Architectureat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Graduates earn $54,334/yr in their first year — about 18.0% above the national Architecture average. Base-case 10-year earnings $697K; scenarios range from $625K to $720K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at RPI
Graduates earn $54,334/yr, edging above the $45,895 national average for Architecture — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.
An earnings multiple of 2.8x means the program roughly breaks even in financial terms over ten years. Non-financial factors need to justify the investment.
AI risk is moderate — 46% task exposure — and the 13% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
The $31,000 debt-to-$54,334 income ratio translates to about 7 months of earnings. Standard loan terms should handle this comfortably.
At #46 out of 66 programs, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's financial outcomes for Architecture trail the majority of peers. The value case depends on other factors.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $54,334 to $74,873 shows 38% 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 RPI'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 Architecture
How RPI stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at RPI
Other highest-scoring programs offered at RPI, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Architecture at RPI
How does Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Architecture program score?
This program scores 45/100 — on the lower end for Architecture. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.
How vulnerable is Architecture to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Architecture careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 46% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.