Best degree programs for Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians, ranked by enrollment
5 college programs and 528 schools train Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $64,950 median wage, 68,520 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
5 college programs at 528 schools train civil engineering technologists and technicians, graduating 13,910 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Construction Engineering Technology/Technician. The job pays a median of $64,950 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About civil engineering technologists and technicians
Apply theory and principles of civil engineering in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of structures and facilities under the direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
5 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 15.1001 | 5,391 | 38.8% | 146 | $72,178 | $22,750 |
| 2 | CIP 15.0000 | 3,595 | 25.8% | 197 | $59,718 | $25,375 |
| 3 | CIP 46.0415 | 2,137 | 15.4% | 127 | $31,641 | $9,500 |
| 4 | CIP 15.0101 | 1,494 | 10.7% | 72 | $50,625 | $21,717 |
| 5 | Civil Engineering Technologies/Techniciansmain feeder CIP 15.0201 | 1,293 | 9.3% | 120 | $58,970 | $27,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What civil engineering technologists and technicians earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $59,390 | 4,470 | 0.72× | 27 | 1,784 |
| California | $83,490 | 7,250 | 0.90× | 53 | 1,476 |
| Florida | $63,410 | 4,030 | 0.92× | 41 | 1,238 |
| Tennessee | $57,270 | 1,650 | 1.14× | 30 | 880 |
| North Carolina | $58,700 | 2,760 | 1.27× | 15 | 653 |
| Washington | $79,580 | 2,090 | 1.33× | 16 | 551 |
| New York | $73,790 | 1,710 | 0.40× | 26 | 524 |
| Alabama | $52,750 | 1,800 | 1.93× | 9 | 472 |
| Ohio | $64,730 | 1,790 | 0.73× | 25 | 441 |
| Indiana | $64,390 | 1,040 | 0.74× | 6 | 412 |
| Colorado | $59,050 | 1,820 | 1.44× | 12 | 388 |
| Michigan | $57,990 | 2,930 | 1.51× | 23 | 385 |
| Arizona | $63,560 | 1,050 | 0.73× | 9 | 353 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,650 | 2,290 | 0.86× | 14 | 328 |
| South Carolina | $53,710 | 1,480 | 1.46× | 11 | 316 |
| Georgia | $50,360 | 3,840 | 1.78× | 15 | 305 |
| Kansas | $59,440 | 1,060 | 1.67× | 7 | 248 |
| Missouri | $61,350 | 1,300 | 1.01× | 10 | 224 |
| Wisconsin | $73,970 | 1,560 | 1.20× | 12 | 213 |
| Arkansas | $51,750 | — | — | 8 | 209 |
| Illinois | $79,190 | 4,190 | 1.56× | 11 | 201 |
| Kentucky | $59,710 | 1,860 | 2.11× | 9 | 183 |
| Connecticutmoderate | $73,430 | 330 | 0.45× | 4 | 178 |
| Mississippi | $46,430 | 800 | 1.57× | 9 | 160 |
| South Dakota | $60,880 | 460 | 2.27× | 5 | 154 |
| Louisiana | $68,030 | 410 | 0.48× | 7 | 143 |
| Virginia | $67,100 | 1,480 | 0.82× | 12 | 138 |
| Oklahoma | $60,050 | 400 | 0.54× | 7 | 103 |
| New Jersey | $70,650 | 760 | 0.40× | 8 | 102 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $66,590 | 370 | 0.81× | 3 | 97 |
| New Mexico | $62,440 | 710 | 1.84× | 6 | 93 |
| Maine | $67,540 | 290 | 1.02× | 5 | 89 |
| North Dakotamoderate | $65,030 | 400 | 2.12× | 3 | 88 |
| Minnesota | $78,690 | 2,030 | 1.56× | 8 | 85 |
| Oregon | $85,390 | 970 | 1.12× | 7 | 81 |
| West Virginiamoderate | $53,340 | 520 | 1.67× | 4 | 75 |
| Utah | $64,490 | 630 | 0.82× | 5 | 61 |
| Montana | $61,410 | 310 | 1.36× | 6 | 58 |
| Nevadamoderate | $74,810 | 800 | 1.18× | 3 | 53 |
| Massachusetts | $71,350 | 680 | 0.42× | 7 | 43 |
| Marylandmoderate | $62,760 | 620 | 0.51× | 3 | 42 |
| Iowamoderate | $72,540 | 1,130 | 1.64× | 4 | 39 |
| Idahomoderate | $63,200 | 440 | 1.16× | 3 | 38 |
| Hawaiilimited | $64,410 | 120 | 0.44× | 2 | 33 |
| Delawarelimited | $62,120 | 350 | 1.65× | 1 | 29 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $63,650 | 140 | 0.64× | 2 | 29 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $64,480 | 300 | 0.99× | 3 | 24 |
| Alaskamoderate | $70,990 | 230 | 1.62× | 3 | 20 |
| Wyominglimited | $56,150 | 300 | 2.45× | 1 | 11 |
| Vermontlimited | $74,100 | 200 | 1.53× | 1 | 6 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Calculate dimensions, square footage, profile and component specifications, and material quantities, using calculator or computer.
- Read and review project blueprints and structural specifications to determine dimensions of structure or system and material requirements.
- Draft detailed dimensional drawings and design layouts for projects to ensure conformance to specifications.
- Confer with supervisor to determine project details such as plan preparation, acceptance testing, and evaluation of field conditions.
- Analyze proposed site factors and design maps, graphs, tracings, and diagrams to illustrate findings.
- Prepare reports and document project activities and data.
- Report maintenance problems occurring at project site to supervisor and negotiate changes to resolve system conflicts.
- Inspect project site and evaluate contractor work to detect design malfunctions and ensure conformance to design specifications and applicable codes.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Active Listening3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Mathematics3.6
- Speaking3.4
- Writing3.3
- Monitoring3.3
- Active Learning2.9
Knowledge areas
- Engineering and Technology4.5
- Mathematics4.2
- Building and Construction4.2
- Design4.2
- Administrative3.6
- Administration and Management3.6
Abilities
- Written Comprehension3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Near Vision3.9
- Deductive Reasoning3.9
- Mathematical Reasoning3.9
- Oral Expression3.8
Core activities
- Getting Information4.5
- Working with Computers4.5
- Processing Information4.3
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.2
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.1
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.1
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Civil Engineering Technologist
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 15.0000Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
- 15.0101Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians
- 15.0201Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians
- 15.1001Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
- 46.0415Building Construction Technology/Technician
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Civil Engineering Technologist?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Construction Engineering Technology/Technician, which awarded 5,391 degrees in 2024-25, 38.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Civil Engineering Technologist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Construction Engineering Technology/Technician, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Building/Construction Finishing, Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 13,910 people a year.
How much do civil engineering technologists and technicians earn?+
The median is $64,950 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $44,220 at the 10th percentile to $98,980 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for civil engineering technologists and technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 5,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
528 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do civil engineering technologists and technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Engineer Technician, Engineering Assistant, Engineering Technician, Civil Engineering Technician among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3022.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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