Civil designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a civil designer. Civil designers usually study drafting and design, civil engineering, or engineering. 44% of civil designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 43% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,522 real civil designer resumes to see exactly what civil designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for civil designers are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

There are also many online civil designer courses to help get the education required to be a civil designer.

There are certain civil designer certifications that you should consider. These civil designer certifications include Certified Agile Developer (CAD) and AutoCAD Certified Professional.

What education do you need to become a civil designer?

What degree do you need to be a civil designer?

The most common degree for civil designers is bachelor's degree, with 44% of civil designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 43% and associate degree degree at 4%.

Bachelor's, 44%

Associate, 43%

High School Diploma, 4%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a civil designer?

You should major in drafting and design to become a civil designer. 32% of civil designers major in drafting and design. Other common majors for a civil designer include civil engineering and engineering.

Drafting And Design, 32%

Civil Engineering, 28%

Engineering, 6%

Civil Engineering Technologies, 6%

Other Majors, 28%

Most common colleges for civil designers

Civil designers often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, Lamar University, and University of Houston. Here are the most common colleges for civil designers in the US based on their resumes.

Civil designer common college	Percentages
Pennsylvania State University	12.90%
Lamar University	9.68%
University of Houston	7.53%
Florida State College at Jacksonville	6.45%
Georgia Institute of Technology	6.45%

Show more common civil designer colleges

Best majors for civil designers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Drafting And Design	31.6%
2	Civil Engineering	27.8%
3	Engineering	6.3%
4	Civil Engineering Technologies	6.0%
5	Architecture	3.8%

Show more common civil designer majors

Best colleges for civil designers

The best colleges for civil designers are Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, and Washington University in St Louis.

A civil designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for civil designers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become civil designers.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

4. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. University of New Mexico

Albuquerque, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,633

Enrollment

17,321

7. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

9. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,620

Enrollment

27,730

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for civil designers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for civil designers

The most affordable schools for civil designers are University of Florida, florida state university, and florida atlantic university.

If the best universities for civil designers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for civil designers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

3. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

4. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

5. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Sacramento

Sacramento, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,310

Cost of attendance

19,807

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for civil designers

The hardest universities for civil designers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for civil designers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for civil designers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for civil designers

The easiest schools for civil designers to get into are South Dakota State University, washington state university, and oregon institute of technology.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a civil designer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for civil designers.

1. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

2. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

3. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

4. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

5. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

6. Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,070

7. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

8. North Dakota State University

Fargo, ND • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,170

9. The University of Texas at Arlington

Arlington, TX • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,157

10. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

Average civil designer salary by education level

Civil designers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $63,989 annually. With a Doctorate degree, civil designers earn a median annual income of $63,522 compared to $57,573 for civil designers with an Bachelor's degree.

Civil designer education level	Civil designer salary
Master's Degree	$63,989
Bachelor's Degree	$57,573
Doctorate Degree	$63,522

Civil designer education FAQs

What is the best college for Civil Designers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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