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Civil Engineering

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

Civil engineers learn how to design the structures that hold up cities: bridges, buildings, highways, dams, and water systems. Coursework covers statics, structures, soils, hydraulics, surveying, and construction management, with plenty of math and physics. You'll spend time doing field work—measuring sites, inspecting concrete, sometimes wearing a hard hat in class—and using design software like AutoCAD and Revit.

Group projects often involve designing a real piece of infrastructure for an actual client, which is great practice for the job and great material for a portfolio.

What you'll do after college

Grads work for engineering firms, construction companies, city and state governments, and federal agencies, designing and overseeing the construction of roads, bridges, water systems, and buildings. The job mixes office work (modeling, analysis, drawings) with site visits to actual construction projects.

Most civil engineers eventually earn a Professional Engineer (PE) license, which takes a few years of work plus an exam. Pay is steady, and the work is rewarding because you can literally point to what you built.

Famous graduates

  • Frank Crowe — Chief engineer of the Hoover Dam; B.S. in Civil Engineering from University of Maine
  • Hardy Cross — Developer of the moment distribution method for structural analysis; B.S. in Civil Engineering from MIT
  • Nora Stanton Blatch Barney — Early suffragist and civil engineer; B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cornell University

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$85,763
1,485
100–86%
$87,040
2,977
86–77%
$87,059
2,985
77–68%
$90,125
3,004
68–47%
$87,578
2,961
46–22%
$91,215
1,501
22–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$85,386
1,192
400–1110
$88,153
2,417
1110–1190
$87,738
2,399
1190–1280
$89,453
2,429
1280–1340
$87,870
2,385
1340–1440
$92,905
1,208
1450–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$79,686p10 $96,087p90 Military STEM Non-Research Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University Public University 1–15 Private University 1–30 United States Air Force Academy · $90,856 United States Military Academy · $89,161 United States Coast Guard Academy · $88,951 Citadel Military College of South Carolina · $90,320 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach · $90,688 Virginia Military Institute · $82,447 Cooper Union · $99,075 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology · $92,796 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · $80,654 Wentworth Institute of Technology · $85,442 Milwaukee School of Engineering · $92,664 Lawrence Technological University · $81,297 Lafayette College · $90,669 Bucknell University · $89,747 William Jewell College · $82,686 Carroll College · $83,072 Dordt University · $81,102 Lipscomb University · $83,916 York College of Pennsylvania · $86,139 Schreiner University · $83,634 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University · $86,646 University of California, Irvine · $83,562 Colorado School of Mines · $89,398 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo · $90,401 San Diego State University · $85,665 Alabama A&M University · $86,847 Cal State Los Angeles · $87,960 University of South Florida · $78,693 University of Washington · $85,064 CUNY City College · $83,974 Cal Poly - Pomona · $91,080 Clemson University · $91,938 Florida International University · $80,691 Morgan State University · $70,186 North Carolina A&T State University · $78,547 Southern University and A&M College · $71,303 University of Central Florida · $84,172 University of Maryland, College Park · $84,965 Cal State Long Beach · $86,686 University of California, Davis · $89,308 Auburn University · $98,949 University of Tennessee, Knoxville · $87,751 Stony Brook University · $84,367 Ohio State University · $84,686 Texas A&M University - College Station · $98,834 Cal State Fullerton · $82,180 Florida Atlantic University · $77,028 University of Connecticut · $87,764 Virginia Tech · $85,365 University of South Carolina · $91,172 Pennsylvania State University · $90,819 New Mexico State University · $97,524 Tarleton State University · $83,616 Central Connecticut State University · $89,917 University of Arkansas at Little Rock · $86,957 University of Pittsburgh · $89,724 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $83,576 University of New Mexico · $91,091 College of New Jersey · $86,810 Jackson State University · $96,730 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $84,243 Arkansas State University · $86,622 Texas Southern University · $71,731 Fresno State · $86,646 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $81,986 University of Alaska - Fairbanks · $90,035 West Virginia University Institute of Technology · $85,796 Oklahoma State University · $91,499 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $84,599 New Jersey Institute of Technology · $77,246 Texas Tech University · $98,721 University of Alaska - Anchorage · $95,324 Tennessee State University · $84,435 Texas State University · $88,999 University at Buffalo · $75,110 Louisiana State University · $94,946 University of Colorado Boulder · $84,512 University of Alabama · $92,556 Louisiana Tech University · $86,580 Cal State Sacramento · $87,035 Cleveland State University · $77,142 George Mason University · $92,331 Georgia Southern University · $80,048 Marshall University · $84,683 Murray State University · $91,356 Nicholls State University · $87,573 Ohio University · $85,023 Oregon Institute of Technology · $80,239 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale · $82,304 Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville · $86,060 Temple University · $82,956 Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi · $83,188 Texas A&M University - Kingsville · $77,386 University of Alabama at Birmingham · $89,898 University of Colorado Denver · $82,085 University of Delaware · $88,103 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth · $69,868 University of Memphis · $84,494 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $93,969 University of Southern Indiana · $82,576 University of Tennessee, Chattanooga · $98,566 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley · $80,007 University of Texas at Arlington · $96,545 University of Texas at Tyler · $92,472 Western Illinois University · $85,918 University of Vermont · $78,869 University of Alabama in Huntsville · $83,041 University of Rhode Island · $80,330 Oregon State University · $85,901 University of Arkansas · $89,789 University of Idaho · $81,567 University of Louisville · $97,967 University of Mississippi · $95,664 Washington State University · $89,210 University of Houston · $92,831 University of Illinois Chicago · $82,748 Purdue University Northwest · $84,530 University of Missouri - Kansas City · $88,467 Rowan University · $79,964 Prairie View A&M University · $85,955 SUNY Polytechnic Institute · $72,674 University of Missouri · $85,358 University of North Florida · $81,373 University of North Carolina at Charlotte · $82,215 Angelo State University · $82,451 Chico State · $94,893 University of Louisiana at Lafayette · $88,674 University of New Hampshire · $79,080 Youngstown State University · $76,393 Missouri University of Science and Technology · $87,223 University of Missouri - Saint Louis · $89,810 Tennessee Technological University · $81,554 Kennesaw State University · $87,983 University of Iowa · $88,969 Portland State University · $83,191 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania · $84,073 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $85,026 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $87,876 University of Toledo · $80,992 San Jose State University · $95,259 University of New Orleans · $80,588 Bowling Green State University · $96,199 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $84,901 Kent State University at Kent · $85,495 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania · $84,428 University of Nevada, Las Vegas · $89,702 University of North Dakota · $98,812 University of Utah · $83,260 University of Washington - Tacoma · $85,064 Purdue University Fort Wayne · $83,522 Western Michigan University · $81,424 University of Nevada, Reno · $83,899 Michigan State University · $87,611 Mississippi State University · $97,286 Wayne State University · $80,400 Boise State University · $80,635 Ferris State University · $83,860 Iowa State University · $94,413 Lamar University · $91,159 Montana Technological University · $118,996 South Dakota State University · $83,713 Southern Utah University · $84,020 University of Akron · $81,815 University of Arizona · $88,139 University of Cincinnati · $93,984 University of Maine · $76,459 University of Massachusetts - Lowell · $78,895 West Virginia University · $84,778 Western Kentucky University · $76,678 Michigan Technological University · $86,034 Arizona State University · $88,108 Cal State Northridge · $79,604 South Carolina State University · $77,849 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $79,686 University of Wisconsin - Platteville · $86,153 Florida Gulf Coast University · $78,236 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $86,926 Northern Arizona University · $83,629 University of Kentucky · $82,996 University of Texas at San Antonio · $89,115 Old Dominion University · $84,517 North Dakota State University · $90,730 Pennsylvania State University - Altoona · $85,573 Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg · $82,989 University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown · $91,598 University of Kansas · $96,060 San Francisco State University · $88,190 Utah State University · $88,937 University of South Alabama · $93,490 Idaho State University · $83,373 Kansas State University · $91,941 University of Texas at El Paso · $80,289 University of Wyoming · $78,893 University of California, Merced · $86,708 New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology · $87,771 West Texas A&M University · $86,315 Montana State University · $76,351 University of the District of Columbia · $87,720 Utah Valley University · $92,546 University of Notre Dame · $96,827 Villanova University · $86,503 Santa Clara University · $100,107 Saint Louis University · $86,336 Southern Methodist University · $91,111 Loyola Marymount University · $89,298 Liberty University · $93,776 LeTourneau University · $86,911 Walla Walla University · $88,876 University of Dayton · $95,364 Cedarville University · $82,653 Harding University · $87,414 Manhattan College · $98,055 Messiah University · $85,865 Merrimack College · $83,692 University of Evansville · $81,246 Rockhurst University · $84,102 California Baptist University · $88,983 Brigham Young University · $84,006 Ohio Northern University · $81,569 King's College · $83,039 Saint Martin's University · $87,447 University of Detroit Mercy · $87,024 Marquette University · $93,942 University of Mary · $84,991 Gonzaga University · $82,056 University of Mount Union · $83,988 University of Portland · $82,036 Seattle University · $72,618 George Fox University · $82,565 Catholic University of America · $100,347 Valparaiso University · $83,411 Brigham Young University - Idaho · $81,479 Christian Brothers University · $86,605 Benedictine College · $81,553 University of Miami · $85,069 Syracuse University · $95,258 Howard University · $75,813 George Washington University · $110,399 Stevens Institute of Technology · $86,747 Hofstra University · $87,698 Quinnipiac University · $103,120 Worcester Polytechnic Institute · $89,313 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · $91,408 Florida Institute of Technology · $75,967 Illinois Institute of Technology · $85,702 Bradley University · $83,884 University of New Haven · $88,611 Wilkes University · $81,919 Clarkson University · $79,163 Trine University · $82,127 University of Hartford · $82,650 University of the Pacific · $94,589 New York Institute of Technology · $83,693 Drexel University · $88,964 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus · $89,274 Widener University · $77,860 Norwich University · $72,456 Western New England University · $82,790 Georgia Tech · $91,659 University of California, Berkeley · $91,492 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $88,421 University of Virginia · $94,358 UCLA · $90,114 University of Florida · $87,174 University of Georgia · $88,863 Purdue University · $88,842 North Carolina State University · $87,939 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $91,527 University of Texas at Austin · $96,359 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $85,884 Florida State University · $87,196 University of California, San Diego · $81,805 MIT · $89,695 Stanford University · $109,439 Princeton University · $97,600 Duke University · $103,554 Columbia University · $89,660 Johns Hopkins University · $99,166 Rice University · $96,104 Carnegie Mellon University · $108,056 Northwestern University · $99,281 Vanderbilt University · $113,620 Cornell University · $96,087 Tufts University · $82,347 University of Southern California · $103,086 New York University · $88,717 Case Western Reserve University · $82,010 Northeastern University · $88,840 Lehigh University · $90,653 Military: mean $88,737 STEM Non-Research: mean $88,655 Liberal Arts: mean $85,121 Public University: mean $86,088 Religious University: mean $87,023 Private University: mean $86,436 Public University 1–15: mean $89,402 Private University 1–30: mean $96,348 All colleges: p10 $79,686 All colleges: p90 $96,087
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Civil Engineering 299 14,978 71% / 29% 5% $87,201 97%
Civil Engineering 285 13,072 71% / 29% 5% $86,787 97%
Architectural Engineering 28 972 58% / 42% 4% $89,607 98%
Construction Engineering 27 575 85% / 15% 1% $90,874 99%
Structural Engineering 4 188 62% / 38% 3% $87,326 98%
Civil and Environmental Engineering 3 78 38% / 62% 13% $97,662 94%
Surveying Engineering 8 46 83% / 17% 2% $83,399 95%
Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering 1 28 61% / 39% 4% $100,107 100%
Rail Transportation Engineering 1 9 100% / 0% 0% $85,573 98%
Civil and Environmental Engineering (Course 1) 1 6 50% / 50% 33% $89,695 94%
Transportation Systems Engineering 1 4 75% / 25% 0% $70,186 89%