Mechanical Engineeringat Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Graduates earn $75,311/yr in their first year — about 7.0% above the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $936K; scenarios range from $785K to $989K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at LSU
Graduates earn $75,311/yr, edging above the $70,527 national average for Mechanical Engineering — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.
The 19.6x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.
AI risk is moderate — 53% task exposure — and the 21% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
At $18,500 in median debt against $75,311 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
A #20 ranking out of 320 Mechanical Engineering programs nationally puts Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College in the top 10% — a strong but not elite position.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $75,311 to $104,396 shows 39% 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 LSU'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 LSU stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at LSU
Other highest-scoring programs offered at LSU, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at LSU
How does Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College's Mechanical Engineering program score?
A score of 75/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College's Mechanical Engineering graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.
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.