Civil Engineeringat Colorado School of Mines
Graduates earn $70,301/yr in their first year — about 2.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $841K; scenarios range from $730K to $883K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines's Civil Engineering program produces graduates earning $70,301/yr — within striking distance of the $69,097 national average for this field.
The earnings-to-cost ratio of 9.9x signals a solid financial return — projected decade earnings comfortably exceed the tuition investment.
Some AI exposure exists in Civil Engineering's typical career paths, with 49% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 17% gap from the optimistic case.
Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $23,402 in median debt clears quickly against $70,301 in annual earnings.
Ranked #146 of 220 Civil Engineering programs, Colorado School of Mines falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
Earnings grow from $70,301 to $91,060 over five years — a 30% increase that's moderate and in line with typical career 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 Colorado School of Mines'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 Civil Engineering
How Colorado School of Mines stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Colorado School of Mines
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Colorado School of Mines, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Colorado School of Mines
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Civil Engineering at Colorado School of Mines?
This program scores 67/100 — a respectable number in isolation, but it ranks in the bottom half of Civil Engineering programs nationally. The field is competitive, and stronger options exist.
Will AI replace Civil Engineering careers?
With 49% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $729,673 in decade earnings vs $882,522 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.