Construction Engineering

Types of Degrees Construction Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many construction engineering graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	522
Graduate Certificate	18
Doctor’s Degree	4

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:

• 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

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to construction engineering:

• 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

Construction Engineering majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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?

Below is a list of occupations associated with construction engineering:

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 Master’s Degree in Construction Engineering?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 75% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	19
Black or African American	28
Hispanic or Latino	36
White	85
International Students	338
Other Races/Ethnicities	16

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Construction Engineering. About 64.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Construction Engineering

Some degrees associated with construction engineering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to construction engineering have obtained the following education levels.

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

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	11	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	24	4
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Construction Engineering

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

Major	Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering	43,522
Electrical Engineering	27,809
Civil Engineering	20,728
Computer Engineering	18,973
Biomedical Engineering	14,006
General Engineering	12,241
Chemical Engineering	11,830
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering	9,220
Industrial Engineering	8,722
Systems Engineering	4,148
Materials Engineering	3,397
Other Engineering	3,221
Environmental Engineering	3,012
Electrical and Computer Engineering.	1,988
Operations Research	1,907
Robotics Engineering	1,759
Engineering Science	1,338
Agricultural Engineering	1,328
Architectural Engineering	1,090
Engineering Physics	1,047
Manufacturing Engineering	942
Petroleum Engineering	941
Nuclear Engineering	885
Biological Engineering	411
Marine Engineering	390
Geoscience Engineering	315
Mining Engineering	300
Textile Engineering	292
Ocean Engineering	290
Polymer & Plastics Engineering	290
Engineering Mechanics	209
Metallurgical Engineering	195
Energy Systems Engineering	187
Biochemical Engineering	141
Surveying Engineering	123
Ceramic Engineering	60
Forest Engineering	57
Paper Science & Engineering	48
Electromechanical Engineering	47
Engineering Chemistry	27

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 Daniel Christensen under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.