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Engineering · Mechanical Engineering Rank #19 of 320

Mechanical Engineeringat Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Graduates earn $78,862/yr in their first year — about 12.0% above the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $871K; scenarios range from $739K to $917K depending on AI disruption.

Atlanta, GA Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
75 STRONG
77
Optimistic
72
Pessimistic
Earnings
$78,862
1-year post-graduation
ROI
20.0x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$871K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
Very High
57% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Georgia Tech

Your impressive earning potential as a Georgia Tech Mechanical Engineering graduate stems directly from the program's elite standing and its unparalleled industry connections. The rigorous curriculum, coupled with Atlanta's thriving ecosystem in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and logistics, ensures a constant demand for graduates. Firms like Lockheed Martin, Delta TechOps, and numerous automotive suppliers actively recruit on campus, valuing the deep technical competence and problem-solving abilities you'll develop. The strong co-op and internship culture here means you'll gain invaluable real-world experience before graduation, making you incredibly attractive to employers nationwide. To truly maximize your trajectory, focus on leveraging these experiential learning opportunities to specialize and build a robust professional network, ensuring you're not just ready for today's engineering challenges but tomorrow's AI-driven innovations.

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
$739K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score72/100
Earnings Multiple15.7x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$871K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score75/100
Earnings Multiple18.5x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$917K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score77/100
Earnings Multiple19.5x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Georgia Tech'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 Georgia Tech 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 Georgia Tech

Other top programs at Georgia Tech

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Georgia Tech, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech

What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus?

This program scores 75/100 — placing it among the stronger programs for Mechanical Engineering nationally. The score reflects above-average earnings, manageable AI risk, and solid financial return.

Will AI replace Mechanical Engineering careers?

With 53% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $739,218 in decade earnings vs $917,437 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.