Civil Engineering Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Civil Engineering major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Engineering, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Engineering, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$103,626

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$158,572

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$206,253

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 2.7%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$3,891,825

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Civil Engineers
SOC: 17-2051
Occupation: Civil Engineers
$99,590
355,410
N/A
N/A
Architectural and Engineering Managers
SOC: 11-9041
Occupation: Architectural and Engineering Managers
$167,740
210,340
N/A
N/A
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
SOC: 25-1032
Occupation: Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
$106,120
39,910
N/A
N/A
Engineers, All Other
SOC: 17-2199
Occupation: Engineers, All Other
$117,750
150,750
N/A
N/A
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
SOC: 17-2151
Occupation: Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
$101,020
6,770
N/A
N/A
Environmental Engineers
SOC: 17-2081
Occupation: Environmental Engineers
$104,170
37,950
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Civil Engineers

12.4%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$99,590355,410
2023$95,890327,950
2022$89,940307,570
2021$88,050304,310
2020$88,570300,850

Architectural and Engineering Managers

12.2%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$167,740210,340
2023$165,370207,800
2022$159,920197,180
2021$152,350187,100
2020$149,530195,900

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

2.4%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$106,12039,910
2023$106,91038,370
2022$103,55036,010
2021$104,94035,440
2020$103,60038,520

Engineers, All Other

13.9%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$117,750150,750
2023$111,970150,990
2022$104,600150,420
2021$100,640151,940
2020$103,380152,380

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

7.7%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$101,0206,770
2023$100,6407,040
2022$97,4907,390
2021$97,0907,370
2020$93,8006,270

Environmental Engineers

13.1%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$104,17037,950
2023$100,09039,880
2022$96,53045,440
2021$96,82042,660
2020$92,12050,260

Petroleum Engineers

2.9%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$141,28018,970
2023$135,69020,390
2022$131,80020,540
2021$130,85022,100
2020$137,33027,850

Colleges offering Civil Engineering

University of Notre Dame

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$30k

Earnings

$84k

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$45k

Earnings

$89k

Florida Institute of Technology

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$37k

Earnings

$71k

University of Florida

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$12k

Earnings

$63k

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$15k

Earnings

$69k