Civil Engineeringat University of South Carolina-Columbia
Graduates earn $69,424/yr in their first year — right at the national average. Base-case 10-year earnings $809K; scenarios range from $706K to $847K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at University of South Carolina
Graduates earn $69,424/yr, roughly in line with the $69,097 national median for Civil Engineering. The value proposition here depends on cost, not earnings.
With a 15.9x return on in-state tuition over ten years, the financial case for this program is compelling by virtually any measure.
The 17% difference between AI scenarios reflects partial automation exposure. Some Civil Engineering career paths face displacement, but others in the field are more insulated.
With first-year pay of $69,424 far exceeding the $26,000 median debt, the payback timeline is measured in months, not years.
A #85 ranking among 220 Civil Engineering programs places University of South Carolina-Columbia in the middle-to-upper range. Solid, not exceptional.
A 26% earnings increase from $69,424 to $87,617 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 University of South Carolina'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 University of South Carolina stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at University of South Carolina
Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of South Carolina, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at University of South Carolina
What does a 72/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Civil Engineering at University of South Carolina-Columbia?
At 72/100, 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 Civil Engineering at University of South Carolina-Columbia?
The 49% 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.