ($69,555) Civil Engineering ($65,478) Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering ($65,401)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Biological/Biosystems Engineering at University of California-San Diego?
This program scores 63/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 63 (optimistic) to 58 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Biological/Biosystems Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Biological/Biosystems Engineering graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $495,329 (pessimistic) to $768,263 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Biological/Biosystems Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Biological/Biosystems Engineering have roughly 29,200 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Biological/Biosystems Engineering at University of California-San Diego worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 10.7x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 8.1x. 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.