Building, Construction, & Inspection Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Building, Construction, & Inspection 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 Trade, 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 Trade, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$60,818

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$96,159

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$129,229

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 4.5%

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

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$2,432,720

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
Facilities Managers
SOC: 11-3013
Occupation: Facilities Managers
$104,690
141,090
N/A
N/A
Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
SOC: 17-3022
Occupation: Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
$64,200
62,130
N/A
N/A
First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers
SOC: 37-1011
Occupation: First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers
$47,520
174,660
N/A
N/A
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
SOC: 47-1011
Occupation: First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
$78,690
806,080
N/A
N/A
Carpet Installers
SOC: 47-2041
Occupation: Carpet Installers
$49,850
14,980
N/A
N/A
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
SOC: 47-2042
Occupation: Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
$54,340
24,850
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

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

16.0%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$78,690806,080
2023$76,760777,420
2022$74,080720,900
2021$72,010665,870
2020$67,840614,080

Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

19.4%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$54,34024,850
2023$48,84025,150
2022$48,87020,710
2021$48,06018,300
2020$45,52016,720

Tile and Stone Setters

18.1%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$52,24038,740
2023$48,91042,420
2022$48,34040,760
2021$47,81041,160
2020$44,22038,150

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

18.8%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$54,660205,230
2023$50,720203,560
2022$48,300196,730
2021$47,340186,600
2020$46,000195,580

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

22.5%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$58,14082,900
2023$55,70090,860
2022$50,44091,590
2021$48,04097,070
2020$47,46099,700

Colleges offering Building, Construction, & Inspection

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$23k

Earnings

$65k

Wentworth Institute of Technology

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$36k

Earnings

$83k

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

RoEdu™

959

Net Price

$17k

Earnings

$60k

Vermont State University

RoEdu™

951

Net Price

$22k

Earnings

$59k

Utah Valley University

RoEdu™

948

Net Price

$9k

Earnings

$54k