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Municipal engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a municipal engineer. Municipal engineers usually study civil engineering, mechanical engineering, or engineering. 83% of municipal engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 67 real municipal engineer resumes to see exactly what municipal engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for municipal engineers are the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

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

What education do you need to become a municipal engineer?

What degree do you need to be a municipal engineer?

The most common degree for municipal engineers is bachelor's degree, with 83% of municipal engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 2%.
  • Bachelor's, 83%
  • Master's, 12%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a municipal engineer?

You should major in civil engineering to become a municipal engineer. 57% of municipal engineers major in civil engineering. Other common majors for a municipal engineer include mechanical engineering and engineering.

Most common colleges for municipal engineers

Municipal engineers often get their degrees at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Drexel University. Here are the most common colleges for municipal engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Municipal engineer common collegePercentages
New Jersey Institute of Technology12.50%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey9.38%
Drexel University9.38%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology6.25%
National University6.25%

Best majors for municipal engineers

Best colleges for municipal engineers

The best colleges for municipal engineers are Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University.

A municipal 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 municipal 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 municipal engineers.

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. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

4. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

5. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for municipal engineers

Advertising disclosure

1. Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries

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Have you come across large piles of garbage in neighbourhoods and streets and smelly waste disposal sites polluting the environment of low- and middle-income countries? Do you want to know what kind of sustainable solutions are appropriate to better manage waste and enhance recycling and recovery? If yes, this course is for you! This course provides you with an overview of the municipal solid waste management situation in low- and middle-income countries. It covers key elements of the waste...

2. Construction Management

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The Construction Management specialization is curated for professionals in the construction and civil engineering industry looking to advance their careers. Through this specialization, students will gain comprehensive industry knowledge along with the latest trends and development within the industry. This 5-course specialization will cover the major facets of construction management including project initiation and planning, scheduling techniques and procedures, cost estimating and control,...

3. Construction Cost Estimating and Management

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

4. Construction Project Scheduling

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4.5
(346)

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

5. Managing Major Engineering Projects

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Accelerate your career by improving your project management skills. This Specialization delivers a rigorous exploration of the best practices for planning and delivering these major engineering projects. You’ll learn about the measures of success, how to resolve challenges of governance and typical financing approaches of these projects.\n\nIf you are an engineer or a project manager and you aspire to get involved with major engineering projects, or you are already working on one, then this...

6. Mastering Construction/Project Management

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4.2
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Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours...

7. Construction Procurement Management

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4.5
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A course on procurement designed for engineers new to the infrastructure/construction industry...

8. Diploma in Basics of Civil Engineering for Construction

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Practical Course to Gain Quick Knowledge in Civil Engineering & Get Entry Level Jobs in Construction as Freshers...

9. The Complete Guide to Construction Management

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13. Quantity Surveying Building Estimation BBS with Excel & CAD

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Quantity Surveying, Construction Estimation ,Quantity survey ,Cost Estimation ,Civil engineering, Building Estimation...

14. Construction Delay Analysis Techniques (Incl. TIA) - MSP

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MS Project Based Construction Delay Analysis Training By N.M.Raj, An Internationally Renowned Claims Consultant...

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

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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. Construction Claims Management

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This Master Course will provide you with a professional claims management system for all your construction projects...

17. Construction Claims Management - (9 PDUs)

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Construction Claims Management ... Step-by-step from Definition to Submital...

18. Quantity Surveying Building Estimation,Cad Excel & Planswift

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

19. IT Project Budget & Cost Management

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

20. Mastering Agile Scrum Project Management

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Review and master agile development & scrum methodologies for your career...

Top 10 most affordable universities for municipal engineers

The most affordable schools for municipal engineers are City College of New York of the City University of New York, The, university of south florida, and university of florida.

If the best universities for municipal 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 municipal engineers.

1. 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

2. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

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 municipal engineers

The hardest universities for municipal engineers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for municipal 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 municipal 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. 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

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

6%

SAT average

1,512

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

10. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

Admissions rate

18%

SAT average

1,502

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for municipal engineers

The easiest schools for municipal engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, pennsylvania state university - dubois, and lamar university.

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

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

3. Lamar University

Beaumont, TX • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,043

4. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

5. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

6. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

7. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

8. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

9. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

10. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

Average municipal engineer salary by education level

Municipal engineers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $76,279 annually. With a Doctorate degree, municipal engineers earn a median annual income of $75,821 compared to $69,943 for municipal engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
Municipal engineer education levelMunicipal engineer salary
Master's Degree$76,279
Bachelor's Degree$69,943
Doctorate Degree$75,821

Municipal 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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