2025 Construction Engineering Degree Guide

Have you ever walked around a large city and been in awe of the buildings? Do you have an eye for interesting structures? A major in Construction Engineering will allow you to pursue your interest in building magnificent structures.

Construction Engineers lead building projects. They analyze building location, choose materials, and manage the project from start to finish. In school, students take classes in civil engineering, mathematics, computer-assisted design, geology, project management, graphic communications, and business law to acquire the skills to lead the building of large structures.

Construction Engineering Degrees in the United States

Construction Engineering was the 248th most popular major in the 2021-2022 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 874 degrees in this year alone. Our 2025 Best Construction Engineering Schools ranking analyzes 27 of these schools to determine the best overall colleges for construction engineering students. Explore this or one of our many other custom construction engineering rankings further below.

2025 Overall Best Construction Engineering Colleges >

Best Construction Engineering Schools by Degree

Requirements for Getting a Degree in Construction Engineering

Project management and leadership skills are required for those interested in pursuing a career in Construction Engineering. You will take the lead on building projects, so you must be able to delegate responsibilities, communicate necessary tasks, and ensure the project is advancing towards completion without any issues. Problem solving and decision making skills will help you foresee any issues and adjust plans to avoid problems while still successfully finishing the project.

Construction engineers split their time between an office setting and working on a building site. Work in the office allows engineers to layout their plans and make final decisions on building materials and site location before beginning construction. This career is a fulltime job and due to work under contracts, overtime is common to ensure deadlines are met.

No matter what type of degree you decide to get, in order to practice, you must be licensed by the state. It is best to check with the state you intend to work in to ensure you are fulfilling all requirements to obtain a license.

Construction Engineering Degree Program Entry Requirements

New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. Once you obtain your degree, additional construction engineering certifications required to pursue a career in this field.

Construction Engineering Degree Types

There are many different construction engineering degree levels. Construction Engineering programs offered by schools range from a to a , which is the highest construction engineering degree you can get. Different construction engineering degrees vary in how long they take.

A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to construction engineering, with approximately 56.1% of workers getting one. See the the most common levels of education for construction engineering workers below.

About 92.9% of workers in careers related to construction engineering obtain at least bachelor's degrees. The chart below shows what degree level those who work in construction engineering have obtained.

The education level required is different depending on the construction engineering career you are seeking.

Career Opportunities for A Degree In Construction Engineering Graduate

While a degree in Construction Engineering will lead to a career building structures and leading projects, graduates have decided to follow different paths into numerous construction and engineering companies. Others have decided to become self-employed and work to receive contractual work.

Due to aging structures and continual growth of cities, there will constantly be a demand for Construction Engineering graduates.

Solid Growth Projected for Construction Engineering Careers

Want a job when you graduate with your construction engineering degree? Construction Engineering careers are expected to grow 9.1% between 2016 and 2026.

The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to construction engineering.

Construction Engineering Degree Salary Potential

Recently graduated construction engineering students earned an average of $77,918 in <nil>. Earnings can range from as low as $69,146 to as high as $90,836. As you might expect, salaries for construction engineering graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.

High Paying Careers for Construction Engineering Majors

Salaries for construction engineering graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers construction engineering grads often go into.

Getting Your Construction Engineering Degree

With over 74 different construction engineering degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased construction engineering school rankings to help you with this.

Construction Engineering Related Majors

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

Construction Engineering Focus Areas

View All Construction Engineering Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Construction Engineering

View All Construction Engineering Related Majors >

References

• National Center for Education Statistics

• O*NET Online

• Image Credit: By Daniel Christensen under License More about our data sources and methodologies.