Engineering-Related Fields at Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score (Base Case) — assumes in-state tuition
61
Optimistic
61
Base Case
59
Pessimistic
Earnings
$72,252/yr (4% vs median)
AI Risk
High (38% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (111,400 openings/yr)
ROI
16.6x earnings multiple (5.8x out-of-state)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Engineering-Related Fields graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $679K | $665K | $603K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 17.0x | 16.6x | 15.1x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 5.9x | 5.8x | 5.2x |
| Probability of Field Employment | 55% | 52% | 41% |
| DegreeOutlook Score | 61 | 61 | 59 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition, In-State (Sticker)
$39,968
Out-of-state: $115,176 (5.8x ROI)
Median Debt at Graduation
$16,153
2.7 months of Year 1 earnings
About Purdue University-Main Campus
A 50% admission rate makes Purdue University-Main Campus accessible to a wide range of qualified students, one of the larger campuses at 39,637 students in West Lafayette, IN.
See all programs and financial aid at Purdue University-Main Campus →Top Career Paths
Architectural and engineering managers
$167,740/yr
Industrial production managers
$121,440/yr
Engineers, all other
$117,750/yr
Compare & Explore
Engineering-Related Fields at Other Schools
Other Majors at Purdue University-Main Campus
Consider the Trade Route?
Trade programs often mean less time in school, lower student debt, and hands-on career paths that tend to be more resilient to AI disruption.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Purdue University-Main Campus's Engineering-Related Fields program score?
A score of 61/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Purdue University-Main Campus trails the majority of Engineering-Related Fields programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.
How vulnerable is Engineering-Related Fields to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Engineering-Related Fields careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 38% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research.
See full methodology →