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Engineering · Chemical Engineering Rank #129 of 158

Chemical Engineeringat Northeastern University

Graduates earn $81,880/yr in their first year — about 13.0% above the national Chemical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $938K; scenarios range from $799K to $986K depending on AI disruption.

Boston, MA Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
61 SOLID
62
Optimistic
58
Pessimistic
Earnings
$81,880
1-year post-graduation
ROI
3.1x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$938K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
54% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Northeastern University

Northeastern's chemical engineering program is uniquely structured to propel your career forward from day one, largely due to its renowned cooperative education model. Unlike traditional internships, your multiple co-op rotations provide extensive, paid, real-world experience, often within Boston's thriving biotech, pharmaceutical, and materials science sectors. This means you’ll graduate not just with a degree, but with a substantial professional resume and network, explaining why graduates typically command strong early career salaries. You're entering a highly practical field, and these experiences give you a critical edge, making you immediately valuable to employers seeking candidates who can hit the ground running. To maximize this advantage, actively seek diverse and challenging co-op roles that broaden your skill set and build connections across various industry segments.

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
$799K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score58/100
Earnings Multiple3.2x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$938K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score61/100
Earnings Multiple3.7x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$986K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score62/100
Earnings Multiple3.9x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

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

Career Paths

Where Chemical 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
Chemical engineers
+2.6% 10-yr growth · 1,100 openings/yr
$121,860/yr
Moderate
3
Engineers, all other
+2.1% 10-yr growth · 9,300 openings/yr
$117,750/yr
Moderate
4
Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
+5.2% 10-yr growth · 1,300 openings/yr
$106,950/yr
High
5
Engineering teachers, postsecondary
+8.1% 10-yr growth · 4,100 openings/yr
$106,120/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Chemical Engineering

How Northeastern University stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Rice University
TX · Private nonprofit
64
DW Score
$88K
1-yr earn
4.1x
ROI
The University of Texas at Austin
TX · Public
76
DW Score
$87K
1-yr earn
22.7x
ROI
Top score
Lamar University
TX · Public
77
DW Score
$87K
1-yr earn
30.8x
ROI
University of Florida
FL · Public
77
DW Score
$87K
1-yr earn
40.0x
ROI
Texas A & M University-College Station
TX · Public
76
DW Score
$86K
1-yr earn
22.6x
ROI
Also at Northeastern University

Other top programs at Northeastern University

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Northeastern University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University

What does a 61/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University?

At 61/100, the score looks reasonable — but Chemical Engineering is a high-scoring field overall. Compared to peers, this program's earnings and ROI fall below the median.

Should I worry about AI if I study Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University?

The 48% AI task exposure score is above average. Our model shows this affecting job availability more than salaries — graduates may face stiffer competition for fewer positions.