Home Schools UT Arlington Mechanical Engineering
Engineering · Mechanical Engineering Rank #156 of 320

Mechanical Engineeringat The University of Texas at Arlington

Graduates earn $69,188/yr in their first year — about 2.0% below the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $790K; scenarios range from $681K to $826K depending on AI disruption.

Arlington, TX Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
71 STRONG
73
Optimistic
69
Pessimistic
Earnings
$69,188
1-year post-graduation
ROI
17.6x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$790K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
Very High
57% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at UT Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington's Mechanical Engineering program produces graduates earning $69,188/yr — within striking distance of the $70,527 national average for this field.

The 16.8x 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 — 53% task exposure — and the 18% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.

Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $23,031 in median debt clears quickly against $69,188 in annual earnings.

Ranked #156 out of 320 programs, The University of Texas at Arlington's Mechanical Engineering offering sits in the upper half but doesn't break into the top tier.

The five-year earnings trajectory from $69,188 to $87,372 shows 26% growth, reflecting steady but unremarkable salary progression.

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
$681K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score69/100
Earnings Multiple14.5x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$790K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score71/100
Earnings Multiple16.8x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$826K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score73/100
Earnings Multiple17.6x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

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

Career Paths

Where Mechanical 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
Aerospace engineers
+6.1% 10-yr growth · 4,500 openings/yr
$134,830/yr
High
3
Engineering teachers, postsecondary
+8.1% 10-yr growth · 4,100 openings/yr
$106,120/yr
High
4
Mechanical engineers
+9.1% 10-yr growth · 18,100 openings/yr
$102,320/yr
High
5
Cost estimators
-4.2% 10-yr growth · 16,900 openings/yr
$77,070/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 Mechanical Engineering

How UT Arlington stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
California State University Maritime Academy
CA · Public
79
DW Score
$92K
1-yr earn
36.4x
ROI
Duke University
NC · Private nonprofit
65
DW Score
$90K
1-yr earn
3.8x
ROI
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public
76
DW Score
$88K
1-yr earn
17.9x
ROI
Cornell University
NY · Private nonprofit
64
DW Score
$85K
1-yr earn
3.3x
ROI
Princeton University
NJ · Private nonprofit
52
DW Score
$85K
1-yr earn
2.6x
ROI
Also at UT Arlington

Other top programs at UT Arlington

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

FAQ

Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at UT Arlington

How does The University of Texas at Arlington's Mechanical Engineering program score?

A score of 71/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. The University of Texas at Arlington's Mechanical Engineering graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.

How vulnerable is Mechanical Engineering to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Mechanical Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 53% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.