Best Civil Engineering Programs in Alabama (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Engineering Colleges in Alabama
This page ranks the 6 Civil Engineering programs in Alabama by median earnings of Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. The University of Alabama ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $87,685 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figures range from $87,685 to $47,260, with a median of $78,522. For 1 of the 6 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
All 6 programs are at 100% public institutions. The University of Alabama ranks 233rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. Alabama A & M University posts the lowest average net price on the page, at $17,621.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Alabama · Tuscaloosa, AL | $87,685 | $22,420 | $19,169 | 76.7% |
| The University of Alabama ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $87,685 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | Auburn University · Auburn, AL | $79,778 | $24,323 | $16,681 | 45.9% |
| Auburn University admits 46% of applicants, and Civil Engineering completers who borrowed had a median federal debt of $21,750. | |||||
| 3 | University of Alabama in Huntsville · Huntsville, AL | $78,858 | $18,796 | $16,192 | 68.6% |
| Reporting $78,858 in median earnings for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, University of Alabama in Huntsville ranks 3rd on this list. | |||||
| 4 | University of South Alabama · Mobile, AL | $78,187 | $17,648 | $12,657 | 71.0% |
| University of South Alabama posts an average net price of $12,657 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 5 | University of Alabama at Birmingham · Birmingham, AL | $78,054 | $18,749 | $16,172 | 88.2% |
| Civil Engineering completers who borrowed at University of Alabama at Birmingham had a median federal debt of $25,750, while its graduates four years after completing report median earnings of $78,054. | |||||
| 6 | Alabama A & M University · Normal, AL | $47,260 | $17,621 | $16,500 | 58.0% |
| Alabama A & M University ranks 6th on this list, with 7 graduates in the earnings cohort and median earnings of $47,260 for its Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Civil Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in Alabama appear. The figure is the median for federally aided Civil Engineering completers who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 1 of the 6 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The University of Alabama leads with $87,685, and the gap to second-ranked Auburn University is $7,907.
Job market context in Alabama
The Bureau of Labor Statistics links Civil Engineering to occupations such as Civil Engineers, Engineers, All Other, and others in Alabama. The median annual wage across those occupations is $115,626, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $89,633. State projections for 2024 to 2034 count about 830 openings a year, or about 229 openings a year for every hundred graduates, which is more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 3.9% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses actual graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupation-wide wage figures shown here.