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Engineering · Civil Engineering Rank #130 of 220

Civil Engineeringat University of Virginia-Main Campus

Graduates earn $74,772/yr in their first year — about 8.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $873K; scenarios range from $754K to $919K depending on AI disruption.

Charlottesville, VA Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
69 SOLID
70
Optimistic
66
Pessimistic
Earnings
$74,772
1-year post-graduation
ROI
10.4x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$873K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
55% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at University of Virginia

Your Civil Engineering degree from an institution with UVA's reputation signals a top-tier education, immediately boosting your appeal to employers. The strong outcomes reflect the program's robust curriculum and the university's deep recruiting ties, particularly across the Mid-Atlantic. You'll find opportunities with major infrastructure contractors, state agencies like VDOT, and leading consulting firms engaged in significant urban development and transportation projects. While the data notes AI risk, this often means the field is evolving, not disappearing; UVA's rigorous training prepares you for the higher-level design, management, and problem-solving roles that AI complements, rather than replaces. To truly maximize your trajectory, strategically pursue internships throughout your degree – they are your most direct pathway to gaining invaluable experience and securing your preferred post-graduation role in this dynamic sector.

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
$754K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score66/100
Earnings Multiple9.0x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$873K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score69/100
Earnings Multiple10.4x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$919K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score70/100
Earnings Multiple10.9x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to University of Virginia'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 University of Virginia 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 University of Virginia

Other top programs at University of Virginia

Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of Virginia, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at University of Virginia

How does University of Virginia-Main Campus's Civil Engineering program score?

A score of 69/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but University of Virginia-Main Campus trails the majority of Civil Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.

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.