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Engineering · Civil Engineering Rank #214 of 220

Civil Engineeringat Merrimack College

Graduates earn $75,556/yr in their first year — about 9.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $773K; scenarios range from $679K to $806K depending on AI disruption.

North Andover, MA Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
51 AVERAGE
53
Optimistic
49
Pessimistic
Earnings
$75,556
1-year post-graduation
ROI
2.6x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$773K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
55% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Merrimack College

Graduates earn $75,556/yr, edging above the $69,097 national average for Civil Engineering — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.

An earnings multiple of 3.7x 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 16% gap from the optimistic case.

At $27,000 in median debt against $75,556 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.

Ranked #214 of 220 Civil Engineering programs, Merrimack College falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.

AI Outlook Integration

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.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$679K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score49/100
Earnings Multiple3.3x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$773K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score51/100
Earnings Multiple3.7x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$806K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score53/100
Earnings Multiple3.9x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Merrimack College's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Civil Engineering graduates typically work

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.

1
Architectural and engineering managers
+3.8% 10-yr growth · 14,500 openings/yr
$167,740/yr
Moderate
2
Petroleum engineers
+1.3% 10-yr growth · 1,200 openings/yr
$141,280/yr
High
3
Engineers, all other
+2.1% 10-yr growth · 9,300 openings/yr
$117,750/yr
Moderate
4
Engineering teachers, postsecondary
+8.1% 10-yr growth · 4,100 openings/yr
$106,120/yr
High
5
Environmental engineers
+3.9% 10-yr growth · 3,000 openings/yr
$104,170/yr
High
6
Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
+0.7% 10-yr growth · 400 openings/yr
$101,020/yr
Moderate
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Civil Engineering

How Merrimack College stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Loyola Marymount University
CA · Private nonprofit
53
DW Score
$88K
1-yr earn
2.7x
ROI
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit
65
DW Score
$85K
1-yr earn
3.3x
ROI
Top score
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public
77
DW Score
$81K
1-yr earn
21.9x
ROI
Cornell University
NY · Private nonprofit
61
DW Score
$80K
1-yr earn
2.8x
ROI
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public
75
DW Score
$78K
1-yr earn
16.6x
ROI
Also at Merrimack College

Other top programs at Merrimack College

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Merrimack College, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Merrimack College

What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Civil Engineering at Merrimack College?

This program scores 51/100 — 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 $679,455 in decade earnings vs $806,363 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.