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Engineering · Civil Engineering Rank #18 of 220

Civil Engineeringat The University of Texas at Austin

Graduates earn $75,153/yr in their first year — about 9.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $849K; scenarios range from $736K to $892K depending on AI disruption.

Austin, TX Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
75 STRONG
76
Optimistic
72
Pessimistic
Earnings
$75,153
1-year post-graduation
ROI
18.9x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$849K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
55% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at UT Austin

The University of Texas at Austin's Civil Engineering graduates start at $75,153/yr — above the $69,097 national average, though not by a wide margin.

The 18.2x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.

AI risk is moderate — 49% task exposure — and the 18% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.

Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $19,875 in median debt clears quickly against $75,153 in annual earnings.

A #18 ranking out of 220 Civil Engineering programs nationally puts The University of Texas at Austin in the top 10% — a strong but not elite position.

The five-year earnings trajectory from $75,153 to $93,173 shows 24% growth, reflecting steady but unremarkable salary progression.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$736K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score72/100
Earnings Multiple15.8x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$849K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score75/100
Earnings Multiple18.2x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$892K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score76/100
Earnings Multiple19.1x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UT Austin's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Civil Engineering graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Architectural and engineering managers
+3.8% 10-yr growth · 14,500 openings/yr
$167,740/yr
Moderate
2
Petroleum engineers
+1.3% 10-yr growth · 1,200 openings/yr
$141,280/yr
High
3
Engineers, all other
+2.1% 10-yr growth · 9,300 openings/yr
$117,750/yr
Moderate
4
Engineering teachers, postsecondary
+8.1% 10-yr growth · 4,100 openings/yr
$106,120/yr
High
5
Environmental engineers
+3.9% 10-yr growth · 3,000 openings/yr
$104,170/yr
High
6
Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
+0.7% 10-yr growth · 400 openings/yr
$101,020/yr
Moderate
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Civil Engineering

How UT Austin stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Loyola Marymount University
CA · Private nonprofit
53
DW Score
$88K
1-yr earn
2.7x
ROI
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit
65
DW Score
$85K
1-yr earn
3.3x
ROI
Top score
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public
77
DW Score
$81K
1-yr earn
21.9x
ROI
Cornell University
NY · Private nonprofit
61
DW Score
$80K
1-yr earn
2.8x
ROI
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public
75
DW Score
$78K
1-yr earn
16.6x
ROI
Also at UT Austin

Other top programs at UT Austin

Other highest-scoring programs offered at UT Austin, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at UT Austin

How does The University of Texas at Austin's Civil Engineering program score?

A score of 75/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. The University of Texas at Austin's Civil Engineering graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.

How vulnerable is Civil Engineering to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Civil Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 49% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.