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Engineering · Mechanical Engineering Rank #228 of 320

Mechanical Engineeringat Florida Polytechnic University

Graduates earn $62,595/yr in their first year — about 11.0% below the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $652K; scenarios range from $583K to $671K depending on AI disruption.

Lakeland, FL Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
62 SOLID
63
Optimistic
60
Pessimistic
Earnings
$62,595
1-year post-graduation
ROI
30.7x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$652K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
Very High
57% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Florida Polytechnic University

First-year earnings of $62,595 track close to the $70,527 national median for Mechanical Engineering programs. This is a middle-of-the-road outcome on salary alone.

The 33.0x 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 13% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.

At #228 out of 320 programs, Florida Polytechnic University's financial outcomes for Mechanical Engineering trail the majority of peers. The value case depends on other factors.

AI Outlook Integration

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.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$583K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score60/100
Earnings Multiple29.5x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$652K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score62/100
Earnings Multiple33.0x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$671K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score63/100
Earnings Multiple34.0x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Florida Polytechnic University's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Mechanical Engineering graduates typically work

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.

1
Architectural and engineering managers
+3.8% 10-yr growth · 14,500 openings/yr
$167,740/yr
Moderate
2
Aerospace engineers
+6.1% 10-yr growth · 4,500 openings/yr
$134,830/yr
High
3
Engineering teachers, postsecondary
+8.1% 10-yr growth · 4,100 openings/yr
$106,120/yr
High
4
Mechanical engineers
+9.1% 10-yr growth · 18,100 openings/yr
$102,320/yr
High
5
Cost estimators
-4.2% 10-yr growth · 16,900 openings/yr
$77,070/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Mechanical Engineering

How Florida Polytechnic University stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
California State University Maritime Academy
CA · Public
79
DW Score
$92K
1-yr earn
36.4x
ROI
Duke University
NC · Private nonprofit
65
DW Score
$90K
1-yr earn
3.8x
ROI
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public
76
DW Score
$88K
1-yr earn
17.9x
ROI
Cornell University
NY · Private nonprofit
64
DW Score
$85K
1-yr earn
3.3x
ROI
Princeton University
NJ · Private nonprofit
52
DW Score
$85K
1-yr earn
2.6x
ROI
Also at Florida Polytechnic University

Other top programs at Florida Polytechnic University

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Florida Polytechnic University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University

How does Florida Polytechnic University's Mechanical Engineering program score?

A score of 62/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Florida Polytechnic University trails the majority of Mechanical Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.

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.