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Masters in Civil Engineering in USA for Indian Students

A master's degree in civil engineering is an excellent professional choice. There are numerous job options in civil engineering, including those for architects, city engineers, consultants, researchers, etc. It is a field that is constantly expanding and will continue to do so. Worldwide, civil engineers have various employment opportunities (in countries like the UK, Canada,  Germany, and Singapore). However, the USA is the only country that offers the best opportunities.

Why Study Masters in Civil Engineering in USA?

Students in the United States can hone their abilities and investigate a wide variety of career options by majoring in civil engineering, one of the industries with the highest rate of technological advancement.

A higher education in this field in the United States of America can be beneficial for a number of reasons, including the following:

  • Civil engineering was recognised as the second best engineering job and the 17th best STEM in the United States by US News Ranking 2020.
  • In the United States, the field of civil engineering accounts for roughly 326,800 job openings.
  • According to the QS Rankings of 2021, nine colleges in the United States of America are ranked among the top 50 universities offering civil engineering programmes in other countries.
  • Employees of the federal government employees receive the highest compensation in this industry, equivalent to 95,380 US dollars per year (median salary).
  • It is anticipated that the number of job openings for civil engineers in this country will increase by around 6 percent up until the year 2028, totalling roughly 20,500 positions.

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Masters in Civil Engineering in USA - Course Highlights

Students regard the US as one of the best places to finish their graduate education. In the US, there are roughly 95 universities that provide MS in Civil Engineering programmes.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2030, there will be an 8% increase in job possibilities for civil engineers. Because of this, graduates with an MS in Civil Engineering will have a wide range of employment options in the US. The average pay for MS in Civil Engineering grads in the US is reportedly around $76,000 per year, according to PayScale.

Duration

9 months to 2 years

Degree Offered

Master of Science (MS)

Specializations Available 

Environment, Architecture, Landscape Planning, Construction Management, etc.

Eligibility

Bachelors in Civil Engineering with a minimum of 63%

Minimum GRE Requirement

155 in verbal and quantitative, 4.0 in analytical writing

Average Tuition Fees

13,800 USD to 149,080 USD

Average Annual Salary 

Entry-level: 47,000 USD

With Experience: 135,000 USD

Top Universities for Masters in Civil Engineering in USA

QS Ranking 2022

University

Program Offered  

Course Duration

Tuition Fees (USD)

1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MEng Civil and Environmental Engineering

9 months

26,725

1

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering

2 years

53,450

4

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

MS Civil Engineering

1 year

32,374

10

Stanford University

MS Civil and Environmental Engineering 

2 years

149,080

15

Georgia Institute of Technology

MS Civil and Environmental Engineering

1 year

31,370

22

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

MS Civil and Environmental Engineering 

1 year

24,122

20

University of Texas at Austin

MS Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering 

1 year

26,782

25

Purdue University

MS Civil Engineering 

1 year

13,809

Eligibility Criteria to Study Masters in Civil Engineering in USA

In order to pursue a Master of Science degree in the United States, international students are expected to have:

  • A bachelor's degree with a minimum of four years of study in civil engineering or a comparable subject.
  • A minimum academic level of 10+2+4 years.
  • A good score on the GRE exam
  • A grade point average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 in the bachelor's degree (equal to a "B" or 83-86 percent).
  • Evidence that the individual is proficient in the English language.

Masters in Civil Engineering in USA: GRE Requirement 

Because of COVID-19, students were having a difficult time taking the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); hence the majority of universities in the United States that provide master's degrees in civil engineering have decided to eliminate the requirement that applicants submit their GRE scores. However, the following scores are the most preferred in almost all the universities:

  • 165-175 in quantitative.
  • 155-165 in verbal.

Masters in Civil Engineering in USA: Admission Process

  • Students from all over the world can pursue a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in the United States of America either full-time or part-time to further their education in the STEM field.
  • This programme is open to participation from everyone who understands planning and building structures and has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or a field closely linked to it.
  • A GRE score of at least 300 may be necessary for admission to some master's programmes in civil engineering colleges in the United States offer.
  • For a degree that is pursued full-time, the time commitment can range anywhere from nine months to two years.

Masters in Civil Engineering in USA: Documents Required

To apply to institutions in the United States of America with success, an international student's application packet needs to include the following items:

  • CV/Resume
  • A translation into English of transcripts written in other languages
  • Purpose and intent declaration
  • 2–3 letters of recommendation are required.
  • The results of the tests, including those for the English language and other standardised examinations, were provided directly by the testing agency.
  • Transcripts that prior institutions have officially approved.

Cost of Studying Masters in Civil Engineering in USA

The cost of an education for an overseas student can be broken down into pre-departure expenditures and post-departure costs. These are the basic categories that can be used. The most significant portion of the post-travel costs will come from the university's required tuition payments. The cost of several exams completed for the purpose of studying in the United States of America, airfare, application costs, and visa fees are all included in the pre-departure cost. Once you have arrived in the United States, these are the costs that you will be responsible for paying. This will additionally incorporate the cost of living in the United States.

Expense Type

Tuition Cost (USD)

GRE

205

TOEFL

170

Application fee

1,200

IELTS

250

Flight fare (one-way)

700

VISA Fee

170

SEVIS Fee

200

Scholarships for Masters in Civil Engineering in USA

The United States of America had a rise in their annual rate of inflation from 1.5 percent to 2.3 percent during the years of 2010 and 2020. As a direct result of this, colleges' tuition costs have also been raised. Therefore, overseas students seek funding from a variety of sources so that they can continue their studies. Various choices are available, including loans, part-time jobs, bursaries, scholarships, and more.

The table that follows contains a list of scholarships that are open to international students who are enrolled in a Master of Science in Civil Engineering programme in the United States of America:

Name of scholarship programs

Amount of scholarship (USD)

Anne Naureen Whitney Barrow Memorial Scholarship

$7000

Western Union Foundation Global Scholarship Program

$2500

Arsham Amirikian Engineering Scholarship

$2500

MSPE Abrams Grant

$3000

Jobs & Salary After Masters in Civil Engineering in USA

A civil engineering bachelor's degree can help you get a professional license and an entry-level employment, but a master's degree is frequently needed to advance your career and earn greater pay.

Jobs Role

Average Annual Pay (in USD)

Construction engineer

68,200 USD

Structural engineer

67,600 USD

Building control surveyor

56,000 USD

Water resource engineer

66,000 USD

Transportation planner

57,000 USD

Quantity surveyor

60,500 USD

Geotechnical engineer

66,200 USD

Scope After Masters in Civil Engineering in USA

The majority of the highest-paid civil engineers in the United States are employed by industries related to the extraction of oil and gas. On the other side, the cities of Midland, Hinesville, Texas, Houston, and Georgia all have some of the highest-paying jobs in the United States.

In the United States of America, the highest possible salary for a civil engineer is $112850, while the lowest possible salary is $67430. After completing their master's degrees, civil engineers in the United States can expect to earn a median salary of 86,640 USD per year. 

Work Permit After Studying Masters in Civil Engineering in USA

If you want to be eligible for a post-graduation work permit, the first thing you need to do is make sure that you have your F1 visa since this will allow you to apply for an OPT visa extension for an additional year following the completion of your studies. The following is a rundown of the most important criteria that must be satisfied in order for you to be granted an F1 visa.

  • Before applying for admission to a school, college, or university, the first and most important thing to check is to make sure that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, better known as USCIS, has given its approval to the school, college, or university in question.
  • You are required to be enrolled in the class or programme as a full-time and consistent student in order to participate.
  • An examination to determine the student's level of English proficiency is required. The student must be able to communicate well in English.
  • The candidate is required to have sufficient financial resources to support them throughout their studies in the United States, including the costs of living there.
  • You are eligible to start the process of applying for an F1 visa as soon as you have been accepted into an educational institution of your choosing and have demonstrated that you fit the conditions outlined above. 

The processes necessary to obtain an F1 visa are listed below.

  • You will receive both your SEVIS-ID and form I-20, which is the Certificate of Eligibility for non-immigrant Student Status, once you have been successfully admitted to an institution that carries approval from SEVP. SEVIS-ID stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, and I-20 stands for Certificate of Eligibility for non-immigrant Student Status.
  • You can now continue with the online payment of the I-901 SEVIS fee. Then, you can continue to the nearest US Embassy or Consulate to apply for your International Student Visa application.
  • The following step is to complete an online application for a non-immigrant visa (DSI-160) and then upload any necessary supporting papers.
  • You are now able to move forward with scheduling your interview for a visa application with the United States Embassy or Consulate that is located in the location that is most convenient for you. During the scheduling process, you will have the opportunity to pay the visa application expenses of USD 160.
  • Proceed with the interview at the selected United States Embassy or Consulate on the day that it was set for. The conclusion of this interview will determine whether or not your application for a visa is accepted.

You are eligible to apply for the OPT extension once you have completed your graduation requirements and your F1 visa has expired. The processes necessary to apply for an extension of your OPT are as follows:

  • Your DSO is required to commence the OPT request process on SEVIS before you can move forward. You need to send your request to DSO in order to obtain the same.
  • Form I-20 will be provided to you by DSO for your signature.
  • Application for Employment Authorization forms are available for you to fill out.
  • Along with the completed form and required documentation, the OPT extension cost must be sent online.
  • Within the time limit specified in the approval given to your request, submit evidence to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
  • You do not need a job offer to extend your optional practical training (OPT). However, your place of employment needs to be relevant to your study subject.

Top Recruiters for MS in Civil Engineering in USA

Here are the top three recruiters for MS in Civil Engineering in USA:

Randstad

Randstad Engineering is home to more than 787 different engineering job opportunities, some of which include engineering designer, validation engineer, senior mechanical engineer, AutoCAD technician, mechanical construction superintendent, applications engineer, electrical engineer, and plenty of other positions.

Robert Half

On its website, Robert Half now lists more than 1,745 open positions in the engineering field. A senior software engineer, a DevOps engineer, a network engineer, an e-commerce infrastructure engineer, a systems engineer, a big data engineer, and more are some of the engineering roles that they provide.

Aerotek

On their website, Aerotek has a wide variety of open positions for engineers with Masters in Civil Engineering in the USA. These include architectural and engineering employment, aerospace and military positions, energy and construction positions, software and hardware engineering positions, product engineering and design positions, and many more.

Building on the coursework from their undergraduate degrees, master's degrees help students hone their civil engineering skills. Students who enrol in graduate-level civil engineering programmes gain a deeper understanding of their field of study and how it affects society.

Graduate degree programmes also give students the option to specialise, which helps them gain more knowledge in particular areas of civil engineering and opens doors to various interests and career options. In general, civil engineers with deep specialisations in their fields are in high demand.

Still unclear about anything? Well, not to worry. Contact AECC and get your queries answered today! AECC is one of the world's leading educational consultancies with versatile expert professionals ready to help you with any queries you may have. Contact us so we can be of assistance to you in your journey to achieving your dream.

FAQs About Masters in Civil Engineering in USA 

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