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Civil Engineering

Types of Degrees Civil Engineering Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Civil Engineering may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	110
Bachelor’s Degree	13,644
Master’s Degree	5,056
Doctor’s Degree	1,195

What Civil Engineering Majors Need to Know

Programs in Civil Engineering build 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

This major prepares you for careers needing Civil Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Civil Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Civil Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Civil Engineering graduates include:

• Engineer
• Ship Design Teacher
• Engineering Lecturer
• University Faculty Member
• Civil Engineering Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Engineering Professor
• Professor
• Electronic Science Teacher
• Highway Engineering Teacher
• College Professor
• Chemical Engineering Teacher
• Marine Engineering Professor
• Hydraulics Teacher
• Electrical Engineering Teacher

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
Bachelor’s degree	39.9%
Doctoral degree	24.5%
Master’s degree	12.4%
Post-master’s certificate	7.4%
Post-doctoral training	7.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.4%
First professional degree	1.4%
Postsecondary certificate	1.0%
Some college courses	0.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

^{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 70.8% of Civil Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5,847	29.2%
Men	14,158	70.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	9,444	47.2%
Asian	1,642	8.2%
Hispanic or Latino	3,183	15.9%
Black or African American	791	4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	51	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	32	0.2%
Two or More Races	616	3.1%
Race Unknown	373	1.9%
International Students	3,873	19.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Civil Engineering Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports 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	$71,056
4 years	$78,886
5 years	$88,976

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $88,976 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Civil Engineering Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Civil Engineering. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	2
Master’s	23	38
Doctoral (Research)	2	6

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Civil Engineering Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Civil Engineering graduates earn a median of $78,886 four years after completion — roughly 108% 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	14
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering	14.02
Agricultural Engineering	14.03
Architectural Engineering	14.04
Biochemical Engineering	14.43
Biological/Biosystems Engineering	14.45
Biomedical/Medical Engineering	14.05
Ceramic Sciences and Engineering	14.06
Chemical Engineering	14.07
Computer Engineering	14.09
Construction Engineering	14.33
Electrical and Computer Engineering	14.47

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.