Mechanical Engineeringat University of California-Riverside
Graduates earn $62,554/yr in their first year — about 11.0% below the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $868K; scenarios range from $736K to $913K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Riverside
Graduates earn $62,554/yr, roughly in line with the $70,527 national median for Mechanical Engineering. The value proposition here depends on cost, not earnings.
With a 15.3x return on in-state tuition over ten years, the financial case for this program is compelling by virtually any measure.
The 19% difference between AI scenarios reflects partial automation exposure. Some Mechanical Engineering career paths face displacement, but others in the field are more insulated.
With first-year pay of $62,554 far exceeding the $21,000 median debt, the payback timeline is measured in months, not years.
A #159 ranking among 320 Mechanical Engineering programs places University of California-Riverside in the middle-to-upper range. Solid, not exceptional.
A 49% earnings increase from $62,554 to $93,294 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 UC Riverside'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 UC Riverside stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Riverside
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Riverside, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at UC Riverside
What does a 70/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Mechanical Engineering at University of California-Riverside?
At 70/100, this is a high-performing program. The DegreeOutlook Score combines earnings, AI resilience, and ROI — and this program delivers on all three.
Should I worry about AI if I study Mechanical Engineering at University of California-Riverside?
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.