Civil Engineering Bachelor's Degree

Calling all creative, curious, analytical, and detail-oriented individuals: if you have a desire to improve quality of life through designing the sustainable infrastructure that supports our civilization, then civil engineering may be a good career fit for you. Tackle the engineering challenges of our society head-on with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Michigan Tech.

Civil engineers are the people's engineers. These professionals are responsible for planning, designing, building, and managing civil structures including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, water supplies, and sewage systems—addressing the modern needs of a growing global population. Learn more about what civil engineering is.

Explore a career pathway that suits your interests when you choose a path:

  • No. 3
    among best civil engineering schools in Michigan
  • 99%
    undergraduate placement rate
  • 35+
    students with industry scholarships + mentoring in our Pipeline Partner Program

Tomorrow Needs Civil Engineers That Support Infrastructure

Engineer sustainable solutions to deteriorating infrastructure, traffic congestion, society's energy needs, pollution, urban redevelopment, community planning, and risks posed by natural hazards such as floods and earthquakes with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. The field's contributions are evident in the designs of monuments such as the Hoover Dam, the Interstate Highway System, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Panama Canal, and the Empire State Building. Civil engineers at Michigan Tech are ready for what tomorrow needs. Are you?

Be Career-Ready

Students who graduate with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering are prepared to transition directly to entry-level jobs in industry. As a civil engineer, you could serve as a design engineer for a consulting firm; an estimator, planner, or project manager for a construction company; or a municipal engineer. You could also become a high school teacher of science and math; go on to law school; or head to graduate school. Students interested in a career in academia should explore graduate education options.

Career Opportunities for World-Minded Civil Engineers

  • Civil engineer
  • Transportation engineer
  • Geotechnical engineer
  • Structural engineer
  • Construction inspector
  • Design engineer

Engineering Enterprise Concentration

Pursue an Enterprise concentration as part of your degree by taking part in Michigan Tech's award-winning Enterprise Program. It's a great way to enhance your undergraduate degree with client-based teamwork. Enterprise is when students work in teams on real projects, with real clients, in an environment that's more like a business than a classroom. Choose any one of 20-plus Enterprise teams on campus to invent products, provide services, and pioneer solutions. Apply the skills learned in your major and gain some valuable new skills. Tackle real-world design projects for industry sponsors or take part in a national competition (or both). This concentration adds courses in business and entrepreneurship.

Ready to take the next step?

Learn more about studying civil engineering at Michigan's flagship technological university.

 

"With Engineers Without Borders, we designed a water pipeline that will go directly to two different communities in northern Guatemala to give them a lot better access to clean water."Andrew Miscimarra, undergraduate civil engineering student

Earn an ABET Accredited Engineering Degree

With ABET accreditation, you can be sure that your Michigan Tech degree meets the quality standards that prepares you to enter a global workforce.

And, because it requires comprehensive, periodic evaluations, ABET accreditation demonstrates our continuing commitment to the quality of your program—both now and in the future.

Sought Worldwide

ABET's voluntary peer-review process is highly respected. Its criteria are developed by technical professionals and focuses on what you, as a student, experience and learn. It adds critical value to academic programs in technical disciplines—where quality, precision, and safety are of the utmost importance.

Civil Engineering Program

Civil Engineering is a broad field encompassing many specialties. When you graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Michigan Tech, you’ll be well prepared to begin your professional career—able to apply your broad base of skills in engineering, science, and communication to a variety of civil engineering endeavors, with advanced competence in a few specialties.

Read more about civil engineering accreditation, educational objectives, and student outcomes.

ABET logo

Civil Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria.

The CEGE Department

In the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering you'll learn from top faculty who are experts in engineering areas including structural, construction management, earthquake, highway, railroad, municipal, water and wastewater, pollution prevention, air quality, measuring and managing land data, and environmental modeling—all incorporating sustainable engineering practices. Upon graduation, you'll be in demand by employers who value your technical knowledge and ability to perform on the job from day one.

  • Our state-of-the-art facilities allow students to experiment with civil engineering materials and advanced technology. The department maintains a pilot-scale environmental simulation lab, as well as labs dedicated to the study of asphalt.
  • Get ready to contribute on the job from day one. Our students benefit from hands-on experiences ranging from Senior Capstone to internships and co-ops. Our department has one of the highest co-op rates on campus, due to the great demand for our students. Ninety percent of our students land a summer internship before they graduate.
  • Our staff and nationally recognized faculty focus on giving students the personal attention and support necessary for not only academic success, but also a positive undergraduate experience overall.
  • The innovative Rail Transportation Program is one of the first in the nation. Its mission: to advance rail education and research across disciplines. Its unique opportunities include professional networking, education, conferences, guest speakers, and plenty of field trips!

MTU engineering

Real Engineering. Meaningful Work.

We are committed to inspiring students, advancing knowledge, and innovating technological solutions to create a sustainable, just, and prosperous world. With an entering engineering class of about 1,000 students, 17 degrees to choose from, and 160 faculty in the College of Engineering alone, we provide a world-class education with the trusted reputation of Michigan Tech.

As a student at Michigan Tech you’ll work closely with faculty mentors, immerse yourself in experience-powered learning, and gain a thorough understanding of engineering practice. Collaborate and innovate in laboratories, coursework, Enterprise, and Senior Design—you'll work with industry partners on real engineering projects and develop strong skill sets for your future.

You could study abroad, with engineering opportunities ranging from a few weeks to one full year. Or focus on problems facing disadvantaged communities in countries around the world. Michigan Tech’s D80 program offers you a range of options.

More than 400 employers regularly recruit our students for internships, co-ops, and full-time employment. Engineering students average seven interviews, and 98 percent are employed within their field of study, enlist in the military, or enroll in a graduate school within six months of graduation. A degree in engineering from Michigan Tech can take you anywhere.

Tomorrow Needs You

Engineers do a lot of things, but there's one thing we do first and foremost: we help people. We use creative ideas and technologies to solve problems in health care, energy, transportation, hunger, space exploration, climate change, and more—much more. Become an engineer who is ready for what tomorrow needs.

Student Stories

"My major gives me the opportunity to be be outside and work in the field, and to be creative and open to new experiences and jobs."Ali Gering, civil engineering