Best degree programs for Civil Engineers, ranked by enrollment
7 college programs and 325 schools train Civil Engineers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $100,840 median wage, 367,840 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
7 college programs at 325 schools train civil engineers, graduating 21,408 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Civil Engineering, General. The job pays a median of $100,840 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About civil engineers
Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructure that may have been neglected.
Read more on Wikipedia →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.
7 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 | Civil Engineering, Generalmain feeder CIP 14.0801 | 19,047 | 89.0% | 307 | $69,574 | $24,625 |
| 2 | Construction Engineeringmain feeder CIP 14.3301 | 1,588 | 7.4% | 50 | $75,998 | $25,314 |
| 3 | Structural Engineeringmain feeder CIP 14.0803 | 385 | 1.8% | 24 | $69,574 | $24,625 |
| 4 | Civil Engineering, Othermain feeder CIP 14.0899 | 207 | 1.0% | 16 | $69,574 | $24,625 |
| 5 | Transportation and Highway Engineeringmain feeder CIP 14.0804 | 122 | 0.6% | 14 | $69,574 | $24,625 |
| 6 | Water Resources Engineeringmain feeder CIP 14.0805 | 40 | 0.2% | 11 | $69,574 | $24,625 |
| 7 | CIP 14.0802 | 19 | 0.1% | 7 | $69,574 | $24,625 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What civil engineers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $122,500 | 55,180 | 1.28× | 24 | 3,111 |
| Texas | $96,860 | 34,870 | 1.05× | 26 | 2,097 |
| New York | $103,760 | 17,500 | 0.76× | 20 | 1,108 |
| Florida | $98,570 | 23,750 | 1.01× | 13 | 1,097 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,850 | 15,870 | 1.11× | 23 | 911 |
| Illinois | $99,760 | 13,910 | 0.96× | 8 | 851 |
| Ohio | $96,220 | 10,560 | 0.80× | 16 | 826 |
| Virginia | $97,120 | 11,350 | 1.17× | 6 | 693 |
| Massachusetts | $106,730 | 9,450 | 1.10× | 10 | 685 |
| Georgia | $84,240 | 9,400 | 0.81× | 5 | 633 |
| Indiana | $98,270 | 4,030 | 0.53× | 10 | 587 |
| New Jersey | $104,660 | 6,900 | 0.68× | 7 | 580 |
| Michigan | $92,100 | 7,760 | 0.74× | 8 | 503 |
| Colorado | $101,420 | 13,290 | 1.96× | 6 | 453 |
| North Carolinamoderate | $100,730 | 12,810 | 1.10× | 4 | 449 |
| Washington | $110,000 | 12,590 | 1.50× | 7 | 434 |
| Alabama | $99,010 | 5,370 | 1.07× | 6 | 419 |
| Oregon | $105,250 | 4,890 | 1.05× | 5 | 357 |
| Tennessee | $95,910 | 5,790 | 0.75× | 8 | 352 |
| South Carolinamoderate | $101,600 | 7,180 | 1.32× | 4 | 346 |
| Missouri | $92,750 | 5,760 | 0.83× | 9 | 336 |
| Utah | $96,830 | 5,670 | 1.38× | 7 | 324 |
| Wisconsin | $94,600 | 7,410 | 1.07× | 5 | 299 |
| Louisiana | $105,380 | 3,780 | 0.82× | 6 | 292 |
| Arizonamoderate | $89,660 | 5,940 | 0.77× | 3 | 287 |
| Iowamoderate | $96,430 | 2,500 | 0.68× | 4 | 264 |
| Connecticut | $103,150 | 4,370 | 1.09× | 6 | 221 |
| Mississippimoderate | $100,170 | 1,770 | 0.64× | 4 | 195 |
| Marylandmoderate | $100,680 | 5,240 | 0.80× | 3 | 180 |
| Kentuckymoderate | $100,930 | 2,690 | 0.57× | 4 | 177 |
| Nevadalimited | $104,310 | 3,560 | 0.97× | 2 | 174 |
| Minnesotamoderate | $101,480 | 4,710 | 0.68× | 4 | 152 |
| Oklahomalimited | $98,760 | 2,180 | 0.54× | 2 | 146 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $103,900 | 1,350 | 0.66× | 3 | 143 |
| Idahomoderate | $98,030 | 2,630 | 1.30× | 4 | 139 |
| Kansasmoderate | $96,880 | 2,880 | 0.85× | 3 | 134 |
| North Dakotamoderate | $98,190 | 1,380 | 1.35× | 4 | 132 |
| Nebraskalimited | $103,150 | 2,360 | 0.97× | 1 | 128 |
| South Dakotalimited | $98,700 | 1,440 | 1.33× | 2 | 126 |
| Arkansasmoderate | $85,020 | 1,870 | 0.60× | 4 | 115 |
| Delawarelimited | $100,220 | 920 | 0.80× | 1 | 101 |
| West Virginiamoderate | $86,930 | 1,300 | 0.78× | 3 | 101 |
| Montanamoderate | $93,070 | 1,870 | 1.55× | 3 | 90 |
| District of Columbiamoderate | $103,880 | 1,650 | 0.99× | 4 | 86 |
| Hawaiilimited | $94,280 | 2,640 | 1.78× | 1 | 75 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $98,710 | 1,620 | 1.00× | 2 | 74 |
| Vermontlimited | $95,600 | 770 | 1.07× | 2 | 71 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $99,300 | 1,270 | 1.07× | 2 | 58 |
| Mainelimited | $97,820 | 1,240 | 0.82× | 1 | 54 |
| Wyominglimited | $90,590 | 990 | 1.48× | 1 | 39 |
| Alaskalimited | $114,730 | 1,670 | 2.17× | 2 | 35 |
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
- Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
- Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
- Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
- Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
- Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools.
- Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs.
- Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data.
- Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.
Skills
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Mathematics3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Writing3.8
- Science3.4
- Monitoring3.4
Knowledge areas
- Engineering and Technology4.8
- Design4.7
- Mathematics4.3
- Building and Construction4.2
- English Language4.0
- Physics3.6
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.0
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
- Deductive Reasoning4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Written Expression4.0
Core activities
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.6
- Getting Information4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
- Working with Computers4.3
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.2
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.1
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Civil Engineer
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Civil Engineers7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 14.0801Civil Engineering, General
- 14.0802Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- 14.0803Structural Engineering
- 14.0804Transportation and Highway Engineering
- 14.0805Water Resources Engineering
- 14.0899Civil Engineering, Other
- 14.3301Construction Engineering
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 Engineer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Civil Engineering, General, which awarded 19,047 degrees in 2024-25, 89.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Civil Engineer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering. Together they graduate about 21,408 people a year.
How much do civil engineers earn?+
The median is $100,840 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $68,240 at the 10th percentile to $163,220 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 engineers growing?+
BLS projects a +5.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 23,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
325 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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 engineers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Engineer, Civil Engineer, County Engineer, Design Engineer, Project Engineer, Traffic Engineer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-2051.
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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