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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

$90,429
1,507
100–91%
$91,024
2,977
91–81%
$92,416
3,009
81–71%
$90,498
2,943
70–51%
$94,748
2,985
50–27%
$95,415
1,498
27–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$89,074
1,233
400–1110
$91,479
2,430
1110–1190
$92,061
2,376
1190–1270
$93,924
2,419
1280–1340
$93,468
2,430
1340–1440
$97,154
1,208
1450–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category

$82,771p10 $99,603p90 STEM, Business & Military Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University 20–30% 10–20% 0–10% Stevens Institute of Technology · $103,187 Florida Institute of Technology · $85,772 Worcester Polytechnic Institute · $90,391 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · $89,646 Milwaukee School of Engineering · $93,038 New Jersey Institute of Technology · $84,942 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach · $92,206 Cal Poly - Pomona · $95,387 Virginia Military Institute · $83,240 SUNY Polytechnic Institute · $74,810 Clarkson University · $82,603 Missouri University of Science and Technology · $94,911 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · $94,062 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology · $100,001 Lawrence Technological University · $88,829 Montana Technological University · $118,995 Michigan Technological University · $86,223 Wentworth Institute of Technology · $91,958 Oregon Institute of Technology · $79,335 New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology · $82,251 Citadel Military College of South Carolina · $86,872 Lafayette College · $96,542 Bucknell University · $100,910 Union College · $91,955 William Jewell College · $90,140 Carroll College · $82,850 Dordt University · $83,282 Lipscomb University · $90,064 York College of Pennsylvania · $93,425 Schreiner University · $92,387 University of Georgia · $98,770 Southern University and A&M College · $71,302 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $97,482 San Diego State University · $89,904 Alabama A&M University · $78,753 North Carolina State University · $94,257 University of South Florida · $87,571 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $98,500 University of Tennessee, Knoxville · $95,805 University of Washington · $88,548 Clemson University · $90,414 University of Central Florida · $87,495 Purdue University · $100,036 University of Maryland, College Park · $92,484 Cal State Long Beach · $87,346 University of California, Davis · $96,897 Auburn University · $105,184 Stony Brook University · $83,417 Ohio State University · $93,233 North Carolina A&T State University · $82,451 Texas A&M University - College Station · $102,566 Cal State Fullerton · $83,704 Tarleton State University · $87,200 University of Connecticut · $88,147 Virginia Tech · $92,952 Pennsylvania State University · $92,105 University of South Carolina · $94,097 New Mexico State University · $84,244 CUNY City College · $84,600 Central Connecticut State University · $85,717 University of Arkansas at Little Rock · $92,257 Florida Atlantic University · $75,632 West Texas A&M University · $77,810 University of Pittsburgh · $88,525 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $86,625 University of New Mexico · $86,265 Florida International University · $83,962 College of New Jersey · $94,918 Jackson State University · $102,194 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $86,739 Texas Southern University · $79,715 West Virginia University Institute of Technology · $91,075 Fresno State · $85,553 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $83,150 University of Alaska - Fairbanks · $87,126 Eastern Michigan University · $91,693 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $88,639 University of North Florida · $85,861 Texas Tech University · $101,686 Georgia Southern University · $89,717 Tennessee State University · $84,380 University of Colorado Boulder · $87,110 Louisiana State University · $99,915 University of Alabama · $99,324 University of Delaware · $93,690 University of Tennessee, Chattanooga · $97,748 Louisiana Tech University · $94,075 Western Illinois University · $90,503 University of Vermont · $81,941 Oklahoma State University · $102,243 University of Arkansas · $99,646 University of Alabama in Huntsville · $87,591 University of Colorado Denver · $87,581 University of Rhode Island · $89,206 University of Idaho · $93,083 University of Louisville · $90,004 University of Houston · $96,373 University of Illinois Chicago · $87,749 Purdue University Northwest · $93,134 University of Missouri - Kansas City · $91,091 Rowan University · $82,346 Prairie View A&M University · $89,137 University of Missouri · $94,880 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $94,454 University of North Carolina at Charlotte · $90,949 University of Louisiana at Lafayette · $89,952 University of New Hampshire · $82,610 Youngstown State University · $83,948 Arkansas State University · $91,864 University of Missouri - Saint Louis · $98,816 Oregon State University · $87,786 Tennessee Technological University · $92,075 Kennesaw State University · $91,164 Angelo State University · $82,449 University of Iowa · $87,779 Portland State University · $89,572 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania · $87,860 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $91,146 University of Toledo · $93,227 San Jose State University · $97,598 University at Buffalo · $84,605 University of Texas at Arlington · $93,280 University of New Orleans · $90,202 Bowling Green State University · $94,425 Kent State University at Kent · $87,854 Morgan State University · $77,389 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania · $89,323 University of North Dakota · $98,363 University of Utah · $91,204 Ferris State University · $83,994 University of Washington - Tacoma · $88,548 Purdue University Fort Wayne · $87,506 Western Michigan University · $89,468 University of Nevada, Reno · $91,193 Michigan State University · $94,960 Lamar University · $94,470 University of Arizona · $102,858 Mississippi State University · $99,768 Wayne State University · $81,251 Boise State University · $87,931 University of Nevada, Las Vegas · $95,076 Murray State University · $98,421 South Dakota State University · $86,216 Southern Utah University · $99,603 University of Akron · $88,572 University of Maine · $84,432 University of Massachusetts - Lowell · $83,095 West Virginia University · $89,995 Ohio University · $89,442 Washington State University · $94,097 Temple University · $84,389 George Mason University · $91,233 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley · $80,490 Iowa State University · $98,551 Cal State Northridge · $94,990 South Carolina State University · $76,054 University of Cincinnati · $99,582 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $85,989 University of Wisconsin - Platteville · $94,542 Arizona State University · $93,533 Cleveland State University · $81,924 University of Alaska - Anchorage · $85,110 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $88,108 Florida Gulf Coast University · $82,187 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $85,609 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $84,853 Northern Arizona University · $89,697 Cal State Los Angeles · $89,311 Texas A&M University - Kingsville · $77,589 University of Texas at San Antonio · $92,802 Chico State · $98,823 Texas State University · $91,038 Old Dominion University · $89,724 Western Kentucky University · $86,205 Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi · $86,694 North Dakota State University · $92,524 Pennsylvania State University - Altoona · $87,284 Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg · $86,464 Utah State University · $92,756 University of Kansas · $101,624 San Francisco State University · $82,771 University of Memphis · $94,030 University of Kentucky · $92,896 Cal State Sacramento · $90,370 University of Alabama at Birmingham · $94,284 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale · $86,499 University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown · $91,257 University of South Alabama · $91,608 Nicholls State University · $90,872 University of Texas at Tyler · $94,503 Kansas State University · $102,270 University of Wyoming · $81,746 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth · $83,078 University of California, Merced · $88,199 University of Southern Indiana · $88,469 Marshall University · $93,329 Idaho State University · $85,547 University of Mississippi · $95,664 Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville · $93,146 Montana State University · $84,763 University of Texas at El Paso · $81,758 University of the District of Columbia · $91,561 Utah Valley University · $91,814 Santa Clara University · $98,822 Southern Methodist University · $101,285 Loyola Marymount University · $91,123 Liberty University · $96,715 LeTourneau University · $84,034 Walla Walla University · $92,189 William Penn University · $84,141 University of Dayton · $93,302 Cedarville University · $89,534 Harding University · $88,941 Manhattan University · $94,088 Merrimack College · $88,970 University of Evansville · $81,208 Rockhurst University · $89,176 Brigham Young University · $88,422 California Baptist University · $87,557 Ohio Northern University · $85,367 University of Detroit Mercy · $89,122 Saint Louis University · $92,450 University of Jamestown · $95,436 Marquette University · $95,696 University of Mary · $85,743 Gonzaga University · $92,898 University of Mount Union · $88,039 University of Portland · $90,942 Messiah University · $86,029 Seattle University · $71,818 Catholic University of America · $92,438 Valparaiso University · $89,222 George Fox University · $88,995 Saint Martin's University · $90,861 Brigham Young University - Idaho · $85,472 Christian Brothers University · $90,011 Benedictine College · $86,748 Case Western Reserve University · $91,618 Howard University · $75,804 George Washington University · $110,386 Syracuse University · $87,744 Illinois Institute of Technology · $87,018 Quinnipiac University · $103,123 University of New Haven · $88,615 Hofstra University · $89,235 University of the Pacific · $94,259 Bradley University · $94,662 Trine University · $86,551 Drexel University · $90,011 New York Institute of Technology · $88,053 Point Park University · $79,209 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus · $91,023 Widener University · $87,194 Norwich University · $78,318 Western New England University · $87,946 Wilkes University · $90,774 University of Hartford · $84,822 Lehigh University · $96,024 University of Florida · $95,789 Florida State University · $93,460 University of Texas at Austin · $96,167 University of California, San Diego · $90,474 University of California, Irvine · $87,868 Villanova University · $96,201 United States Coast Guard Academy · $95,004 Colorado School of Mines · $98,940 Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo · $93,941 Tufts University · $86,118 Carnegie Mellon University · $98,409 University of Southern California · $99,645 Northeastern University · $98,781 University of Miami · $88,415 University of California, Berkeley · $101,206 Georgia Tech · $95,874 University of Virginia · $95,242 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $101,879 Florida A&M University · $76,976 Cooper Union · $95,348 United States Air Force Academy · $95,768 United States Military Academy · $95,210 Stanford University · $109,439 Princeton University · $100,026 MIT · $89,696 Columbia University · $87,828 Duke University · $106,027 Vanderbilt University · $111,861 Johns Hopkins University · $101,086 Northwestern University · $99,764 Rice University · $96,103 Cornell University · $94,964 New York University · $96,922 UCLA · $92,035 University of Notre Dame · $101,366 STEM, Business & Military: mean $90,412 Liberal Arts: mean $91,284 Public University: mean $90,046 Religious University: mean $89,612 Private University: mean $89,318 20–30%: mean $94,387 10–20%: mean $94,529 0–10%: mean $99,009 All colleges: p10 $82,771 All colleges: p90 $99,603
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Civil Engineering 297 14,919 71% / 29% 5% $90,846 98%
Civil Engineering 283 13,013 71% / 29% 5% $90,539 98%
Architectural Engineering 28 972 58% / 42% 4% $90,799 98%
Construction Engineering 27 575 85% / 15% 1% $97,008 99%
Structural Engineering 4 188 62% / 38% 3% $91,513 97%
Civil and Environmental Engineering 3 78 38% / 62% 13% $98,631 94%
Surveying Engineering 8 46 83% / 17% 2% $82,874 100%
Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering 1 28 61% / 39% 4% $98,822 100%
Rail Transportation Engineering 1 9 100% / 0% 0% $87,284 99%
Civil and Environmental Engineering (Course 1) 1 6 50% / 50% 33% $89,696 94%
Transportation Systems Engineering 1 4 75% / 25% 0% $77,389 100%