Materials Engineeringat Lehigh University
Graduates earn $74,971/yr in their first year — about 5.0% above the national Materials Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $733K; scenarios range from $650K to $761K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Lehigh University
Lehigh University's Materials Engineering graduates start at $74,971/yr — above the $71,341 national average, though not by a wide margin.
The financial case is thin at 2.9x — decade earnings barely exceed the cost of attendance. The value proposition here is driven by factors beyond pure ROI.
Some AI exposure exists in Materials Engineering's typical career paths, with 48% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 15% gap from the optimistic case.
Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $26,324 in median debt clears quickly against $74,971 in annual earnings.
Ranked #32 of 33 Materials Engineering programs, Lehigh University falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
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 Materials 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 Materials Engineering at Lehigh University
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Materials Engineering at Lehigh University?
A score of 47/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Materials Engineering. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace Materials Engineering careers?
With 48% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $649,924 in decade earnings vs $761,361 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.