Mechanical Engineeringat Northern Illinois University
Graduates earn $68,069/yr in their first year — about 3.0% below the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $786K; scenarios range from $679K to $822K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University's Mechanical Engineering program produces graduates earning $68,069/yr — within striking distance of the $70,527 national average for this field.
The 15.5x 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 17% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $23,125 in median debt clears quickly against $68,069 in annual earnings.
At #162 out of 320 programs, Northern Illinois 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 $68,069 to $86,692 shows 27% 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 Northern Illinois 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 Northern Illinois University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Northern Illinois University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Northern Illinois University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at Northern Illinois University
How does Northern Illinois University's Mechanical Engineering program score?
A score of 70/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Northern Illinois 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.