Mechanical Engineeringat Illinois Institute of Technology
Graduates earn $65,386/yr in their first year — about 7.0% below the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $814K; scenarios range from $698K to $853K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Illinois Tech
Graduates earn $65,386/yr, roughly in line with the $70,527 national median for Mechanical Engineering. The value proposition here depends on cost, not earnings.
An earnings multiple of 3.9x means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition, but not by a dramatic margin. Returns are positive but modest.
Some AI exposure exists in Mechanical Engineering's typical career paths, with 53% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 18% gap from the optimistic case.
With first-year pay of $65,386 far exceeding the $25,000 median debt, the payback timeline is measured in months, not years.
Ranked #282 of 320 Mechanical Engineering programs, Illinois Institute of Technology falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
Earnings grow from $65,386 to $88,837 over five years — a 36% 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 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 Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineering at Illinois Tech
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Mechanical Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology?
This program scores 58/100 — a respectable number in isolation, but it ranks in the bottom half of Mechanical Engineering programs nationally. The field is competitive, and stronger options exist.
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 $698,207 in decade earnings vs $852,646 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.
Is Illinois Institute of Technology a hidden gem for Mechanical 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.