Civil Engineeringat Trine University
Graduates earn $65,700/yr in their first year — about 5.0% below the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $721K; scenarios range from $641K to $749K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Trine University
Trine University's Civil Engineering program produces graduates earning $65,700/yr — within striking distance of the $69,097 national average for this field.
The earnings-to-cost ratio of 5.1x signals a solid financial return — projected decade earnings comfortably exceed the tuition investment.
Some AI exposure exists in Civil Engineering's typical career paths, with 49% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 14% gap from the optimistic case.
Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $27,000 in median debt clears quickly against $65,700 in annual earnings.
Ranked #191 of 220 Civil Engineering programs, Trine University falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.
Five-year earnings of $77,554 are relatively flat compared to the $65,700 starting salary — typical of fields with stable but capped salary bands.
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 Trine 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 Trine University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Trine University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Trine University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Trine University
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Civil Engineering at Trine University?
This program scores 59/100 — a respectable number in isolation, but it ranks in the bottom half of Civil Engineering programs nationally. The field is competitive, and stronger options exist.
Will AI replace Civil Engineering careers?
With 49% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $641,383 in decade earnings vs $748,624 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.