Civil Engineeringat Illinois Institute of Technology
Graduates earn $71,760/yr in their first year — about 4.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $776K; scenarios range from $682K to $810K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Illinois Tech
Illinois Institute of Technology's Civil Engineering program produces graduates earning $71,760/yr — within striking distance of the $69,097 national average for this field.
An earnings multiple of 3.7x means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition, but not by a dramatic margin. Returns are positive but modest.
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 16% gap from the optimistic case.
Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $24,000 in median debt clears quickly against $71,760 in annual earnings.
Ranked #189 of 220 Civil Engineering programs, Illinois Institute of Technology falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
Five-year earnings of $84,660 are relatively flat compared to the $71,760 starting salary — typical of fields with stable but capped salary bands.
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 Illinois Tech'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 Illinois Tech stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Illinois Tech
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Illinois Tech, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Illinois Tech
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Civil Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology?
This program scores 59/100 — 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 $681,788 in decade earnings vs $809,902 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.
Is Illinois Institute of Technology a hidden gem for Civil Engineering?
After financial aid, the average student pays $77,412 over four years — 63% below the $207,052 sticker price. That gap makes the ROI significantly better than published tuition suggests.