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Chemical Engineering at University of California-Riverside

Riverside, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
69 /100
DegreeOutlook Score (Base Case) — assumes in-state tuition
70
Optimistic
69
Base Case
67
Pessimistic
Earnings $68,245/yr (-6% vs median)
AI Risk High (48% exposed)
Job Market Large (30,300 openings/yr)
ROI 14.8x earnings multiple (4.7x out-of-state)
Ranked #85 of 158 Chemical Engineering programs

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Chemical Engineering graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $875K $838K $726K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 15.4x 14.8x 12.8x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 4.9x 4.7x 4.0x
Probability of Field Employment 82% 74% 54%
DegreeOutlook Score 70 69 67

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition, In-State (Sticker)
$56,680
Out-of-state: $179,788 (4.7x ROI)
4-Year Net Price (After Aid)
$54,828
3% less than sticker · See by income
Median Debt at Graduation
$17,182
3.0 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$90,784
33% growth from Year 1

About University of California-Riverside

A 63% admission rate makes University of California-Riverside accessible to a wide range of qualified students, serving a student body of 22,644 in Riverside, CA. Pell Grant recipients make up 47% of the student body — a marker of economic diversity.

See all programs and financial aid at University of California-Riverside →

Top Career Paths

Architectural and engineering managers $167,740/yr
Chemical engineers $121,860/yr
Engineers, all other $117,750/yr
View all 5 career paths with salary ranges and AI risk →

Compare & Explore

Compare this program → View all 158 schools offering Chemical Engineering →

Chemical Engineering at Other Schools

Rice University ($87,830) The University of Texas at Austin ($87,365) Lamar University ($87,284) University of Florida ($87,164) Texas A & M University-College Station ($86,176) Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus ($85,847) University of Virginia-Main Campus ($85,772) Cornell University ($85,578)

Other Majors at University of California-Riverside

Computer Science ($81,034) Information Science/Studies ($76,090) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($66,430) Computer Engineering ($65,049) Mechanical Engineering ($62,554) Biomedical/Medical Engineering ($61,342) Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering ($59,309) Business Administration, Management and Operations ($43,213)

Frequently Asked Questions

How does University of California-Riverside's Chemical Engineering program score?
A score of 69/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but University of California-Riverside trails the majority of Chemical Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.
How vulnerable is Chemical Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Chemical Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 48% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →