Civil Engineeringat Portland State University
Graduates earn $67,509/yr in their first year — about 2.0% below the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $814K; scenarios range from $710K to $852K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Portland State University
Portland State University's Civil Engineering program produces graduates earning $67,509/yr — within striking distance of the $69,097 national average for this field.
The 18.1x 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 — 49% task exposure — and the 17% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $22,470 in median debt clears quickly against $67,509 in annual earnings.
Ranked #84 out of 220 programs, Portland 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 $67,509 to $87,595 shows 30% 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 Portland 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 Portland State University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Portland State University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Portland State University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Portland State University
How does Portland State University's Civil Engineering program score?
A score of 72/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. Portland 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.