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Engineering · Mechanical Engineering Rank #301 of 320

Mechanical Engineeringat York College of Pennsylvania

Graduates earn $74,445/yr in their first year — about 6.0% above the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $748K; scenarios range from $652K to $779K depending on AI disruption.

York, PA Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
54 AVERAGE
55
Optimistic
51
Pessimistic
Earnings
$74,445
1-year post-graduation
ROI
6.6x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$748K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
Very High
57% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at York College of Pennsylvania

Graduates earn $74,445/yr, edging above the $70,527 national average for Mechanical Engineering — a modest premium that suggests solid regional demand.

The earnings-to-cost ratio of 7.6x signals a solid financial return — projected decade earnings comfortably exceed the tuition investment.

Some AI exposure exists in Mechanical Engineering's typical career paths, with 53% of job tasks potentially affected. The pessimistic scenario still projects solid returns, with a 16% gap from the optimistic case.

At $26,990 in median debt against $74,445 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.

Ranked #301 of 320 Mechanical Engineering programs, York College of Pennsylvania falls below the median. Stronger options exist, though cost and location may compensate.

AI Outlook Integration

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.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$652K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score51/100
Earnings Multiple6.6x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$748K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score54/100
Earnings Multiple7.6x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$779K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score55/100
Earnings Multiple7.9x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to York College of Pennsylvania's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Mechanical Engineering graduates typically work

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.

1
Architectural and engineering managers
+3.8% 10-yr growth · 14,500 openings/yr
$167,740/yr
Moderate
2
Aerospace engineers
+6.1% 10-yr growth · 4,500 openings/yr
$134,830/yr
High
3
Engineering teachers, postsecondary
+8.1% 10-yr growth · 4,100 openings/yr
$106,120/yr
High
4
Mechanical engineers
+9.1% 10-yr growth · 18,100 openings/yr
$102,320/yr
High
5
Cost estimators
-4.2% 10-yr growth · 16,900 openings/yr
$77,070/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Mechanical Engineering

How York College of Pennsylvania stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
California State University Maritime Academy
CA · Public
79
DW Score
$92K
1-yr earn
36.4x
ROI
Duke University
NC · Private nonprofit
65
DW Score
$90K
1-yr earn
3.8x
ROI
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public
76
DW Score
$88K
1-yr earn
17.9x
ROI
Cornell University
NY · Private nonprofit
64
DW Score
$85K
1-yr earn
3.3x
ROI
Princeton University
NJ · Private nonprofit
52
DW Score
$85K
1-yr earn
2.6x
ROI
Also at York College of Pennsylvania

Other top programs at York College of Pennsylvania

Other highest-scoring programs offered at York College of Pennsylvania, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at York College of Pennsylvania

What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Mechanical Engineering at York College of Pennsylvania?

This program scores 54/100 — a respectable number in isolation, but it ranks in the bottom half of Mechanical Engineering programs nationally. The field is competitive, and stronger options exist.

Will AI replace Mechanical Engineering careers?

With 53% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $651,844 in decade earnings vs $779,404 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.