Civil Engineeringat Montana State University
Graduates earn $67,373/yr in their first year — about 2.0% below the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $707K; scenarios range from $631K to $733K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Montana State University
First-year earnings of $67,373 track close to the $69,097 national median for Civil Engineering programs. This is a middle-of-the-road outcome on salary alone.
The 21.9x 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 — 49% task exposure — and the 14% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
At $20,913 in median debt against $67,373 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
Ranked #79 out of 220 programs, Montana State University's Civil Engineering offering sits in the upper half but doesn't break into the top tier.
Earnings growth is modest: $67,373 to $76,388 over five years (13% gain). This field may have a lower salary ceiling than high-growth professions.
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 Montana State 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 Montana State University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Montana State University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Montana State University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Montana State University
How does Montana State University's Civil Engineering program score?
A score of 72/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. Montana State University's Civil Engineering graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.
How vulnerable is Civil Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Civil Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 49% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.