Civil Engineering, General Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Civil Engineering, General maps to BLS occupations averaging about $64,987, with roughly 1,596,050 workers nationwide in those roles. About 13,451 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 63%.
Key Statistics
Civil Engineering, General: what the data shows
Common questions about civil engineering, general degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a civil engineering, general degree?
A Civil Engineering, General program is classified under NCES CIP 14.0801 in the Civil Engineering field family (14.08).
A program that generally prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of structural, load-bearing, material moving, transportation, water resource, and material control systems; and environmental safety measures
IPEDS counted 13,451 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of civil engineering, general degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 14.08 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (CIP 14.0802)
- Structural Engineering (CIP 14.0803)
- Transportation and Highway Engineering (CIP 14.0804)
- Water Resources Engineering (CIP 14.0805)
How long does it take to get a civil engineering, general degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 14.0801 in our file:
- 82 Associate (0.5% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 13,451 Bachelor's (74.3% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 4,565 Master's (25.2% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 15 Doctorate (0.1% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in civil engineering, general?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 14.0801, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a civil engineering, general degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Civil Engineering, General to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Secondary School Teachers | 1,072,540 | $64,580 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a civil engineering, general degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Civil Engineering bachelor's program family: median debt $29,672, median earnings $86,517 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.43.
About 2.1% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $11,679 and median net price is $17,510.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Civil Engineering, General and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$11,679 Median In-State Public
$58,649 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Civil Engineering, General majors are, on average, $11,679 for in-state public colleges, and $58,649 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Civil Engineering, General programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
13,451 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Civil Engineering, General from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Civil Engineering, General.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 4 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 5 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Civil Engineering, General programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diablo Valley College | CA | $1,312 |
| 2 | Collin County Community College District | TX | $2,014 |
| 3 | Kilgore College | TX | $2,160 |
| 4 | Austin Community College District | TX | $2,550 |
| 5 | Dallas College | TX | $2,730 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Civil Engineering, General programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Paso Community College | TX | $3,206 |
| 2 | Dallas College | TX | $3,214 |
| 3 | American Samoa Community College | AS | $3,386 |
| 4 | American Samoa Community College | AS | $3,386 |
| 5 | CUNY City College | NY | $3,776 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Civil Engineering, General programs.
Graduation Rates
63.12% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
61.95% Average Graduation Rate
398 Institutions Reporting
50.13% - 77.63% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Civil Engineering, General programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Civil Engineering, General is in CA (1,838 completions). That state represents about 13.7% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is WY (0.89% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 1,838 | 13.7% | 0.41% |
| TX | 1,186 | 8.8% | 0.41% |
| FL | 728 | 5.4% | 0.32% |
| NY | 632 | 4.7% | 0.23% |
| PA | 624 | 4.6% | 0.37% |
| OH | 480 | 3.6% | 0.35% |
| IL | 418 | 3.1% | 0.30% |
| VA | 412 | 3.1% | 0.34% |
| MA | 411 | 3.1% | 0.32% |
| NJ | 411 | 3.1% | 0.48% |
| IN | 335 | 2.5% | 0.32% |
| AL | 331 | 2.5% | 0.49% |
| GA | 328 | 2.4% | 0.29% |
| CO | 301 | 2.2% | 0.42% |
| MI | 291 | 2.2% | 0.25% |
| WI | 286 | 2.1% | 0.38% |
| NC | 284 | 2.1% | 0.23% |
| TN | 268 | 2.0% | 0.36% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 14.08 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering CIP 14.0802
- Structural Engineering CIP 14.0803
- Transportation and Highway Engineering CIP 14.0804
- Water Resources Engineering CIP 14.0805
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 14.0801 in the survey year used in our extract (18,113 total across levels below).
- 82 Associate (0.5% of IPEDS total)
- 13,451 Bachelor's (74.3% of IPEDS total)
- 4,565 Master's (25.2% of IPEDS total)
- 15 Doctorate (0.1% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $64,987. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Civil Engineering, General graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | $36,511 | 1,500,000 |
| Secondary School Teachers | $104,813 | 1,072,540 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Civil Engineering CIP family (74 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Civil Engineering, General graduate.
- $29,672 median federal loan debt among completers
- $86,517 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.43 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 2.1% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$40,621 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Civil Engineering, General majors is $40,621.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Civil Engineering, General majors.
Occupations by Share
1,596,050 2023 Workforce
The number of Civil Engineering, General graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Civil Engineering, General by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Civil Engineering, General in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Civil Engineering, General.
Age distribution for Civil Engineering, General degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
13,451 Total Degrees Awarded
9,721 Male (72.27%)
3,730 Female (27.73%)
Gender distribution of Civil Engineering, General degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
7,380 White (54.87%)
2,676 Hispanic or Latino (19.89%)
1,210 Asian (9.00%)
625 Black or African American (4.65%)
481 Two or More Races (3.58%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Civil Engineering, General degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Civil Engineering, General are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Civil Engineering, General.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Civil Engineering, General field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Civil Engineering, General majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Civil Engineering, General majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Civil Engineering, General majors.
About
A program that generally prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of structural, load-bearing, material moving, transportation, water resource, and material control systems; and environmental safety measures
In 2023, 13,451 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Civil Engineering, General.
CIP Code
14.0801 - Civil Engineering, General
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $29,672 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $86,517, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.43. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Civil Engineering, General graduate.
Men earned 29.1% of 19,293 Civil Engineering, General completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $64,987. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teachers, Postsecondary (1,500,000 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $11,679 in-state at public colleges and $58,649 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.