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Construction Engineering Major

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Construction Engineering

590 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
282 Master's Degrees Annually
#194 in Popularity
$99,410 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Construction Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many construction engineering graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 590
Master’s Degree 282
Graduate Certificate 6

What Construction Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to construction engineering were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Construction Engineering Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in construction engineering should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

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  • Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Construction Engineering Majors

A major in construction engineering prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

Abilities for Construction Engineering Majors

As a construction engineering major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

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  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Construction Engineering Major?

People with a construction engineering degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers 5.5% $140,760
Civil Engineers 10.6% $86,640
Cost Estimators 10.5% $64,040
Energy Engineers 6.4% $96,980
Engineering Professors 14.7% $101,720
Solar Energy Systems Engineers 6.4% $96,980
Transportation Engineers 10.6% $86,640
Wind Energy Engineers 6.4% $96,980

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Engineering?

590 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
13% Percent Women
23% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 590 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering in 2021, making it rank #194 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 87% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of construction engineering majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 12
Black or African American 17
Hispanic or Latino 85
White 423
International Students 21
Other Races/Ethnicities 32

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Construction Engineering, too. About 3.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • India
  • China
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Spain
  • South Korea

How Much Do Construction Engineering Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering was $71,580 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $68,043 (25th percentile) and $74,208 (75th percentile).

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It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to construction engineering.

Salaries According to BLS

Construction Engineering majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $93,720 to $113,680 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Construction Engineering Major  ( 93720 to 113680 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some degrees associated with construction engineering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for construction engineering careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 0.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 0.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 2.7%
Some College Courses 1.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 1.8%
Bachelor’s Degree 58.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 6.9%
Master’s Degree 16.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 1.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 2.0%
Doctoral Degree 6.0%
Post-Doctoral Training 1.4%

Online Construction Engineering Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 48 schools offered some type of construction engineering program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 0 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 0 0
Bachelor’s Degree 8 1
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 20 1
Post-Master’s 2 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 4 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Construction Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a construction engineering grad is $99,410 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 149% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,190,200 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to construction engineering.

Major Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering 46,178
Electrical Engineering 28,844
Civil Engineering 21,388
Computer Engineering 17,987
Chemical Engineering 12,917
Biomedical Engineering 12,811
General Engineering 11,796
Industrial Engineering 9,072
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 8,001
Systems Engineering 3,904
Materials Engineering 3,415
Other Engineering 2,760
Environmental Engineering 2,759
Operations Research 1,698
Agricultural Engineering 1,472
Engineering Science 1,454
Electrical and Computer Engineering. 1,378
Petroleum Engineering 1,256
Robotics Engineering 1,243
Architectural Engineering 1,012
Engineering Physics 994
Manufacturing Engineering 947
Nuclear Engineering 864
Marine Engineering 445
Biological Engineering 410
Polymer & Plastics Engineering 360
Geoscience Engineering 325
Mining Engineering 314
Textile Engineering 310
Ocean Engineering 285
Engineering Mechanics 272
Metallurgical Engineering 179
Energy Systems Engineering 138
Biochemical Engineering 109
Ceramic Engineering 94
Surveying Engineering 73
Electromechanical Engineering 45
Forest Engineering 41
Paper Science & Engineering 27
Engineering Chemistry 13

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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