Civil Engineering Technology

Types of Degrees Civil Engineering Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many civil engineering technology graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

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

What Civil Engineering Technology 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

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to civil engineering tech:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Civil Engineering Tech Majors

A major in civil engineering tech will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• 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 Technology Major?

People with a civil engineering tech degree often go into the following careers:

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

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

This major tends to be male dominated. About 86% of recent graduates are men.

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

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Civil Engineering Tech. About 1.5% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Civil Engineering Technology 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 Technology

Some careers associated with civil engineering tech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for civil engineering tech careers below.

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 Technology 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 Technology 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!

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.