How much money do Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $62,300 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $82,500 on average.
In terms of specific areas of study, the following is a ranking of degree programs by the median first-year starting salaries for RPI graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Science with a median starting salary of $91,900 followed by Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians paying $88,400 and Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering graduates who have a median starting income of $74,000 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $77,200 followed by Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) at $76,900 and Applied Mathematics (Master's Degree) who earn $76,600 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates who received federal financial aid in the form of grants or loans. Not all graduates or fields of study are represented as data for some degree programs are omitted for privacy purposes.
| Major | Earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $91,900 |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) | $88,400 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $77,200 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $76,900 |
| Applied Mathematics (Master's Degree) | $76,600 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $74,000 |
| Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $72,200 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $70,500 |
| Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) | $69,800 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $69,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $66,700 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $66,500 |
| Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $66,000 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $66,000 |
| Physics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $65,300 |
| Nuclear Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $63,900 |
| Materials Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $63,300 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $57,700 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $57,400 |
| Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) | $50,200 |
| Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,600 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=194824 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.