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
$84,652

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$133,581

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$179,173

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 3.0%

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

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$3,373,290

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
Architectural and Engineering Managers
SOC: 11-9041
Occupation: Architectural and Engineering Managers
$167,740
210,340
N/A
N/A
Civil Engineers
SOC: 17-2051
Occupation: Civil Engineers
$99,590
355,410
N/A
N/A
Environmental Engineers
SOC: 17-2081
Occupation: Environmental Engineers
$104,170
37,950
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
Petroleum Engineers
SOC: 17-2171
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
$141,280
18,970
N/A
N/A
Engineers, All Other
SOC: 17-2199
Occupation: Engineers, All Other
$117,750
150,750
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

Colleges offering Civil Engineering

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$45k

Earnings

$89k

University of Notre Dame

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$30k

Earnings

$84k

University of Florida

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$12k

Earnings

$63k

University of California-San Diego

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$14k

Earnings

$70k

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$15k

Earnings

$69k