Construction project engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a construction project engineer. Construction project engineers usually study civil engineering, mechanical engineering, or construction management. 72% of construction project engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 746 real construction project engineer resumes to see exactly what construction project engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for construction project engineers are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.

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

There are certain construction project engineer certifications that you should consider. These construction project engineer certifications include Certified Construction Manager (CCM) and Engineer In Training Certification (EIT).

What education do you need to become a construction project engineer?

What degree do you need to be a construction project engineer?

The most common degree for construction project engineers is bachelor's degree, with 72% of construction project engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 11% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 72%

Associate, 11%

Master's, 11%

Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a construction project engineer?

You should major in civil engineering to become a construction project engineer. 36% of construction project engineers major in civil engineering. Other common majors for a construction project engineer include mechanical engineering and construction management.

Civil Engineering, 36%

Mechanical Engineering, 15%

Construction Management, 8%

Electrical Engineering, 6%

Other Majors, 35%

Most common colleges for construction project engineers

Construction project engineers often get their degrees at Purdue University, University of Washington, and Texas A&M; University. Here are the most common colleges for construction project engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Construction project engineer common college	Percentages
Purdue University	8.85%
University of Washington	7.08%
Texas A&M University	6.19%
Missouri University of Science and Technology	6.19%
Auburn University Main Campus	6.19%

Show more common construction project engineer colleges

Best majors for construction project engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Civil Engineering	36.1%
2	Mechanical Engineering	15.2%
3	Construction Management	8.0%
4	Electrical Engineering	5.7%
5	Business	5.1%

Show more common construction project engineer majors

Best colleges for construction project engineers

The best colleges for construction project engineers are Columbia University in the City of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A construction project 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 construction project 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 construction project engineers.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

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. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,620

Enrollment

27,730

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for construction project engineers

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3. Construction Project Scheduling

4.5

(346)

Learn the tools and techniques used by construction management professionals to ensure projects finish on time...

4. Construction Cost Estimating and Management

4.6

(642)

Learn the tools used by construction management professionals to ensure their projects finish under budget...

5. Mastering Construction/Project Management

4.2

(659)

Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours...

6. Diploma in Basics of Civil Engineering for Construction

4.3

(294)

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7. Contracts Management in Construction Projects

4.3

(730)

Contracts Management, Contract Administration, FIDIC, Bank Guarantees, Contracts, Letter Drafting, Quantity Surveying...

8. Construction Procurement Management

4.5

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A course on procurement designed for engineers new to the infrastructure/construction industry...

9. The Complete Guide to Construction Management

4.2

(692)

The Most Essential Course for EVERY Construction Project!...

10. Construction Methodology Basics in Civil Engineering

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15. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.

4.1

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Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...

16. Quantity Surveying Building Estimation,Cad Excel & Planswift

4.4

(2,658)

Quantity Surveying, Quantity Takeoff, BBS In Excel ,Complete Project In Autocad, Project Planning With Primavera P6...

17. IT Project Budget & Cost Management

4.4

(290)

Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...

18. Project Management: Cost & Schedule Monitoring using EVM

4.3

(1,114)

Earned Value Management, Project Management, Cost Control & Monitor, Budget, Schedule & Cost Variance, Performance Index...

19. Project Management With MS Project - Scheduling Master Class

4.5

(4,297)

Managing projects with Microsoft Project? Learn project management, planning, scheduling, and tracking best practices...

20. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

4.6

(494)

Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

Top 10 most affordable universities for construction project engineers

The most affordable schools for construction project engineers are University of Florida, brigham young university, and florida state university.

If the best universities for construction project 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 construction project engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

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. 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

8. California State University - Sacramento

Sacramento, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,310

Cost of attendance

19,807

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for construction project engineers

The hardest universities for construction project engineers to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for construction project 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 construction project 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

6. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,566

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for construction project engineers

The easiest schools for construction project engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, the university of texas at el paso, and saint martin's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a construction project 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 construction project engineers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

3. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

4. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

5. North Dakota State University

Fargo, ND • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,170

6. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

7. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

8. California State University - Chico

Chico, CA • Private

Admissions rate

65%

SAT average

1,092

9. University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,113

10. University of Southern Maine

Portland, ME • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,050

Average construction project engineer salary by education level

Construction project engineers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $73,411 annually. With a Doctorate degree, construction project engineers earn a median annual income of $73,014 compared to $67,897 for construction project engineers with an Bachelor's degree.

Construction project engineer education level	Construction project engineer salary
Master's Degree	$73,411
Bachelor's Degree	$67,897
Doctorate Degree	$73,014

Construction project engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Construction Project Engineers?

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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