How to become a civil engineer in Australia
Civil Engineers plan, design, organise and oversee the construction and operation of dams, bridges, pipelines, gas and water supply schemes, sewerage systems, airports and other civil engineering projects.
Pay and growth are for the wider civil engineering professionals group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the civil engineering professionals group are projected to grow 21.0% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Determines construction methods, materials and quality standards, and drafts and interprets specifications, drawings, plans, construction methods and procedures.
- Organises and directs site labour and the delivery of construction materials, plant and equipment, and establishes detailed programs for the co-ordination of site activities.
- Studies architectural and engineering drawings and specifications to estimate total costs, and prepare detailed cost plans and estimates as tools to assist in budgetary control.
- Monitors changes to designs, assesses effects on cost, and measures, values and negotiates variations to designs.
- Analyses structural systems for both static and dynamic loads.
- Designs structures to ensure they do not collapse, bend, twist or vibrate in undesirable ways.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the civil engineering professionals group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 89% a degree or higher, 4% a diploma, 2% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria16 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Engineering-Civil and Infrastructure (Honours) · RMIT, City80.45 Engineering (Honours) (Civil Engineering major) · Deakin, Melbourne Burwood70.65 Civil Engineering (Honours) · La Trobe, Bendigo66.80Diplomas and other ways in
Engineering Technology (Civil Major) (Associate Degree)/Engineering (Civil and Infrastructure) (Honours) · RMIT, City40.50Showing 11 of 16 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT31 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil with Architecture) · UNSW95.30 Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Civil (Structures) · UTS86.80 Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Civil (Construction) · UTS86.05 Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Civil Engineering) · Sydney86.00 Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Civil · UTS86.00 Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Civil and Environmental · UTS84.00 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) with a specialisation in Civil Engineering · Macquarie80.35 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil) · Wollongong80.20Diplomas and other ways in
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Civil and Environmental Diploma in Industry Practice · UTS84.20 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Civil Engineering Diploma in Industry Practice · UTS87.75 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Civil (Structures) Diploma in Industry Practice · UTS87.95 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Civil (Construction) Diploma in Industry Practice · UTS90.45Showing 12 of 31 matches. Search every course.
Queensland25 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Advanced Humanities (Western Civilisation) (Honours) · UQ, St Lucia93.15Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 9 of 25 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia4 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Environmental) Honours · ECU, Joondalup80.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) Honours · ECU, Joondalup80.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Technology (Civil) · ECU, Joondalup60.10 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil and Construction Engineering), Bachelor of Science (Science) in Mining (double degree) · Curtin, Perth73.30Matched on course names, 76 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Realistic, Investigative, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Civil Engineers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Structural engineer$2,217 Mechanical engineer$2,614 Electrical engineer$2,553 Chemical engineer$2,849 Mining engineer$3,518Done this job, or studied for it?
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.