Civil engineering designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a civil engineering designer. Civil engineering designers usually study civil engineering, drafting and design, or engineering. 71% of civil engineering designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 708 real civil engineering designer resumes to see exactly what civil engineering designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for civil engineering designers are the Tennessee Technological University and the Tennessee Technological University.

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

What education do you need to become a civil engineering designer?

What degree do you need to be a civil engineering designer?

The most common degree for civil engineering designers is bachelor's degree, with 71% of civil engineering designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 71%

Associate, 14%

Master's, 11%

Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a civil engineering designer?

You should major in civil engineering to become a civil engineering designer. 62% of civil engineering designers major in civil engineering. Other common majors for a civil engineering designer include drafting and design and engineering.

Civil Engineering, 62%

Drafting And Design, 7%

Engineering, 6%

Civil Engineering Technologies, 5%

Other Majors, 20%

Most common colleges for civil engineering designers

Civil engineering designers often get their degrees at Tennessee Technological University, Pennsylvania State University, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for civil engineering designers in the US based on their resumes.

Civil engineering designer common college	Percentages
Tennessee Technological University	9.21%
Pennsylvania State University	7.89%
University of California, Santa Barbara	6.58%
University of Nevada - Las Vegas	6.58%
Auburn University Main Campus	5.26%

Show more common civil engineering designer colleges

Best majors for civil engineering designers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Civil Engineering	62.3%
2	Drafting And Design	7.0%
3	Engineering	5.8%
4	Civil Engineering Technologies	4.7%
5	Mechanical Engineering	2.8%

Show more common civil engineering designer majors

Best colleges for civil engineering designers

The best colleges for civil engineering designers are Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A civil engineering 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 engineering 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 engineering designers.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

3. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,620

Enrollment

27,730

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. Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$9,080

Enrollment

30,795

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 engineering designers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for civil engineering designers

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

If the best universities for civil engineering 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 engineering 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. California State University - Sacramento

Sacramento, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,310

Cost of attendance

19,807

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. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. 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

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for civil engineering designers

The hardest universities for civil engineering designers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Some great schools for civil engineering 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 engineering 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. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

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

The easiest schools for civil engineering designers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, washington state university, and alabama a & m university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a civil engineering 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 engineering designers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

3. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

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. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

7. North Dakota State University

Fargo, ND • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,170

8. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

9. Lamar University

Beaumont, TX • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,043

10. The University of Texas at Arlington

Arlington, TX • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,157

Average civil engineering designer salary by education level

Civil engineering designers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $63,712 annually. With a Doctorate degree, civil engineering designers earn a median annual income of $63,217 compared to $56,950 for civil engineering designers with an Bachelor's degree.

Civil engineering designer education level	Civil engineering designer salary
Master's Degree	$63,712
Bachelor's Degree	$56,950
Doctorate Degree	$63,217

Civil engineering designer education FAQs

What is the best college for Civil Engineering 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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