Mechanical Engineeringat Western Michigan University
Graduates earn $68,260/yr in their first year — about 3.0% below the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $831K; scenarios range from $711K to $872K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Western Michigan University
Graduates earn $68,260/yr, roughly in line with the $70,527 national median for Mechanical Engineering. The value proposition here depends on cost, not earnings.
The 13.6x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.
AI risk is moderate — 53% task exposure — and the 19% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
With first-year pay of $68,260 far exceeding the $29,000 median debt, the payback timeline is measured in months, not years.
At #170 out of 320 programs, Western Michigan University's financial outcomes for Mechanical Engineering trail the majority of peers. The value case depends on other factors.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $68,260 to $91,489 shows 34% growth, reflecting steady but unremarkable salary 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 Western Michigan University'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 Western Michigan University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Western Michigan University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Western Michigan University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at Western Michigan University
How does Western Michigan University's Mechanical Engineering program score?
A score of 70/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Western Michigan University trails the majority of Mechanical Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.
How vulnerable is Mechanical Engineering to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Mechanical Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 53% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.