Best Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs for Civil Engineering

Civil engineers work on large structures that shape our communities, like roads, bridges, and dams. When you drive on highway overpasses, bridges of all sizes, or a roundabout, a civil engineer is behind the structure’s planning, construction, and maintenance. If this type of work excites you, consider earning a degree in civil engineering.

The civil engineering field comes with opportunities for career growth and higher-than-average salaries. Below, you’ll find some of the best civil engineering degrees, plus job prospects and next steps.

Civil engineering is a subfield of engineering concerned with societal infrastructure. Civil engineers design, build, and maintain roads, dams, bridges, and other structures that keep society running smoothly.

Civil engineering considers all factors related to the design, construction, and maintenance of major structures. Professionals in this field must have mastery of topics like cost analysis, government regulations, durability calculations, structural and geotechnical analysis, and construction engineering.

Civil engineers are responsible for the safety of the people using the structures they build and the environments in which they work. An online bachelor’s in civil engineering includes rigorous coursework on surveying, hydraulic engineering, project and construction management, transportation engineering, protection of water resources, and erosion prevention.

An online civil engineering degree usually requires 120 credits and takes four years to complete. You can also consider an accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s bridge program in civil engineering for faster career advancement or as a step toward a doctorate degree.

After earning a degree, you can develop experience and pursue board certification from the American Association of Civil Engineers. You can choose the civil engineering certification or specializations such as coastal, geotechnical, pipeline, or port engineering.

Civil engineering majors study advanced mathematical topics like calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations. They also study advanced topics in physics, including fluid mechanics and mechanics of materials. Course loads for this major may be challenging.

When choosing an online civil engineering degree, consider factors that can influence your distance learning experience. Only give serious consideration to programs from schools you can reasonably afford.

Determine if the online program fits your timeline and features asynchronous or synchronous courses, has a cohort, or includes on-campus components. Also, be sure to check out the programs’ available concentrations to see if their offerings meet your needs.

If you already know you want to earn a master’s degree, you can also look for dual-degree programs that combine degrees, such as a bachelor’s in civil engineering and a master’s in urban planning.

Remember to first look for a civil engineering program from a regionally accredited institution. Additionally, plan to attend a program accredited by ABET with the American Society of Civil Engineers. If you attend an unaccredited program, your job prospects may be limited, and you will not be able to earn licensure or receive federal financial aid.

Program length varies by enrollment type. As a full-time student, you can typically complete a degree in four years. Accelerated pathways allow some enrollees to graduate in just three years. Part-time students could take five years or more to complete their degrees.

If you opt for a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree program, it usually takes 5.5 years or more to complete. Transfer students in degree-completion programs can earn their bachelor’s degrees in as little as 1-2 years, depending on the credits they still need to earn.

The cost of a bachelor’s in civil engineering depends on the type of program you choose. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the most cost-effective option is an online civil engineering degree at a public university. The average tuition cost for a four-year bachelor’s degree in engineering is about $42,260.

If you choose to study at a private college, the average cost of tuition over four years is nearly three times as much ($122,720). No matter the type of accredited institution you attend, you can look for scholarships, grants, and other financial aid to reduce your costs.

Civil engineers typically work in the public sector for local governments and large construction firms, often beginning their careers with internships to gain real-world experience.

According to Payscale data from Oct. 2024, the average salary for a graduate with a bachelor’s in civil engineering is $79,000. Civil engineers with less than one year of experience make an average salary of $64,000, while civil engineers with 10-19 years of experience earn $100,000 a year.

You could also apply your civil engineering degree to other types of engineering, like environmental engineering. Environmental engineers help solve environmental issues surrounding human structures and need knowledge of soil and fluid mechanics.

Yes — a civil engineering degree can be worth it if you’re interested in building, engineering, and architecture. Many factors contribute to your return on investment, such as the total cost of your education and the amount of student debt you accrued, but the salary prospects for civil engineers are strong.

The BLS reports a median annual wage for civil engineers of $95,890 as of 2023, while the top 10% of civil engineers earned over $150,000. If you spend around $50,000 on your degree, there is the potential to make nearly twice the cost of your degree upon entering the workforce.

The degree may not be worth it if you don’t have a strong aptitude for STEM-related subjects or an interest in design. However, if you’re excited to apply math and science to design and develop structures, a civil engineering degree may make for a great fit.