Civil Engineering

Types of Degrees Civil Engineering Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	4,884
Doctor’s Degree	1,086
Graduate Certificate	72

What Civil Engineering Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, civil eng majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Civil Eng Majors

Civil Eng majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Skills for Civil Eng Majors

When studying civil eng, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Civil Eng Majors

As you progress with your civil eng degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 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 Civil Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with civil eng:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Biochemical Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Civil Engineers	10.6%	$86,640
Energy Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Environmental Engineers	8.4%	$87,620
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers	8.2%	$92,250
Petroleum Engineers	15.1%	$137,170
Transportation Engineers	10.6%	$86,640
Water/Wastewater Engineers	8.4%	$87,620

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering?

Civil Engineering runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #40 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2021, about 4,884 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. This major attracts more men than women. About 68% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of civil eng majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	332
Black or African American	130
Hispanic or Latino	398
White	1,756
International Students	2,049
Other Races/Ethnicities	219

Geographic Diversity

Civil Eng appeals to people across the globe. About 42.0% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Saudi Arabia
• Iran
• Kuwait

How Much Do Civil Engineering Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in civil eng was $69,936 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $65,417 (25th percentile) and $75,901 (75th percentile).

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

Salaries According to BLS

Civil Eng majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $93,720 to $148,970 (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.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Civil Engineering

Some degrees associated with civil eng 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 civil eng careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
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)	1.2%
Some College Courses	0.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	61.8%
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.	6.7%
Master’s Degree	18.9%
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.	1.8%
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.	1.5%
Doctoral Degree	6.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.1%

Online Civil Engineering Programs

In 2020-2021, 316 schools offered a civil eng program of some type. 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)	3	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	22	1
Bachelor’s Degree	52	11
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	241	21
Post-Master’s	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	148	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Civil Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a civil eng 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!

Majors Related to Civil Engineering

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to civil eng.

Major	Number of Grads
Electrical Engineering	11,021
Mechanical Engineering	9,007
Computer Engineering	5,557
Biomedical Engineering	4,252
General Engineering	3,548
Systems Engineering	3,068
Industrial Engineering	3,028
Chemical Engineering	2,662
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering	2,375
Other Engineering	1,820
Materials Engineering	1,810
Operations Research	1,191
Electrical and Computer Engineering.	928
Environmental Engineering	919
Robotics Engineering	560
Engineering Science	451
Nuclear Engineering	437
Manufacturing Engineering	423
Petroleum Engineering	401
Agricultural Engineering	332
Construction Engineering	288
Engineering Physics	286
Architectural Engineering	243
Geoscience Engineering	173
Polymer & Plastics Engineering	167
Engineering Mechanics	144
Mining Engineering	132
Ocean Engineering	112
Textile Engineering	96
Biological Engineering	80
Energy Systems Engineering	79
Marine Engineering	44
Metallurgical Engineering	40
Biochemical Engineering	21
Ceramic Engineering	20
Electromechanical Engineering	16
Surveying Engineering	11
Paper Science & Engineering	7
Forest Engineering	0

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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Master Sgt. Roger Parsons under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.