Civil Engineeringat Lehigh University
Graduates earn $73,545/yr in their first year — about 6.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $830K; scenarios range from $722K to $871K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Lehigh University
Graduates earn $73,545/yr, edging above the $69,097 national average for Civil Engineering — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.
An earnings multiple of 3.3x 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 17% gap from the optimistic case.
At $27,000 in median debt against $73,545 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
Ranked #196 of 220 Civil Engineering programs, Lehigh University falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
Earnings grow from $73,545 to $90,786 over five years — a 23% 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 Lehigh University'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 Lehigh University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Lehigh University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Lehigh University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Lehigh University
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Civil Engineering at Lehigh University?
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 $721,879 in decade earnings vs $870,702 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.