What Do Civil Engineers Do? Types, Salary And Highest Paying Roles

Civil engineers build and maintain public and private infrastructure. BLS names roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, dams, buildings, and water and sewage systems among their projects.

Yes, part of the time. BLS says civil engineers split their time between offices, where they prepare plans, and construction sites, where they monitor work. Some project managers work from vehicles as they move between sites.

Within each specialty, jobs follow a project's life cycle. Common titles include design engineer, field or site engineer, inspector, project engineer and project manager.

Structural engineers design and assess buildings, bridges and dams so they stay strong and durable. The snapshot shows advertised pay in current structural engineer postings.

Environmental civil engineers work on water treatment, wastewater and pollution control. Environmental engineering is also its own occupation at BLS, so it sits both inside and beside civil engineering.

Construction engineers manage projects so they follow design plans and schedules, and BLS says they usually handle the design and safety of temporary structures. Pay for this work appears below.

Transportation engineers plan, design and maintain streets and highways, plus airports, ports and mass transit. Search transportation engineer jobs to see current openings.

New graduates often start with titles such as engineer in training (EIT) or junior civil engineer. For a live answer to what do civil engineers make starting out, check the entry level snapshot below.

A professional engineer (PE) license lets you oversee other engineers, approve design plans, sign off on projects and serve the public directly, according to BLS. Postings that require a PE show their advertised pay below.

BLS says civil engineers who enter with a graduate degree will likely have better prospects as the field's Body of Knowledge standards grow in importance. Postings list pay by title, not degree, so compare senior and specialist roles to gauge a masters in civil engineering salary.

Advertised pay and the number of openings differ by state. The table below shows both from current postings.

The answer comes from the live table above and can shift as postings change. If you are asking whether structural engineers make more than civil engineers in general, compare the structural row with the civil engineer snapshot earlier in this guide.

BLS says experienced civil engineers may move into senior posts such as project manager. See advertised pay for civil project managers below, or the general project manager salary page.

Senior civil engineers carry more design responsibility, and only a licensed PE can approve plans. The snapshot shows current advertised pay for the title.

Pay depends heavily on location, so check the state table above. Pick a state on the civil engineer salaries page for local detail.

You need a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or a related field, and BLS says a degree from an ABET-accredited program is needed for the PE license. ABET says that in states that license graduates of non-accredited programs, they may need four to eight more years of work experience.

Coursework covers math, physics, engineering mechanics and construction systems, per BLS. In many states, a civil engineering technology degree also meets the academic requirement for licensure.

A bachelor's degree usually takes four years, and you can take the FE exam after earning it. Reaching a PE license then takes several more years of supervised work before you sit the PE exam.

It is demanding but well defined. NCEES says the FE exam has 110 questions over six hours, and the PE Civil exam has 80 questions with a nine-hour appointment.

Yes, demand comes from both private firms and public agencies, and BLS notes many civil engineers work for government. Set an alert to see how many new openings appear near you.

AI tools can speed up drafting and analysis, but responsibility for public safety stays with licensed people. Only a licensed PE can approve plans and sign off on projects that serve the public.

Compare advertised pay for engineering titles in the table below. It also answers civil engineer salary vs software engineer salary questions from current postings.

Architects shape how a building looks and works for people, while civil engineers make structures and infrastructure safe. BLS says all states require architects to be licensed, usually after a degree, an internship and the Architect Registration Examination.

Entry level civil engineering jobs include EIT, junior engineer, field engineer and inspector roles, and BLS says a license is not needed for entry-level work. Browse entry level jobs or read our guide to entry level jobs with no experience.

Many civil engineers work for federal, state and local governments on roads, water systems and public buildings. Current federal postings appear below, and our guide on how to get a government job explains how to apply.