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public works management

Types of Degrees public works management Majors Are Earning

Those studying public works management have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	24

What public works management Majors Need to Know

Programs in public works management build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that public works management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in public works management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.4 / 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 public works management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to public works management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, public works management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by public works management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for public works management graduates include:

• Project Coordinator
• Site Manager
• Site Supervision Technical Operator
• Concrete Foreman
• Commercial Construction Project Manager
• Multifamily Superintendent
• Railroad Construction Director
• Construction Coordinator
• Energy Efficient Site Manager
• Construction Management Supervisor
• Masonry Contractor Administrator (Masonry Construction Admin)
• Utility Division Project Manager
• Maintenance of Way Superintendent (MOW Superintendent)
• Construction Manager
• Superintendent

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	54.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	9.9%
Postsecondary certificate	8.1%
Master’s degree	7.1%
Some college courses	5.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.1%
Less than a high school diploma	1.6%
Doctoral degree	0.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in public works management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62.5% of public works management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	15	62.5%
Men	9	37.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of public works management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	16	66.7%
Hispanic or Latino	4	16.7%
Black or African American	2	8.3%
Race Unknown	2	8.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do public works management Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of public works management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$60,712
4 years	$65,901
5 years	$73,920

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $73,920 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in public works management Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, public works management graduates earn a median of $65,901 four years after completion — roughly 73% 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
Public Administration	44.04
Public Administration, Other	44.0499
Public Administration	44.0401
Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies	44.0403

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.