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transportation and infrastructure planning/studies

Types of Degrees transportation and infrastructure planning/studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing transportation and infrastructure planning/studies have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	18

What transportation and infrastructure planning/studies Majors Need to Know

Programs in transportation and infrastructure planning/studies build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that transportation and infrastructure planning/studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in transportation and infrastructure planning/studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Transportation — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a transportation and infrastructure planning/studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to transportation and infrastructure planning/studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, transportation and infrastructure planning/studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.7 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.7 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by transportation and infrastructure planning/studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Bentley MicroStation	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Geographic information system GIS systems	Geographic information system	✓
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
ESRI ArcView	Geographic information system	—
Oracle Database	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for transportation and infrastructure planning/studies graduates include:

• Traffic Control Specialist
• Transportation Operations Specialist (Transportation Ops Specialist)
• Traffic Analyst
• Highway Traffic Control Technician
• Traffic Signal Installer
• Traffic Control Laborer
• Transportation Planning Technician
• Street Light Technician
• Collection Technician
• Traffic Control Technician
• Traffic Engineering Technician
• Traffic Technician
• Traffic Specialist
• Pavement Engineer
• Traffic Investigator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to transportation and infrastructure planning/studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	31.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	26.8%
Some college courses	14.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.4%
Master’s degree	8.8%
Postsecondary certificate	6.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in transportation and infrastructure planning/studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 72.2% of transportation and infrastructure planning/studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5	27.8%
Men	13	72.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of transportation and infrastructure planning/studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5	27.8%
Asian	2	11.1%
Black or African American	4	22.2%
Two or More Races	2	11.1%
Race Unknown	1	5.6%
International Students	4	22.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do transportation and infrastructure planning/studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of transportation and infrastructure planning/studies 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	$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 transportation and infrastructure planning/studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, transportation and infrastructure planning/studies 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
Public Works Management	44.0402

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.