Chemical Engineeringat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Graduates earn $78,263/yr in their first year — about 8.0% above the national Chemical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $971K; scenarios range from $824K to $1,023K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at RPI
At $78,263 per year, Chemical Engineering graduates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn slightly above the $72,288 national median. The premium is real but not dramatic.
An earnings multiple of 3.9x means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition, but not by a dramatic margin. Returns are positive but modest.
Some AI exposure exists in Chemical Engineering's typical career paths, with 48% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 19% gap from the optimistic case.
The median debt load of $24,985 represents less than half a year of starting salary — among the lightest debt-to-income ratios we track.
Ranked #133 of 158 Chemical Engineering programs, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
Earnings grow from $78,263 to $107,062 over five years — a 37% increase that's moderate and in line with typical career 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 Chemical Engineering
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 Chemical Engineering at RPI
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
This program scores 61/100 — a respectable number in isolation, but it ranks in the bottom half of Chemical Engineering programs nationally. The field is competitive, and stronger options exist.
Will AI replace Chemical Engineering careers?
With 48% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $824,088 in decade earnings vs $1,023,014 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.