Civil Engineering vs Environmental Engineering

How each major is officially classified

Both definitions below are the official U.S. Department of Education (NCES) CIP 2020 descriptions — not CampusPin summaries.

What you actually study

Where each major leads

The federal CIP–SOC crosswalk maps each academic program to the occupations it is designed to feed. Comparing the two lists shows where Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering converge and where they part. Every wage below is the BLS 2024 national median for that occupation — not an outcome for the major, and not a starting salary.

A major does not restrict you to these occupations, and plenty of graduates work outside them. The mapping describes what each program is built to prepare you for.

Which one tends to suit which student

This part is CampusPin’s judgement, not a measurement. Neither major is better; they suit different temperaments.

What to ask each department

Curricula vary far more between institutions than between these two majors. These questions surface the differences that actually matter for this choice.

1. 1Is the environmental engineering degree ABET-accredited under its own programme name, and does this state's licensure board treat it the same as civil for the PE?
2. 2How much chemistry and biology does the environmental track require compared with the civil core?
3. 3Is environmental engineering offered here as a full major or as a concentration inside civil? The answer changes the decision entirely.
4. 4Which of the two do the local consulting firms and public agencies actually hire for water and remediation work?

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Civil Engineering and a Environmental Engineering major?

Civil engineering builds and maintains the physical infrastructure of a place — structures, transport, foundations, water supply — and environmental engineering is the branch concerned with protecting human and ecological health within it: water and wastewater treatment, air quality, contamination and remediation. Most environmental engineering programmes sit inside a civil department and share its first two years, then diverge into chemistry, biology and treatment process design.

Do Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering lead to the same jobs?

Partly. The federal CIP–SOC crosswalk maps both programs to 2 of the same occupations — including Architectural and Engineering Managers, Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. It also maps 1 occupation to Civil Engineering that it does not map to Environmental Engineering, and 2 to Environmental Engineering that it does not map to Civil Engineering. A degree is not a restriction — graduates work outside these lists routinely — but the mapping shows where each program is designed to lead.

Which pays more, Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering?

CampusPin does not publish a "higher-paying major" answer, because the data does not support one. BLS reports median wages by OCCUPATION, not by college major, and both of these majors lead to a range of occupations that overlap. The per-occupation medians on this page are the honest version of that question: compare the specific roles you are actually interested in, and remember that pay varies widely by employer, region, and experience.

Is there anything commonly misunderstood about choosing between Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering?

Because environmental engineering is frequently a concentration rather than a separate department, "which major" is sometimes the wrong question at a given school — a civil degree with an environmental concentration and an environmental degree can lead to the same first job. Ask what the department is called before treating this as a fork.