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Engineering · Electrical Engineering Rank #227 of 262

Electrical Engineeringat Rochester Institute of Technology

Graduates earn $82,726/yr in their first year — about 7.0% above the national Electrical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $836K; scenarios range from $704K to $876K depending on AI disruption.

Rochester, NY Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
61 SOLID
62
Optimistic
57
Pessimistic
Earnings
$82,726
1-year post-graduation
ROI
3.2x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$836K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
Very High
58% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at RIT

Graduates earn $82,726/yr, edging above the $77,516 national average for Electrical Engineering — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.

The 3.7x return on tuition is positive but not overwhelming. Financial outcomes depend on keeping costs close to in-state rates.

AI risk is moderate — 56% task exposure — and the 20% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.

At $27,000 in median debt against $82,726 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.

At #227 out of 262 programs, Rochester Institute of Technology's financial outcomes for Electrical Engineering trail the majority of peers. The value case depends on other factors.

Earnings growth is modest: $82,726 to $95,812 over five years (16% gain). This field may have a lower salary ceiling than high-growth professions.

AI Outlook Integration

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.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$704K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score57/100
Earnings Multiple3.1x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$836K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score61/100
Earnings Multiple3.7x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$876K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score62/100
Earnings Multiple3.8x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to RIT's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Electrical Engineering graduates typically work

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.

1
Architectural and engineering managers
+3.8% 10-yr growth · 14,500 openings/yr
$167,740/yr
Moderate
2
Computer hardware engineers
+7.3% 10-yr growth · 4,700 openings/yr
$155,020/yr
Very High
3
Aerospace engineers
+6.1% 10-yr growth · 4,500 openings/yr
$134,830/yr
High
4
Electronics engineers, except computer
+6.2% 10-yr growth · 5,700 openings/yr
$127,590/yr
High
5
Engineers, all other
+2.1% 10-yr growth · 9,300 openings/yr
$117,750/yr
Moderate
6
Electrical engineers
+7.2% 10-yr growth · 11,700 openings/yr
$111,910/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Electrical Engineering

How RIT stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Carnegie Mellon University
PA · Private nonprofit
67
DW Score
$139K
1-yr earn
6.2x
ROI
Top score
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public
79
DW Score
$137K
1-yr earn
39.5x
ROI
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MA · Private nonprofit
68
DW Score
$117K
1-yr earn
6.9x
ROI
Same state (NY)
Cornell University
NY · Private nonprofit
65
DW Score
$101K
1-yr earn
4.0x
ROI
The University of Texas at Austin
TX · Public
77
DW Score
$97K
1-yr earn
25.4x
ROI
Also at RIT

Other top programs at RIT

Other highest-scoring programs offered at RIT, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Electrical Engineering offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Electrical Engineering trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →
FAQ

Frequently asked about Electrical Engineering at RIT

How does Rochester Institute of Technology's Electrical Engineering program score?

A score of 61/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Rochester Institute of Technology trails the majority of Electrical Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.

How vulnerable is Electrical Engineering to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Electrical Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 56% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.