Mechanical Engineering vs Civil 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 Mechanical Engineering and Civil 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 each programme ABET-accredited? For civil engineering this matters directly, because professional licensure normally expects an accredited degree.
2. 2How is the Fundamentals of Engineering exam handled here, and do civil students typically sit it before graduating?
3. 3How much of the civil curriculum is design-to-code work, and which codes are actually taught?
4. 4Do the two share a first year at this school, and how late can I switch without losing a semester?

Frequently asked questions

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

Mechanical engineering is organised around machines and energy — things that move, transfer heat, or convert power — and its core sequence is statics, dynamics, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. Civil engineering is organised around fixed infrastructure that must stand safely for decades: structures, geotechnical behaviour, transportation and water systems. Mechanical asks how a system performs; civil asks whether the built thing will hold, under codes and loads set by public safety.

Do Mechanical Engineering and Civil 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 3 occupations to Mechanical Engineering that it does not map to Civil Engineering, and 1 to Civil Engineering that it does not map to Mechanical 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, Mechanical Engineering or Civil 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 Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering?

Licensure is the difference students most often miss. Both are engineering degrees, but civil engineering practice is far more likely to require a Professional Engineer licence to sign off work, which makes ABET accreditation and the FE exam a practical requirement rather than a credential to collect later.