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General Civil Engineering

Types of Degrees General Civil Engineering Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Civil Engineering have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	82
Bachelor’s Degree	13,451
Master’s Degree	4,620
Doctor’s Degree	1,140

What General Civil Engineering Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Civil Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a General Civil Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

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

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Civil Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Civil Engineering professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Civil Engineering graduates include:

• Electronics Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Electrical Engineering Lecturer
• Applied Mechanics Teacher
• Adjunct Professor
• Engineering Professor
• Research Professor
• Electrical Engineering Teacher
• Civil Engineering Professor
• Marine Engineering Teacher
• Mechanical Engineering Teacher
• Radio Engineering Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Metallurgy Teacher
• Metallurgical Engineering Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	37.3%
Doctoral degree	26.8%
Master’s degree	12.7%
Post-master’s certificate	8.6%
Post-doctoral training	8.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.1%
First professional degree	1.3%
Postsecondary certificate	0.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Civil Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 70.9% of General Civil Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5,609	29.1%
Men	13,684	70.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	9,153	47.4%
Asian	1,556	8.1%
Hispanic or Latino	3,091	16.0%
Black or African American	768	4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	50	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	31	0.2%
Two or More Races	593	3.1%
Race Unknown	355	1.8%
International Students	3,696	19.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Civil Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Civil Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 General Civil Engineering Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for General 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
Master’s	17	35
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 General Civil Engineering Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General 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
Civil Engineering	14.08
Civil Engineering, Other	14.0899
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering	14.0802
Structural Engineering	14.0803
Transportation and Highway Engineering	14.0804
Water Resources Engineering	14.0805
Construction Engineering	14.3301
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General	14.0201
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other	14.0299
Agricultural Engineering	14.0301
Architectural Engineering	14.0401
Astronautical Engineering	14.0202

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.