Materials Engineeringat Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Graduates earn $66,888/yr in their first year — about 6.0% below the national Materials Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $803K; scenarios range from $702K to $839K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Virginia Tech
First-year earnings of $66,888 track close to the $71,341 national median for Materials Engineering programs. This is a middle-of-the-road outcome on salary alone.
Every dollar of in-state tuition returns an estimated 13.0x in decade earnings — an exceptional ratio that places this among the highest-ROI Materials Engineering programs nationally.
Some AI exposure exists in Materials Engineering's typical career paths, with 48% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 16% gap from the optimistic case.
At $27,000 in median debt against $66,888 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
At #13 of 33 Materials Engineering programs, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University scores above the median — competitive but not a standout.
Earnings grow from $66,888 to $90,734 over five years — a 36% increase that's moderate and in line with typical career 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 Virginia Tech'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 Materials Engineering
How Virginia Tech stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Virginia Tech
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Virginia Tech, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Materials Engineering at Virginia Tech
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Materials Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?
A score of 66/100 puts this program in competitive territory — solid outcomes, though not at the top of the Materials Engineering field.
Will AI replace Materials Engineering careers?
With 48% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $701,920 in decade earnings vs $838,922 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.