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Senior civil engineer vs senior structural engineer

The differences between senior civil engineers and senior structural engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior civil engineer and a senior structural engineer. Additionally, a senior structural engineer has an average salary of $94,406, which is higher than the $83,749 average annual salary of a senior civil engineer.

The top three skills for a senior civil engineer include civil 3d, project management and CAD. The most important skills for a senior structural engineer are structural analysis, rehabilitation, and RISA.

Senior civil engineer vs senior structural engineer overview

Senior Civil EngineerSenior Structural Engineer
Yearly salary$83,749$94,406
Hourly rate$40.26$45.39
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs38,16238,584
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

What does a senior civil engineer do?

A senior civil engineer is primarily in charge of overseeing the development of public structures such as buildings, bridges, pipelines, and roads. They are responsible for spearheading the design and planning stages, setting goals and objectives, managing budgets and timelines, performing due diligence, inspecting construction sites, and documenting the procedures. Above all, as a senior civil engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a role model to fellow engineers and contractors, all while implementing the construction site's safety policies and regulations.

What does a senior structural engineer do?

A Senior Structural Engineer is responsible for investigating and analyzing different construction problems. They must determine the causes of defects of buildings' envelopes, roofs, walls, and other parts of construction.

Senior civil engineer vs senior structural engineer salary

Senior civil engineers and senior structural engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Civil EngineerSenior Structural Engineer
Average salary$83,749$94,406
Salary rangeBetween $60,000 And $115,000Between $70,000 And $125,000
Highest paying CitySan Rafael, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMicrosoftRivian
Best paying industryRetailTransportation

Differences between senior civil engineer and senior structural engineer education

There are a few differences between a senior civil engineer and a senior structural engineer in terms of educational background:

Senior Civil EngineerSenior Structural Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringCivil Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Senior civil engineer vs senior structural engineer demographics

Here are the differences between senior civil engineers' and senior structural engineers' demographics:

Senior Civil EngineerSenior Structural Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 88.9% Female, 11.1%Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 16.6% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between senior civil engineer and senior structural engineer duties and responsibilities

Senior civil engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage a geotechnical investigation that include determining boring locations and soliciting bids.
  • Analyze bridge structures for deficiencies following the AASHTO code using hand calculations and software.
  • Respond to RFI's and keep the daily logs and quantity book up to date.
  • Design bridges and other highway relate structures using PennDOT standards, and AASHTO policies and procedures.
  • Represent the client (MTA) during CPM schedule update reviews and contractor requests for change orders.
  • Evaluate contractor's procedure for execution, CPM's, breakdowns for payments and contractors certifications for payments.
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Senior structural engineer example responsibilities.

  • Authore substantiation documents in compliance with FAA regulations and customer requirements to achieve type certifications and supplemental type certifications.
  • Perform project programming, project scheduling and detail cost estimates used to establish priorities in rehabilitation and construction projects.
  • Train to use SAP2000 to analyze highway RC bridges.
  • Analyze existing wing of a light aircraft for increase loading using FEMAP and NASTRAN.
  • Prepare new templates in MathCAD for engineers to use such as anchor bolts and weld design.
  • Prepare parking garage condition assessment reports and repair design, using carbon fiber material for some repairs per ACI 440.2R-02.
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Senior civil engineer vs senior structural engineer skills

Common senior civil engineer skills
  • Civil 3D, 13%
  • Project Management, 11%
  • CAD, 5%
  • Construction Management, 5%
  • Geotechnical, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%
Common senior structural engineer skills
  • Structural Analysis, 9%
  • Rehabilitation, 6%
  • RISA, 5%
  • ACI, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • CAD, 4%

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