Civil Engineering

Types of Degrees Civil Engineering Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	658
Bachelor’s Degree	266
Basic Certificate	147
Undergraduate Certificate	68

What Civil Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to civil engineering tech 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 Civil Engineering Tech Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in civil engineering tech 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.
• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills for Civil Engineering Tech Majors

When studying civil engineering tech, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Civil Engineering Tech Majors

As you progress with your civil engineering tech degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Civil Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with civil engineering tech:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Civil Engineering Technicians	8.9%	$52,580

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Civil Engineering?

Civil Engineering Technology runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #31 out of all the trade school majors we track. In 2021, about 690 graduates completed their associate’s degree in this field. This major attracts more men than women. About 86% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	18
Black or African American	60
Hispanic or Latino	91
White	428
International Students	10
Other Races/Ethnicities	51

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Civil Engineering Tech, too. About 1.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Saudi Arabia
• China
• India
• Nigeria
• Kuwait

How Much Do Civil Engineering Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to civil engineering tech is $54,670. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Civil Engineering

Some careers associated with civil engineering tech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.7%
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)	29.8%
Some College Courses	28.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	21.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	18.3%

Online Civil 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)	23	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	125	2
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Civil Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a civil engineering tech grad is $54,670 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 37% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $295,400 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Civil Engineering

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

Major	Number of Grads
Industrial Production Technology	11,288
Electromechanical Engineering Technology	10,780
Environmental Control Technology	9,376
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology	8,822
Electronics Engineering Technology	8,347
Engineering-Related Fields	6,553
Mechanical Engineering Technology	6,205
Construction Engineering Technology	4,299
General Engineering Technology	3,841
Quality Control Technology	3,720
Computer Engineering Technology	3,509
Engineering Technology (Other)	1,907
Energy Systems Technologies	1,277
Architectural Engineering Technology	1,239
Engineering-Related Technologies	969
Mining & Petroleum Technology	410
Nuclear Engineering Technology	235
Nanotechnology	104

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 Sean Mack under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.