Civil Engineeringat Santa Clara University
Graduates earn $84,883/yr in their first year — about 23.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $1,008K; scenarios range from $853K to $1,070K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University's Civil Engineering graduates start at $84,883/yr — above the $69,097 national average, though not by a wide margin.
The 4.3x return on tuition is positive but not overwhelming. Financial outcomes depend on keeping costs close to in-state rates.
AI risk is moderate — 49% task exposure — and the 20% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
At #159 out of 220 programs, Santa Clara University's financial outcomes for Civil Engineering trail the majority of peers. The value case depends on other factors.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $84,883 to $111,831 shows 32% 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 Santa Clara 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 Civil Engineering
How Santa Clara University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Santa Clara University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Santa Clara University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Santa Clara University
How does Santa Clara University's Civil Engineering program score?
A score of 65/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Santa Clara University trails the majority of Civil Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.
How vulnerable is Civil Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Civil Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 49% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.