Electrical Engineeringat Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Graduates earn $68,670/yr in their first year — about 11.0% below the national Electrical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $837K; scenarios range from $705K to $877K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's Electrical Engineering program produces graduates earning $68,670/yr — within striking distance of the $77,516 national average for this field.
The 15.8x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.
AI risk is moderate — 56% task exposure — and the 20% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $20,000 in median debt clears quickly against $68,670 in annual earnings.
At #156 out of 262 programs, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's financial outcomes for Electrical Engineering trail the majority of peers. The value case depends on other factors.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $68,670 to $92,494 shows 35% 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 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale'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 Electrical Engineering
How Southern Illinois University-Carbondale stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, 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 →Frequently asked about Electrical Engineering at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
How does Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's Electrical Engineering program score?
A score of 71/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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.