Materials Engineeringat Purdue University-Main Campus
Graduates earn $78,265/yr in their first year — about 10.0% above the national Materials Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $758K; scenarios range from $668K to $789K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Purdue University
Graduates earn $78,265/yr, edging above the $71,341 national average for Materials Engineering — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.
Every dollar of in-state tuition returns an estimated 19.0x 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 15% gap from the optimistic case.
At $22,111 in median debt against $78,265 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
Ranked #22 of 33 Materials Engineering programs, Purdue University-Main Campus falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
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 Purdue 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 Materials Engineering
How Purdue University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Purdue University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Purdue University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Materials Engineering at Purdue University
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Materials Engineering at Purdue University-Main Campus?
This program scores 61/100 — a respectable number in isolation, but it ranks in the bottom half of Materials Engineering programs nationally. The field is competitive, and stronger options exist.
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 $668,467 in decade earnings vs $789,021 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.