Physicsat Rochester Institute of Technology
Graduates earn $48,374/yr in their first year — about 4.0% above the national Physics average. Base-case 10-year earnings $531K; scenarios range from $497K to $536K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at RIT
Graduates earn $48,374/yr, roughly in line with the $46,482 national median for Physics. The value proposition here depends on cost, not earnings.
The financial case is thin at 2.3x — decade earnings barely exceed the cost of attendance. The value proposition here is driven by factors beyond pure ROI.
Some AI exposure exists in Physics's typical career paths, with 50% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 7% gap from the optimistic case.
Median debt of $27,000 represents roughly 7 months of the $48,374 starting salary — a manageable burden by most borrower standards.
Ranked #60 of 75 Physics programs, Rochester Institute of Technology 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 RIT'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 Physics
How RIT stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at RIT
Other highest-scoring programs offered at RIT, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Physics at RIT
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Physics at Rochester Institute of Technology?
A score of 41/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Physics. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace Physics careers?
With 50% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $496,938 in decade earnings vs $536,255 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.