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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Civil Engineering Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

21 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
729 Master's Degrees
$80,812 Avg Early-Career Salary
Civil Engineering is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #40 most popular master's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 21 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Civil Engineering Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 729 master's degrees in civil engineering to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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Choosing a Great Civil Engineering School for Your Master's Degree

Best Civil Engineering Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region The civil eng master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality civil eng program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for civil engineering students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Civil Eng Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Civil Engineering Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Civil Engineering in the Great Lakes Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in civil engineering.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Master's in Civil Eng

1
50 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in civil engineering has to take a look at Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Northwestern University

2

It's hard to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you wish to pursue a master's degree in civil engineering. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, civil eng master's recipients generally earn about $79,679 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in civil engineering needs to check out University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign.

Soon after graduating, civil eng master's recipients generally make about $79,099 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
19 Annual Graduates

University of Notre Dame is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in civil engineering. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Notre Dame

5

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.

Those civil engineering students who get their master's degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive $4,448 more than the average civil eng student.

More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Wisconsin - Madison

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6

Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, civil eng master's recipients usually earn about $78,725 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Purdue University - Main Campus

7

Illinois Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Soon after graduation, civil eng master's recipients usually make an average of $79,898 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology

8
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
10 Annual Graduates

Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Michigan State University

9
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Ohio State University - Main Campus

10
35 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

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Best Civil Engineering Colleges by State

Explore the best civil engineering colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Illinois 221 317
Michigan 211 114
Ohio 207 150
Indiana 191 94
Wisconsin 173 54
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View All Rankings >

One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Civil Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

Civil Eng Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Civil Engineering 689
Structural Engineering 17
Civil Engineering 16
Trasportation Engineering 7
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Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 1,307
Electrical Engineering 1,212
Industrial Engineering 586
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 521
Electrical and Computer Engineering. 520
Computer Engineering 514
Biomedical Engineering 450
General Engineering 399
Other Engineering 356
Chemical Engineering 235

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Notes and References

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