Covers roads, drainage, foundations, dams and construction management for large sites.
Pay72
Resists AI72
Barrier to entry68
A Civil Engineering background connects to 3 professions on this site, ranked by pay. Each card explains why the major still matters for that job.
Where it leads
The accredited civil degree covers structures, soils, water, transport and construction in one program and satisfies licensure requirements everywhere; the great majority of practicing civil engineers worldwide hold exactly this degree.
Pay62
Resists AI72
Barrier to entry55
Some architects, especially in countries where architecture and engineering education overlap more than in the US or UK, enter via civil engineering before moving into design practice, arriving with strong structural intuition but usually needing further design-studio training.
Pay48
Resists AI78
Barrier to entry83
Where this major is taught
Technical University of Denmark
DenmarkA major center for wind-energy research and engineering.
Delft University of Technology
NetherlandsStrong renewable, electrical and offshore engineering programs.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
United StatesA research laboratory that hosts graduate and early-career technical work.
Imperial College London
United KingdomPower, climate and energy-systems research links engineering with policy.
Tsinghua University
ChinaA leading Chinese engineering university with major energy research.
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
South KoreaStrong electrical and materials research relevant to batteries and grids.
University of Tokyo
JapanResearches power systems, photovoltaics and advanced energy materials.
RWTH Aachen University
GermanyIndustrial engineering links and energy-systems research.
École des Ponts ParisTech
FranceFounded in 1747 as the École des ponts et chaussées, the oldest civil engineering school in the world and the model for state engineering education across Europe.
ETH Zurich
SwitzerlandConsistently ranked among the world's top civil engineering departments; its structural tradition runs from bridge master Othmar Ammann, who emigrated to build New York's George Washington Bridge.
University of California, Berkeley
United StatesA perennial top-ranked US civil program, historically dominant in geotechnical and earthquake engineering — fitting for a campus sitting almost on the Hayward Fault.
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
IndiaAmong the most selective engineering schools anywhere: well over a million candidates sit the JEE entrance examinations each year for a few thousand IIT places across all disciplines.
Credentials on this path
Professional Engineer (PE)
United StatesState licensure matters when an engineer offers services directly to the public or signs certain infrastructure documents.
Chartered Engineer (CEng)
United KingdomEngineering Council registration recognizes responsible professional practice through licensed institutions.
NABCEP PV Installation Professional
United States / GlobalA recognized photovoltaic credential, especially relevant to installation and quality assurance.
IEC power-system training
GlobalStandards and manufacturer training demonstrate competence with protection, grid codes and high-voltage equipment.
Chartered Engineer (CEng) via the ICE
United KingdomRegistration with the Engineering Council through the Institution of Civil Engineers: master's-level accredited learning plus a Chartered Professional Review — a written submission and interview assessing design ability, management and professional judgment against published attributes.
Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng)
Australia & New ZealandEngineers Australia's chartered credential, assessed on a portfolio of engineering competencies; registration is now legally required to practice in several Australian states, including Queensland and Victoria, ending the country's historically unregulated market.
Gijutsushi (技術士)
JapanJapan's national Professional Engineer qualification under the Professional Engineer Act, with construction its largest division. A notoriously difficult two-stage written and oral examination — pass rates in the construction division commonly run below 15 percent.
Architect Registration Examination (ARE)
United StatesA six-division computer-based exam administered through NCARB, covering practice management, project planning, code compliance and construction documentation; candidates must pass all six divisions, usually after completing the AXP experience hours.