Chemical Engineeringat Ohio State University-Main Campus
Graduates earn $77,455/yr in their first year — about 7.0% above the national Chemical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $879K; scenarios range from $756K to $920K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Ohio State
Graduates earn $77,455/yr, edging above the $72,288 national average for Chemical Engineering — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.
The 17.1x 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 — 48% task exposure — and the 18% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
At $20,780 in median debt against $77,455 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
Ranked #36 out of 158 programs, Ohio State University-Main Campus's Chemical Engineering program lands in the top 5% — a strong signal of graduate success.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $77,455 to $97,429 shows 26% 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 Ohio State'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 Chemical Engineering
How Ohio State stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Ohio State
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Ohio State, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Chemical Engineering at Ohio State
How does Ohio State University-Main Campus's Chemical Engineering program score?
A score of 73/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. Ohio State University-Main Campus's Chemical Engineering graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.
How vulnerable is Chemical Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Chemical Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 48% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Why does Ohio State University-Main Campus rank so high for Chemical Engineering?
The #36 ranking out of 158 programs is driven by strong financial outcomes — graduates earn well, debt is manageable relative to income, and the job market supports the field.