Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 15.02. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 224 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 | 55 | 237 | $57,892 | $65,028 | Data unavailable |
| Associate's degree | 131 | 622 | $54,362 | $64,519 | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 31 | 267 | $68,112 | $76,549 | $23,438 4 programs |
| Master's degree | 1 | 5 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 5 | 1 | Data unavailable | 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.
Associate's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati State Technical and Community College OH · Public · 26 graduates measured | $64,645 | $69,933 | Data unavailable |
| Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College KS · Public · 23 graduates measured | $60,469 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Hawkeye Community College IA · Public · 17 graduates measured | $59,558 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| State Technical College of Missouri MO · Public · 24 graduates measured | $51,756 | $58,407 | 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.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Institute of Technology NY · Private, nonprofit · 75 graduates measured | $71,108 | $83,553 | $27,437 |
| SUNY Polytechnic Institute NY · Public · 28 graduates measured | $66,570 | $74,297 | $19,805 |
| SUNY College of Technology at Canton NY · Public · 22 graduates measured | $66,473 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Houston-Downtown TX · Public · 33 graduates measured | $65,918 | Data unavailable | $25,000 |
| Youngstown State University OH · Public · 19 graduates measured | $65,353 | $78,450 | Data unavailable |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte NC · Public · 23 graduates measured | $65,309 | $75,611 | Data unavailable |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver CO · Public · 29 graduates measured | $64,859 | $86,131 | Data unavailable |
| Fairmont State University WV · Public · 18 graduates measured | $64,378 | $75,102 | Data unavailable |
| Murray State University KY · Public · 36 graduates measured | $63,903 | $87,573 | $21,875 |
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 Technologies/Technicians
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil engineering technologists and technicians | $64,950 | +3.2% | Associate's degree |
| Traffic technicians | $59,090 | +4.0% | High school diploma or equivalent |
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 (1)
- 15.0201 Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians