Engineering Physicsat University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Graduates earn $64,304/yr in their first year — about 7.0% above the national Engineering Physics average. Base-case 10-year earnings $988K; scenarios range from $822K to $1,049K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UIUC
This highly specialized UIUC program positions you uniquely in a demanding labor market. Your robust training in both engineering and fundamental physics equips you with a versatile problem-solving toolkit, making you invaluable to employers in advanced R&D, defense, aerospace, and cutting-edge tech. The university's exceptional reputation and strong research focus in fields like quantum computing and materials science fuel these strong outcomes, as graduates are highly sought after by national labs, semiconductor companies, and innovative startups. While some tasks within engineering and physics roles may face automation, your UIUC education prepares you to be at the forefront of *developing* these new technologies. To truly excel, leverage the program's unparalleled research opportunities to specialize in an emerging field, ensuring you're creating the future, not just adapting to it.
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 UIUC'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 Engineering Physics
How UIUC stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UIUC
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UIUC, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Engineering Physics at UIUC
How does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Engineering Physics program score?
This program scores 69/100, reflecting respectable but not exceptional financial outcomes for Engineering Physics graduates.
How vulnerable is Engineering Physics to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Engineering Physics careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 52% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Why does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign rank so high for Engineering Physics?
The #2 ranking out of 8 programs is driven by strong financial outcomes — graduates earn well, debt is manageable relative to income, and the job market supports the field.