by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 21 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Civil Engineering Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 729 master's degrees in civil engineering to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The civil eng master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality civil eng program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for civil engineering students working on their master's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Civil Engineering Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in civil engineering.
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in civil engineering needs to take a look at Northwestern University. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Northwestern University
It is difficult to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you wish to pursue a master's degree in civil engineering. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, civil eng master's recipients typically earn about $79,679 in their early careers.
More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in civil engineering needs to look into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.
After graduating, civil eng master's recipients typically make about $79,099 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Notre Dame is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in civil engineering. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Notre Dame
UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.
Those civil engineering students who get their master's degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive $4,448 more than the standard civil eng student.
More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a fairly large student population.
After graduating, civil eng master's recipients generally earn around $78,725 in their early careers.
More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Purdue University - Main Campus
Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
After graduating, civil eng master's recipients typically make around $79,898 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology
Michigan State is a very large public university located in the city of East Lansing.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Michigan State University
Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in civil engineering from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Explore the best civil engineering colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Civil Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Civil Engineering | 689 |
| Structural Engineering | 17 |
| Civil Engineering | 16 |
| Trasportation Engineering | 7 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 1,307 |
| Electrical Engineering | 1,212 |
| Industrial Engineering | 586 |
| Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering | 521 |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering. | 520 |
| Computer Engineering | 514 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 450 |
| General Engineering | 399 |
| Other Engineering | 356 |
| Chemical Engineering | 235 |
