Mechanical Engineeringat Lehigh University
Graduates earn $75,479/yr in their first year — about 7.0% above the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $904K; scenarios range from $763K to $954K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Lehigh University
Graduates earn $75,479/yr, edging above the $70,527 national average for Mechanical Engineering — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.
The 3.6x return on tuition is positive but not overwhelming. Financial outcomes depend on keeping costs close to in-state rates.
AI risk is moderate — 53% task exposure — and the 20% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
At $24,950 in median debt against $75,479 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
At #241 out of 320 programs, Lehigh University's financial outcomes for Mechanical Engineering trail the majority of peers. The value case depends on other factors.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $75,479 to $101,225 shows 34% growth, reflecting steady but unremarkable salary 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 Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineering at Lehigh University
How does Lehigh University's Mechanical Engineering program score?
A score of 61/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Lehigh University trails the majority of Mechanical Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.
How vulnerable is Mechanical Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Mechanical Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 53% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.