Civil Engineering major
Civil Engineering: courses, careers, and where to study
Civil Engineering applies physics, mechanics, and design to the built environment, roads, bridges, water systems, and buildings, suiting students who want to plan and build public infrastructure.
A Civil Engineering major covers structural analysis, geotechnical engineering, transportation systems, water resources and hydraulics, environmental engineering, surveying, and construction management, built on a core of calculus, differential equations, physics, and engineering mechanics (statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials). Most programs are ABET-accredited four-year BS degrees that include extensive labs, CAD and modeling software, and a senior capstone design project.
Because civil engineering work often affects public safety, the field is tied to professional licensure. Graduates typically take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam near graduation, work several years under a licensed engineer, and then sit for the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam to become a Professional Engineer. Many students choose a sub-discipline, structural, geotechnical, transportation, water resources, or environmental, through electives or a graduate degree.
Graduates plan, design, and oversee construction of infrastructure for engineering firms, construction companies, and federal, state, and local agencies. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5% employment growth for civil engineers from 2024 to 2034.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Civil Engineering maps to CIP 14.0801, Civil Engineering, General, within the ENGINEERING family. The official definition:
A program that generally prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of structural, load-bearing, material moving, transportation, water resource, and material control systems; and environmental safety measures.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Civil Engineering is awarded as
Of the 19,880 Civil Engineering credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate<1%21
- Associate<1%102
- Bachelor's68%13,541
- Graduate31%6,216
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 50 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 0 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Engineering mechanics: statics, dynamics, and mechanics of materials
- Structural analysis and design (steel, reinforced concrete, timber)
- Geotechnical engineering and soil mechanics
- Transportation engineering and highway design
- Water resources, hydraulics, and hydrology
- Environmental engineering and water/wastewater treatment
- Surveying, CAD, and civil modeling software (e.g., AutoCAD Civil 3D)
- Construction management, cost estimation, and the senior capstone design project
Typical careers
- Civil engineers
- Structural Engineer
- Geotechnical Engineer
- Transportation Engineer
- Water Resources Engineer
- Construction Project Manager
Typical salary range: BLS, 2024 civil engineers median $99,590Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Civil Engineering, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineers | $99,590 | 23,600 | +5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,740 | 14,500 | +3.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | $106,120 | 4,100 | +8.1% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 3 of these 3 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Civil Engineering does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Civil Engineering major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Civil Engineering program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Civil Engineering department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Civil Engineering program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Civil Engineering credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Texas A & M University-College StationTX · 358
- University of California-BerkeleyCA · 358
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVA · 340
- University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignIL · 327
- Purdue University-Main CampusIN · 314
- California State Polytechnic University-PomonaCA · 285
- The University of Texas at ArlingtonTX · 279
- New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNJ · 269
- The University of Texas at AustinTX · 232
- University of Washington-Seattle CampusWA · 227
- Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusGA · 217
- Stanford UniversityCA · 215
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Civil Engineering credentials were awarded
One state has a distinct enough set of Civil Engineering colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Civil Engineering schools by state
- Civil Engineering in California
- Civil Engineering in Florida
- Civil Engineering in Georgia
- Civil Engineering in Illinois
- Civil Engineering in Maryland
- Civil Engineering in Massachusetts
- Civil Engineering in New York
- Civil Engineering in North Carolina
- Civil Engineering in Pennsylvania
- Civil Engineering in Texas
Related majors
Engineering
Engineering majors apply math, physics, and design to build the physical and digital systems that power society, from bridges and chips to medical devices and aircraft.
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering applies physics, materials, and design to machines and mechanical systems, suiting students who want to build, analyze, and test physical hardware.
Environmental Science
Environmental Science combines biology, chemistry, geology, and policy to address climate, conservation, water, and pollution challenges.
Architecture
Architecture combines design, structural reasoning, and building systems to plan habitable spaces, suiting students who pair creative drawing with technical problem-solving.
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering applies physics and math to circuits, power, and electronics, suiting students who want to design the hardware and systems behind modern technology.
Still deciding between Civil Engineering and something else?
These guides put Civil Engineeringside by side with the major it is most often confused with, using the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk to show where the two actually lead.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Civil Engineering degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Management careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Engineering & Architecture careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Civil Engineering degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Civil Engineering path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.