Civil Engineering: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 14.08. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 785 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 15 | 21 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Associate's degree | 26 | 110 | $42,083 | $64,654 | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 327 | 13,644 | $72,789 | $86,517 | $23,456 224 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 216 | 4,940 | $84,259 | $98,323 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 147 | 1,195 | $97,195 | $110,980 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 2 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 51 | 95 | $104,973 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Berkeley CA · Public · 62 graduates measured | $84,461 | $108,548 | $11,817 |
| San Francisco State University CA · Public · 76 graduates measured | $82,059 | $90,894 | $23,583 |
| University of Southern California CA · Private, nonprofit · 25 graduates measured | $81,387 | $106,308 | $18,817 |
| California State University-Chico CA · Public · 106 graduates measured | $81,083 | $92,472 | $19,699 |
| University of California-Los Angeles CA · Public · 61 graduates measured | $80,840 | $97,092 | $11,471 |
| Seattle University WA · Private, nonprofit · 30 graduates measured | $79,903 | $81,559 | Data unavailable |
| Carnegie Mellon University PA · Private, nonprofit · 25 graduates measured | $79,750 | $105,199 | $21,000 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo CA · Public · 150 graduates measured | $79,454 | $101,072 | $17,066 |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology IN · Private, nonprofit · 30 graduates measured | $79,432 | $88,155 | $26,000 |
| Lafayette College PA · Private, nonprofit · 30 graduates measured | $79,405 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology MA · Private, nonprofit · 65 graduates measured | $79,309 | $93,402 | $25,000 |
| Northeastern University MA · Private, nonprofit · 88 graduates measured | $79,302 | $100,613 | $19,500 |
| University of Arizona AZ · Public · 36 graduates measured | $79,234 | $91,602 | Data unavailable |
| Stevens Institute of Technology NJ · Private, nonprofit · 43 graduates measured | $78,905 | $92,609 | $27,000 |
| Lawrence Technological University MI · Private, nonprofit · 21 graduates measured | $78,828 | $83,291 | $28,750 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| California State University-Long Beach CA · Public · 22 graduates measured | $105,034 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| George Mason University VA · Public · 17 graduates measured | $102,677 | $103,586 | Data unavailable |
| California State University-Northridge CA · Public · 26 graduates measured | $99,276 | $104,388 | Data unavailable |
| Portland State University OR · Public · 17 graduates measured | $95,050 | $93,150 | Data unavailable |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona CA · Public · 27 graduates measured | $94,479 | $110,863 | Data unavailable |
| Manhattan University NY · Private, nonprofit · 23 graduates measured | $93,386 | $119,967 | Data unavailable |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ · Public · 112 graduates measured | $93,238 | $107,682 | Data unavailable |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus CO · Public · 17 graduates measured | $93,232 | $90,072 | Data unavailable |
| Villanova University PA · Private, nonprofit · 39 graduates measured | $93,221 | $108,449 | Data unavailable |
| Norwich University VT · Private, nonprofit · 23 graduates measured | $93,064 | $91,857 | Data unavailable |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh NC · Public · 35 graduates measured | $92,539 | $120,234 | Data unavailable |
| California State University-Fresno CA · Public · 17 graduates measured | $92,421 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Kennesaw State University GA · Public · 16 graduates measured | $92,056 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA · Private, nonprofit · 21 graduates measured | $91,572 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus OK · Public · 42 graduates measured | $91,468 | $92,506 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Civil Engineering
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering managers | $171,270 | +5.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Civil engineers | $100,840 | +6.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Environmental engineers | $107,110 | +6.3% | Bachelor's degree |
| Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers | $106,220 | +3.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Petroleum engineers | $144,910 | +2.0% | Bachelor's degree |
| Engineers, all other | $122,930 | +3.7% | Bachelor's degree |
| Engineering teachers, postsecondary | $109,270 | +7.8% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (6)
- 14.0801 Civil Engineering, General
- 14.0802 Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- 14.0803 Structural Engineering
- 14.0804 Transportation and Highway Engineering
- 14.0805 Water Resources Engineering
- 14.0899 Civil Engineering, Other