Civil Engineeringat University of California-Davis
Graduates earn $75,165/yr in their first year — about 9.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $898K; scenarios range from $772K to $946K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Davis
University of California-Davis's Civil Engineering graduates start at $75,165/yr — above the $69,097 national average, though not by a wide margin.
The 14.7x 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 — 49% task exposure — and the 18% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $16,000 in median debt clears quickly against $75,165 in annual earnings.
Ranked #36 out of 220 programs, University of California-Davis's Civil Engineering program lands in the top 5% — a strong signal of graduate success.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $75,165 to $98,091 shows 31% 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 UC Davis'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 UC Davis stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Davis
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Davis, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at UC Davis
How does University of California-Davis's Civil Engineering program score?
A score of 73/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. University of California-Davis's Civil Engineering graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.
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.
Why does University of California-Davis rank so high for Civil Engineering?
The #36 ranking out of 220 programs is driven by strong financial outcomes — graduates earn well, debt is manageable relative to income, and the job market supports the field.