Mechanical Engineeringat Youngstown State University
Graduates earn $68,061/yr in their first year — about 3.0% below the national Mechanical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $758K; scenarios range from $659K to $790K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Youngstown State University
Graduates earn $68,061/yr, roughly in line with the $70,527 national median for Mechanical Engineering. The value proposition here depends on cost, not earnings.
The 17.6x 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 17% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.
With first-year pay of $68,061 far exceeding the $21,250 median debt, the payback timeline is measured in months, not years.
Ranked #154 out of 320 programs, Youngstown State University's Mechanical Engineering offering sits in the upper half but doesn't break into the top tier.
The five-year earnings trajectory from $68,061 to $83,601 shows 23% 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 Youngstown State 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 Youngstown State University stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Youngstown State University
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Youngstown State University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Mechanical Engineering at Youngstown State University
How does Youngstown State University's Mechanical Engineering program score?
A score of 71/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. Youngstown State University's Mechanical Engineering graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.
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.