Civil Engineeringat University of California-Berkeley
Graduates earn $78,142/yr in their first year — about 13.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $954K; scenarios range from $814K to $1,010K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Berkeley
Your Berkeley Civil Engineering degree carries significant weight, reflecting the program's rigorous curriculum and global reputation. Graduates are highly sought after by leading firms like AECOM, Jacobs, and local agencies such as Caltrans or BART, often stepping into roles involving complex infrastructure, seismic retrofitting, or sustainable urban development within the bustling Bay Area market. This strong recruiting pipeline and the region's high demand for innovative engineering solutions contribute directly to the impressive career trajectories you'll see.
While AI's growing capabilities suggest potential automation for some routine tasks, a Berkeley education emphasizes critical thinking, advanced problem-solving, and interdisciplinary collaboration—skills essential for leadership roles in project management, consulting, and specialized design. These higher-order functions are less susceptible to automation and where your value will truly shine. Focus on developing strong communication and project management skills alongside your technical expertise to lead teams and integrate emerging technologies, ensuring you're at the forefront of the field, not merely performing tasks.
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.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UC Berkeley's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
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.
Peer schools offering Civil Engineering
How UC Berkeley stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Berkeley
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Berkeley, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley
How does University of California-Berkeley's Civil Engineering program score?
A score of 75/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. University of California-Berkeley'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.