Mechanical Engineeringat California State University-Sacramento
Graduates earn $66,462/yr in their first year — about 6.0% below the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $835K; scenarios range from $713K to $877K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at CSU Sacramento
California State University-Sacramento's Mechanical Engineering program produces graduates earning $66,462/yr — within striking distance of the $70,527 national average for this field.
The 27.5x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.
AI risk is moderate — 53% task exposure — and the 19% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $16,532 in median debt clears quickly against $66,462 in annual earnings.
A #33 ranking out of 320 Mechanical Engineering programs nationally puts California State University-Sacramento in the top 10% — a strong but not elite position.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $66,462 to $91,357 shows 37% growth, reflecting steady but unremarkable salary progression.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to CSU Sacramento's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Mechanical Engineering
How CSU Sacramento stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at CSU Sacramento
Other highest-scoring programs offered at CSU Sacramento, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at CSU Sacramento
How does California State University-Sacramento's Mechanical Engineering program score?
A score of 74/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. California State University-Sacramento's Mechanical Engineering graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.
How vulnerable is Mechanical Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Mechanical Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 53% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.