Civil engineering is the ideal engineering concentration for those who aspire to combine the technical aspects of engineering with the kind of high-level planning, coordination, and analysis required by complex, large-scale projects. Professional opportunities for civil engineering masters can include leadership on large construction projects like bridge design and housing development or oversight of expansive systems like urban transportation grids and environmental renewal.
Earning an online master’s in civil engineering degree can provide you with both the skills and credentials to become a leader in the field, and to significantly improve your earning power. Your study will combine aspects of construction and materials engineering with project planning and public works.
Your engineering master’s degree program will likely also include a research component, where you’ll work closely with an academic advisor or mentor to develop, execute and defend an original research thesis. Earning your civil engineering masters will help prepare you for a leadership role with a wide range of employers from real estate developers and public transportation departments to urban planning committees and construction law firms.
Earning your civil engineering degree online provides a convenient, flexible and accessible way to balance the pursuit of your advanced degree with your existing career and personal responsibilities. Bear in mind that many online master’s degree programs may require you to meet in-person once or several times during a semester for face-to-face conferences, laboratory work or internship responsibilities. Be aware of any such requirements as you search for the right online engineering master’s degree program.
These programs were ranked with eight factors: student-to-faculy ratio, degrees-awarded-in-field ratio, graduation rate, retention rate, percentage of online students, concentrated influence, desirability, and exclusivity. The program's cost grade is determined by the average in-state tuition levels and its percentile distribution compared to other online engineering institutions. Learn more about our methodology
The Best Online Master's in Civil Engineering Ranking
What Areas Of Research Can I Choose From With an Online Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering?
As a master of civil engineering, you’ll have the chance to pursue an independent research topic of your own design. Possible areas of specialization include:
Can You Get a Master's Degree in Engineering Fully Online?
You can earn a master's degree in engineering online. However, as with your bachelor's degree in engineering, you'll want to make sure that your online master's degree program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Only degrees from ABET-accredited institutions will be viewed as credible by employers, professional associations, scholarly journals, and others.
What Kind of Accreditation Do I Need for an Online Master's Degree in Engineering?
Accreditation is important in higher education, but it takes on added importance in certain fields. Engineering is one of them. Engineering accreditation is actually an essential requirement if you plan to become a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). So in addition to seeking out a college or university with accreditation from a Department of Education-recognized accreditor, you should also seek out a school with an engineering program that has earned programmatic accreditation. In the engineering field, programmatic accreditation must be granted by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in order for the resulting degree to confer licensing eligibility.
What Kinds of Online Master's in Engineering Degrees Are There?
Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)
The Master of engineering is considered a terminal degree in the field. This is the highest credential you can earn without pursuing a Master of Science degree. You will typically be required to choose a specialization and complete a practicum or final project (as opposed to a thesis). A Master of engineering degree does not qualify you to pursue a PhD in the field.
Master of Science in Engineering (M.Sc.Eng)
The Master of Science in Engineering degree is required as a basic qualification for enrolling in a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering program. If you plan to pursue your PhD in the field, which would qualify you to conduct research or teach engineering at the postsecondary level, you would need to earn your M.Sc.Eng. The Master of Science degree program typically requires the completion of a thesis based on your own original research question and undertaking.
How Can I Get Into an Online Master's Degree in Engineering Program?
Your online master's in engineering program will likely require the following:
A bachelor's degree in engineering or a closely related subject from an ABET-accredited undergraduate program;
A minimum 3.0 GPA in your undergraduate studies; and
Any prerequisite math or science courses that might not have been included in your undergraduate degree program.
Additionally, some engineering masters programs may require you to complete a Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Because engineering is an interdisciplinary subject, some graduate schools may alternately accept, or require, The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). If the GRE or GMAT is needed, your program may either require a general exam, or a GRE specific to the subject of engineering. Some programs may require you to meet a certain scoring threshold while others may merely require that you complete the exam. These requirements will vary from one engineering master's program to the next.
How Long Does It Take To Earn an Online Master's Degree in Engineering?
An online master's degree in engineering will usually require you to earn between 30 and 50 credits, depending on the nature of your program.. For full-time students, this can typically be completed over the course of two to three years. Part-time students who are balancing their online education with job responsibilities and commitments to home and family may require longer. Your area of concentration or specialization may play a determinant role in the length of your commitment.
Engineering societies are an essential part of the engineering discipline and professional sector. In addition to the numerous benefits that these professional associations provide to members, many of the leading engineering societies also play a direct role in granting accreditation to degree programs and awarding licenses to professional engineers. It's a good idea to become familiar with the engineering societies, professional associations, and student-run groups that represent the engineering field. This can be especially appealing if you're working toward an online engineering degree. The following are some noteworthy professional engineering societies:
An institution’s program specfic score is calculated with seven data points: (1) its student-to-faculty ratio, (2) its the graduation rate, (3) its retention rate, (4) its percentage of online students, (5) its concentrated Influence (a measure of the academic importance of a school), (6) its desirability (a measure of how many students chose to go to an institution), and (7) its exclusivity (a measure of how selective the insitutionis).
For each data point, we score schools based on where they fall compared to the other institutions on our site. Because our scores are based only on institutions with engineering programs and not tied to institutions without these programs, they accurately reflect an institutions’s value to the engineering student. Institutions with missing data receive a zero for that data point.
We weigh each data point and calculate an institution’s raw score. Then we create an adjusted raw score by combining a schools's score with a base score of 50. Finally, we score and rank institutions based on their adjusted score’s comparison to the top scoring relevant program.
We weren’t able to get all the data we needed for this institution. This score is based on the information they have reported. An institution’s program specfic score is calculated with seven data points: (1) its student-to-faculty ratio, (2) its the graduation rate, (3) its retention rate, (4) its percentage of online students, (5) its concentrated Influence (a measure of the academic importance of a school), (6) its desirability (a measure of how many students chose to go to an institution), and (7) its exclusivity (a measure of how selective the insitutionis).
For each data point, we score schools based on where they fall compared to the other institutions on our site. Because our scores are based only on institutions with engineering programs and not tied to institutions without these programs, they accurately reflect an institutions’s value to the engineering student. Institutions with missing data receive a zero for that data point.
We weigh each data point and calculate an institution’s raw score. Then we create an adjusted raw score by combining a schools's score with a base score of 50. Finally, we score and rank institutions based on their adjusted score’s comparison to the top scoring relevant program.
Focused on online engineering colleges, our relative cost score compares the average in-state tuitions of institutions with online engineering programs.
