Civil Engineer Career Assessment

2What is a Civil Engineer?

A civil engineer plans and designs public works, then checks that they get built right. They do the math that says how thick a road has to be, or how big a pipe has to be, or how much weight a bridge can hold. They use design software on a computer. They also go out to job sites to see the work. A licensed civil engineer can stamp a drawing. A stamp is an official mark that says "I am responsible for this design." Only a licensed engineer may do that.

The Reality: Say this part out loud: this is a four-year college degree with hard math. In your first two years you take calculus 1, 2, and 3, differential equations, physics with calculus, and chemistry. Nobody skips those. Many students take an extra year, so four to five years is normal. If math scares you, start with a math class at a two-year college and find out how you really do before you commit. There is also a real two-year door into this field. A civil engineering technician degree takes two years, and the middle ND technician earns about $31.27 an hour, or about $65,030 a year. Those credits can also transfer into the four-year degree later.

Your Responsibilities:

• Design roads, bridges, water lines, and sewer systems
• Use design software to draw plans
• Do math that checks loads, grades, and pipe sizes
• Read survey reports, maps, and soil test results
• Write the rules a contractor must build to
• Visit job sites to check that work matches the plans
• Make sure a project follows safety and environmental laws
• Estimate what a project will cost and how long it will take

You design the roads people drive on and the water they drink.

3A Day in the Life

7:30 AM — Coffee and email. A contractor asks a question about a culvert on a county road.

8:00 AM — Open the design software. Adjust the grade on a street plan.

9:30 AM — Meeting with a city about a water main project.

11:00 AM — Check soil test results before you finish a foundation design.

12:00 PM — Lunch.

1:00 PM — Drive to a job site. Walk it. Take photos. Check the work against the plans.

3:00 PM — Back at the desk. Write a short site report.

4:30 PM — Log your hours to each project and plan tomorrow.

Mostly desk and computer work, with real trips out to job sites.

4Training in North Dakota

Almost every civil engineer job wants a four-year degree. A two-year technician degree is a real, cheaper starting point. For the engineer title you need a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. Try hard to pick an ABET accredited program. ABET is a national group that reviews engineering degrees. An ABET degree makes licensing much faster later, so this choice matters. You can start at a two-year college in North Dakota and transfer.

Training Pathways:

• Two-year technician degree (2 years): A civil engineering technology degree. You go to work as a technician, doing surveying, drafting, and materials testing. Good pay, much less math, and no four-year degree needed.
• Two years here, then transfer (4 to 5 years total): Take your math and science at a North Dakota two-year college, then finish the bachelor's degree at NDSU or UND. This is cheaper and lets you stay close to home at the start.
• Straight to the university (4 to 5 years): Start at NDSU or UND as a civil engineering major. Both have ABET accredited civil engineering degrees.

Where to Train in North Dakota:

• North Dakota State University (Fargo) — Civil Engineering, BS. The NDSU Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering department states the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET — ndsu.edu/ccee/about/accreditation
• University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) — Civil Engineering, BS, 128 credits, 4 to 5 years, offered on campus or online. UND states the program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET — und.edu/programs/civil-engineering-bs
• Bismarck State College (Bismarck) — Civil Engineering Technology, AAS or certificate, on campus. Trains civil engineering technicians, CAD technicians, and materials testing technicians — catalog.bismarckstate.edu
• Bismarck State College (Bismarck) — Land Surveying Technology, AAS or certificate, on campus. Surveying is closely tied to civil work — catalog.bismarckstate.edu
• Bismarck State College (Bismarck) — Liberal Arts Engineering Pathway, AS. BSC says students who finish the recommended courses may reach junior standing when they transfer to UND or NDSU, and it offers a civil engineering version of the pathway — catalog.bismarckstate.edu
• North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton) — Land Surveying and Civil Engineering Technology, AAS, and a Liberal Arts (Engineering Transfer) AS — ndscs.edu/academics/programs
• United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck) — Pre-Engineering, AS. UTTC says the degree is built to transfer into ABET accredited bachelor's programs at UND, NDSU, South Dakota School of Mines, and Navajo Technical University — uttc.edu/academics/programs/pre-engineering

Before You Start: High school diploma or GED. You need to be ready for college math. Take as much high school math as you can get: algebra 2, trigonometry, and pre-calculus. Physics and chemistry help a lot. If your math is rusty, take a placement test early and plan for a catch-up class.

Tip: Start with financial aid and scholarships. Fill out the FAFSA, ask the school’s financial aid office what you qualify for, and ask an employer whether they help pay for school. That is where the money starts. After that, ask a career counselor or Job Service North Dakota whether WIOA or other programs can help with what is left over, like tuition, books, a laptop, or exam fees. What can be paid for depends on the program and on your own situation, so ask before you enroll rather than after. Worth asking about specifically: two-year degrees that train you for a job, like civil engineering technology, land surveying, mechatronics, electronics, or instrumentation. North Dakota two-year colleges also cost far less than a university. Ask about paid summer internships too — engineering firms, plants, and survey crews hire students while they are still in school.

5Certification & Licensing

You can work without a license. You need one to stamp plans or to run your own firm. The North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors licenses engineers in this state. Many civil engineers work for years under a licensed boss before they get their own license. But in civil work the license matters more than in most branches, because public projects need stamped plans.

The License Ladder in North Dakota:

• Bachelor's degree first — the ND board says all registration in North Dakota is based on the bachelor's degree (ndpelsboard.org)
• FE exam — the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, given by NCEES. Most people take it in their last year of college or right after. There is a Civil version of the exam (ncees.org)
• Engineer Intern (EI, also called EIT) — after you pass the FE exam. With an ABET accredited engineering degree the ND board asks for no work experience for this step. You also send three character references and official transcripts (ndpelsboard.org)
• Work experience — with an ABET accredited engineering degree, 4 years. With a non-ABET engineering degree, 8 years. With an engineering technology or engineering-related degree, 12 years (ndpelsboard.org)
• PE exam — the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam. NCEES says it is for engineers with at least four years of work after college. There are Civil versions: Construction, Geotechnical, Structural, Transportation, and Water Resources (ncees.org)
• Professional Engineer (PE) — the full license. You send five references: three licensed PEs who know your work, plus two character references. Now you can stamp plans (ndpelsboard.org)

The Exams: The FE exam has 110 questions. The appointment is 6 hours, with 5 hours and 20 minutes of test time. It is taken on a computer at a Pearson test center and is offered year-round. The PE exam is also on a computer. You get one try per testing window and no more than three tries in 12 months. Results usually come back in 7 to 10 business days (ncees.org).

Cost: NCEES lists the FE exam fee at $225 and the PE exam fee at $425 for most U.S. states. The ND board charges its own application fees on top of that, so call the board and ask for current amounts. Your degree is the big cost, not the exams.

Keeping It Current: ND personal licenses run on a two-year cycle and expire December 31 of even-numbered years. The board asks for 30 Professional Development Hours each two years. Twenty of the 30 must be technical and one must be in ethics (ndpelsboard.org).

6Salary & Job Outlook

North Dakota Civil Engineer Pay (May 2025):

• Starting out (bottom 10–25%): $30.43–$37.00/hour ($63,290–$76,950/year)
• Middle (median — half earn more, half earn less): $47.21/hour ($98,190/year)
• Experienced (top 25–10%): $56.28–$69.11/hour ($117,060–$143,740/year)

What that means: North Dakota data for civil engineers was published, so these are real ND numbers, not national ones. The middle ND civil engineer earns about $47.21 an hour, or about $98,190 a year. That is close to the national middle of $48.48 an hour. The bottom tenth, about $30.43, is mostly new graduates in their first year or two. The top tenth is usually people with a PE license who manage projects or own part of a firm. Note the gap between the middle and the top: the license is a big part of that jump.

Jobs in North Dakota: About 1,550 people do this work in ND today. By 2034, that should be about 1,700 (about 10% growth). Expect about 110 job openings every year in ND from growth and people retiring or changing jobs. Across the U.S., the change is about 5% growth — faster than average.

Outlook: Strong. About 110 openings a year in North Dakota, and ND is growing about twice as fast as the country. Roads, water plants, and flood control keep needing work, and a lot of current engineers are close to retiring.

Who Hires in ND: Private engineering and consulting firms, the North Dakota Department of Transportation, city and county engineering offices, water resource districts, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, construction companies, and utilities.

Work Setting: An office with a computer, plus trips to job sites. Site visits happen in whatever weather North Dakota is having, including winter. Some jobs mean driving a few hours across the state and staying overnight during the building season.

Physical Demands: Low to medium. Most of the day is sitting at a screen. Site visits mean walking rough ground, climbing in and out of a truck, and standing outside in heat, wind, or cold. Many civil jobs can be adjusted so that a co-worker handles the field part.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (SOC 17-2051); North Dakota and U.S. long-term employment projections 2024–2034, via O*NET OnLine. Numbers are rounded.

7Where This Leads

Path 1: Engineering Technician — A two-year-degree job doing survey, drafting, and testing work.

Path 2: Engineer Intern (EI) — Passed the FE exam. Working under a licensed engineer.

Path 3: Design Engineer — You do the design work on real projects.

Path 4: Professional Engineer (PE) — Licensed. You can stamp plans.

Path 5: Project Manager — You run the schedule, the budget, and the team.

Path 6: Firm Owner or City Engineer — You run a business, or you are the engineer for a whole city.

8The Real Talk

What's Great:

• Highest paying engineering demand in ND
• You can see what you built
• About 110 openings a year
• Work in every ND city, not just Fargo
• A license you own for life
• Mix of desk work and field work

What's Hard:

• Four-year degree with calculus and physics
• Four more years before the PE license
• Two hard national exams
• Site visits in bad weather
• Mistakes can hurt people
• Public projects mean public criticism

Be Honest: Are you willing to take calculus, physics, and chemistry? Can you plan for four to five years of college, and then four more years of work before the license? Are you OK going out to a muddy job site in November?

9Part 1: What Attracts You?

10Part 2: Are You Ready?

11Part 3: Your Next Move

Your Civil Engineer Assessment Results