Civil Engineers

Summary

What Civil Engineers Do About this section

Civil engineers design major transportation projects.

Civil engineers plan, design, and supervise the construction and maintenance of building and infrastructure projects. These projects may include facilities, bridges, roads, tunnels, and water and sewage systems.

Duties

Civil engineers typically do the following:

• Analyze plans, survey reports, maps, and other data related to project design
• Consider regulations, site selection, and other factors relevant to a project
• Analyze the results of tests on soil and building materials to determine strength for foundations and other support
• Prepare cost estimates for equipment, materials, and labor to determine a project’s economic feasibility
• Use design software to plan transportation systems, hydraulic systems, and structures
• Submit permit applications to local, state, and federal agencies, as needed, and confirm that projects comply with regulations
• Perform or oversee surveying to establish building locations, site layouts, grades, and elevations to guide construction
• Manage the construction or repair, maintenance, and replacement of buildings and infrastructure

Civil engineers work in all aspects of planning, designing, and constructing or repairing a building or infrastructure project to ensure that structures and systems are assembled correctly. Depending on the job, civil engineers may be involved in a project from start to finish or for certain stages of it.

Civil engineers’ responsibilities during the planning stage may include researching specific topics, such as building codes for a construction proposal or traffic patterns near an intended site. They also may conduct analyses, such as for estimating availability and costs of concrete and other building materials, to determine a project’s timeline and feasibility.

During design and preconstruction stages, civil engineers may focus on specific elements such as site layout, grading (shaping) the land, and identifying appropriate stormwater and sewage systems for the project. Engineers use computer-aided design (CAD) software to create detailed project plans and may make presentations related to the final design, such as about its environmental impact. They often review project documents and secure required permits before work may begin.

Civil engineers also oversee the building of structures or systems throughout a project’s construction, and they help with signoff and other postconstruction activities. They ensure that work complies with safety regulations and adheres to design specifications, helping to resolve problems that may arise. At the conclusion of a project, they may finalize billing, inspection, and other completion details.

Civil engineers may collaborate on projects with other workers, such as architects, construction managers, and urban planners. They may be assisted by civil engineering technicians.

Civil engineers often work as generalists on a variety of projects, gaining skills in different areas that are widely applicable. Some specialize in one of several areas. The following are examples of types of civil engineers:

Construction engineers manage construction projects, ensuring that they are scheduled and built according to plans and specifications. They typically are responsible for the design and safety of any temporary structures used during construction. They also may oversee a project’s budget and communications.

Geotechnical engineers ensure the safety and sturdiness of foundations for streets, buildings, and other structures and systems. They focus on how these manmade objects interact with the earth, including soil and rock. In this way, their work relates to that of environmental engineers.

Structural engineers design and assess major projects, such as buildings, bridges, and dams, to ensure their strength and durability.

Transportation engineers plan, design, and maintain streets and highways, airports, mass transit systems, harbors, and related systems.

Work Environment About this section

Although civil engineers work in an office setting to produce plans, they also spend time onsite to oversee construction.

Civil engineers held about 341,800 jobs in 2023. The largest employers of civil engineers were as follows:

Civil engineers work in a variety of locations and conditions, including indoors in office settings and outdoors at construction sites. Some construction jobs require setting up a temporary office, such as in a trailer, to work onsite.

Work Schedules

Most civil engineers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Engineers who direct projects sometimes work extra hours to ensure that designs meet requirements and that the projects are on track to meet deadlines.

How to Become a Civil Engineer About this section

Civil engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a related field.

Civil engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a related field. Although licensure requirements vary by state, civil engineers usually must be licensed if they provide services directly to the public.

Education

Civil engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or a related field. Civil engineering programs include coursework in math, physics, engineering mechanics, and construction systems. Courses may include a mix of academic learning and laboratory work.

Employers usually prefer to hire graduates of civil engineering programs accredited by ABET. Some students attend schools that have cooperative-education programs (also known as co-ops); others participate in internships. Co-ops and internships provide students with an opportunity to gain practical experience while pursuing a degree.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Licensure is not required for entry-level civil engineers. However, civil engineers typically must be licensed if they provide services directly to the public. Engineers who have a Professional Engineer (PE) license are called professional engineers (PEs).

A PE may oversee the work of other engineers, approve design plans, sign off on projects, and provide services directly to the public. State licensure generally requires a bachelor’s or higher degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program, a passing score on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, several years of relevant work experience, and a passing score on the PE exam.

Each state issues its own licenses. Most states recognize licensure from other states, as long as the licensing state’s requirements meet or exceed their own licensure requirements. Some states require continuing education for engineers to keep their licenses.

Certifications, such as in coastal engineering or geotechnical engineering from the American Society of Civil Engineers, also are available. Optional certification may demonstrate a level of competence and experience that make candidates attractive to prospective employers.

Advancement

With experience, some PEs advance to supervisory or administrative positions. Their responsibilities may focus on a specific project, such as a construction site, or encompass broad oversight, such as in working as a city engineer, public works director, or city manager.

Graduate-level education, along with a PE license and experience, may be helpful for advancing into supervisory positions, such as engineering managers.

PEs who have certification that demonstrates expertise in a civil engineering specialty also may be able to advance into senior technical or managerial positions.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Civil engineers must be able to explain, both orally and in writing, the details of their projects. They may need to convey information to a variety of audiences, including nontechnical ones.

Decision-making skills. Civil engineers must be able to balance a variety of objectives, such as the feasibility of plans against cost and safety.

Interpersonal skills. Civil engineers often manage projects and the teams that work on them. They must be able to lead urban planners, surveyors, civil engineering technicians, and others.

Math skills. Civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting.

Organizational skills. Civil engineers often oversee several projects at the same time and must be able to allocate resources effectively.

Problem-solving skills. Civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work. They must be able to evaluate issues that arise and troubleshoot to find solutions.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage for civil engineers was $95,890 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $63,220, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $150,640.

In May 2023, the median annual wages for civil engineers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Most civil engineers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Engineers who direct projects sometimes work extra hours to ensure that designs meet requirements and that projects are on track to meet deadlines.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of civil engineers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations.

About 22,900 openings for civil engineers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

With continued investment in U.S. infrastructure, civil engineers will be needed to manage projects that meet society's need for upgrading bridges, roads, water systems, buildings, and other structures.

Civil engineers also will be needed to oversee renewable-energy projects, such as construction of wind farms and solar arrays, as these projects gain approval.

Public projects may depend on funding from state and local governments. Employment of civil engineers may fluctuate with the availability of project funds.

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area.

• Civil engineers

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.org. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For information about general engineering education and career resources, visit

American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)

Technology Student Association (TSA)

For more information about licensure, visit

National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)

National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)

For information about accredited programs in civil engineering and civil engineering technology, visit

ABET

For more information about civil engineers, visit

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

For a career video on civil engineers, visit

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O*NET

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