Civil Engineeringat Oregon State University
Graduates earn $70,635/yr in their first year — about 2.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $828K; scenarios range from $720K to $868K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Oregon State University
Graduates earn $70,635/yr, roughly in line with the $69,097 national median for Civil Engineering. The value proposition here depends on cost, not earnings.
The 15.3x 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 17% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
With first-year pay of $70,635 far exceeding the $22,500 median debt, the payback timeline is measured in months, not years.
Ranked #83 out of 220 programs, Oregon State University's Civil Engineering offering sits in the upper half but doesn't break into the top tier.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $70,635 to $89,866 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 Oregon 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 Oregon State University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Oregon State University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Oregon State University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Oregon State University
How does Oregon State University's Civil Engineering program score?
A score of 72/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. Oregon 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.