Materials Engineeringat Ohio State University-Main Campus
Graduates earn $70,371/yr in their first year — about 1.0% below the national Materials Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $806K; scenarios range from $705K to $843K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Ohio State
At $70,371/yr, Materials Engineering graduates from Ohio State University-Main Campus land near the $71,341 national average — neither a standout nor a red flag.
Every dollar of in-state tuition returns an estimated 15.7x in decade earnings — an exceptional ratio that places this among the highest-ROI Materials Engineering programs nationally.
Some AI exposure exists in Materials Engineering's typical career paths, with 48% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 16% gap from the optimistic case.
The median debt load of $19,500 represents less than half a year of starting salary — among the lightest debt-to-income ratios we track.
At #11 of 33 Materials Engineering programs, Ohio State University-Main Campus scores above the median — competitive but not a standout.
Earnings grow from $70,371 to $92,120 over five years — a 31% increase that's moderate and in line with typical career 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 Materials 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 Materials Engineering at Ohio State
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Materials Engineering at Ohio State University-Main Campus?
A score of 69/100 puts this program in competitive territory — solid outcomes, though not at the top of the Materials Engineering field.
Will AI replace Materials Engineering careers?
With 48% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $704,527 in decade earnings vs $842,813 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.