Mechanical Engineeringat The Catholic University of America
Graduates earn $76,409/yr in their first year — about 8.0% above the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $820K; scenarios range from $703K to $860K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Catholic University
Graduates earn $76,409/yr, edging above the $70,527 national average for Mechanical Engineering — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.
At 3.7x tuition cost in decade earnings, the ROI is moderate. This program pays for itself, but it's not a financial slam-dunk.
The 18% difference between AI scenarios reflects partial automation exposure. Some Mechanical Engineering career paths face displacement, but others in the field are more insulated.
At $27,000 in median debt against $76,409 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
A #245 ranking among 320 Mechanical Engineering programs places The Catholic University of America in the lower half. Price, proximity, and personal fit become the stronger arguments.
A 21% earnings increase from $76,409 to $92,376 over five years is solid — not a moonshot, but evidence of normal career advancement.
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 Catholic 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 Mechanical Engineering
How Catholic University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Catholic University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Catholic University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at Catholic University
What does a 60/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Mechanical Engineering at The Catholic University of America?
At 60/100, the score looks reasonable — but Mechanical Engineering is a high-scoring field overall. Compared to peers, this program's earnings and ROI fall below the median.
Should I worry about AI if I study Mechanical Engineering at The Catholic University of America?
The 53% AI task exposure score is above average. Our model shows this affecting job availability more than salaries — graduates may face stiffer competition for fewer positions.