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Civil transportation engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a civil transportation engineer. Civil transportation engineers usually study civil engineering, business, or management. 72% of civil transportation engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 101 real civil transportation engineer resumes to see exactly what civil transportation engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for civil transportation engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

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

What education do you need to become a civil transportation engineer?

What degree do you need to be a civil transportation engineer?

The most common degree for civil transportation engineers is bachelor's degree, with 72% of civil transportation engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 72%
  • Master's, 17%
  • Associate, 7%
  • Doctorate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a civil transportation engineer?

You should major in civil engineering to become a civil transportation engineer. 71% of civil transportation engineers major in civil engineering. Other common majors for a civil transportation engineer include business and management.

Most common colleges for civil transportation engineers

Civil transportation engineers often get their degrees at Purdue University, Pennsylvania State University, and Michigan Technological University. Here are the most common colleges for civil transportation engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Civil transportation engineer common collegePercentages
Purdue University9.38%
Pennsylvania State University9.38%
Michigan Technological University6.25%
California State University - Fullerton6.25%
University of Florida6.25%

Best majors for civil transportation engineers

Best colleges for civil transportation engineers

The best colleges for civil transportation engineers are Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

A civil transportation engineer 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 transportation engineers. 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 transportation engineers.

1. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

9. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

20 best online courses for civil transportation engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for civil transportation engineers

The most affordable schools for civil transportation engineers are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for civil transportation engineers 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 transportation engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. 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

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for civil transportation engineers

The hardest universities for civil transportation engineers to get into are Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for civil transportation engineers 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 transportation engineers 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for civil transportation engineers

The easiest schools for civil transportation engineers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a civil transportation engineer 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 transportation engineers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

6. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

9. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

10. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

Average civil transportation engineer salary by education level

According to our data, civil transportation engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $91,395 annually. Civil transportation engineers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $90,784.
Civil transportation engineer education levelCivil transportation engineer salary
Master's Degree$91,395
Bachelor's Degree$82,980
Doctorate Degree$90,784

Civil transportation engineer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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