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Civil Engineering

Types of Degrees Civil Engineering Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Civil Engineering have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	71
Associate’s Degree	622
Bachelor’s Degree	267
Master’s Degree	169

What Civil Engineering Majors Need to Know

Studies in Civil Engineering emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Civil Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Civil Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Transportation — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Civil Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Civil Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Civil Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.7 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.7 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.7 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Civil Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Computer aided design and drafting software CADD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Geographic information system GIS systems	Geographic information system	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	✓
Bentley MicroStation	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Trafficware SimTraffic	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Traffic signal software	Industrial control software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Civil Engineering graduates include:

• Traffic Technician
• Transportation Operations Specialist (Transportation Ops Specialist)
• Traffic Control Technician
• Traffic Control Laborer
• Traffic Coordinator
• Street Light Technician
• Traffic Survey Technician
• Collection Technician
• Transportation Planning Technician
• Permit Technician
• Traffic Investigator
• Field Traffic Investigator
• Transportation Technician
• Traffic Control Specialist
• Transportation Analyst

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Civil Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	32.8%
Some college courses	24.4%
Postsecondary certificate	14.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	14.7%
Bachelor’s degree	13.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Civil Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 85% of Civil Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	170	15.0%
Men	962	85.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Civil Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	736	65.0%
Asian	51	4.5%
Hispanic or Latino	169	14.9%
Black or African American	94	8.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	0.7%
Two or More Races	23	2.0%
Race Unknown	24	2.1%
International Students	27	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Civil Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Civil Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$61,601
4 years	$68,104
5 years	$73,200

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $73,200 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Civil Engineering Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Civil Engineering graduates earn a median of $68,104 four years after completion — roughly 79% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Engineering Technologies	15
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.01
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.12
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician	15.10
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.13
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.03
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians	15.04
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians	15.17
Engineering-Related Fields	15.15
Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians	15.11
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other	15.99
ENGINEERING/ENGINEERING-RELATED TECHNOLOGIES/TECHNICIANS	15.00

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.