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Biomedical/Medical Engineering at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC · Public · Bachelor's Degree
70 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
71
Optimistic
70
Base Case
64
Pessimistic
Earnings $70,561/yr (11% vs median)
AI Risk High (50% exposed)
Job Market Medium (19,900 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

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

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $809K $691K $517K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 22.5x 19.2x 14.4x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 5.1x 4.4x 3.3x
Viable Career Paths 3 of 3 3 of 3 3 of 3
DegreeWorth Score 71 70 64

10-Year Earnings Projection

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

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$35,956
Out-of-state: $157,320
Median Debt at Graduation
$15,000
2.6 months of Year 1 earnings

Career Paths

Where Biomedical/Medical Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 19,900 combined openings per year.

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

Compare & Explore

Biomedical/Medical Engineering at Other Schools

University of Pennsylvania ($93,310) Rice University ($88,307) California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($81,186) University of Southern California ($80,508) Wentworth Institute of Technology ($80,401) Case Western Reserve University ($78,815) Worcester Polytechnic Institute ($78,283) University of the Pacific ($77,099)

Other Majors at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Computer Science ($90,293) Business Administration, Management and Operations ($85,618) Information Science/Studies ($75,834) Applied Mathematics ($75,105) Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($71,594) Economics ($65,344) Physics ($62,647) Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions ($56,721)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Biomedical/Medical Engineering at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?
This program scores 70/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 71 (optimistic) to 64 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Biomedical/Medical Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Biomedical/Medical Engineering graduates retain 3 of 3 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $517,352 (pessimistic) to $808,904 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Biomedical/Medical Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Biomedical/Medical Engineering have roughly 19,900 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Biomedical/Medical Engineering at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 19.2x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 14.4x. 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.