Civil Engineer
Also known as: Structural Engineer, Infrastructure Engineer
Design and supervise construction of roads, bridges, dams, and the infrastructure that keeps society running.
Salary Range
The highest-paid specialization or seniority level for civil engineers.
About 1 in 667 reaches this level
Of ~355K civil engineers, SVP at $245K means top-10 engineering firms; likely under 500 hold SVP titles at that pay.
Salary data based on 2025 BLS, Glassdoor, and industry reports. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, and employer.
How to Become One
This career typically requires a bachelor's degree. Here are the top colleges for it:
AI Risk Assessment
AI is automating structural analysis, drainage design, traffic flow modeling, cost estimation, and regulatory compliance checking — the work junior civil engineers spend years learning. AI surrogate models allow rapid screening of design alternatives. PE licensure and physical site visits remain firmly human, but the entry-level analysis pipeline is narrowing as AI handles the computational work experienced engineers once delegated down.
Sources
Ratings reflect a 10-year outlook based on 2025-2026 research, weighted toward entry-level impact. Individual outcomes will vary.
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