Engineering School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Civil & environmental engineering careers

Man and woman wearing hard hats and high vis

Careers in Civil & Environmental Engineering & Surveying are diverse and in-demand across Australia. Engineers in this field are among the highest paid graduates in the country. It’s one of only two professions to buck the gender pay gap trend found in the starting salaries. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), data from 2018 revealed that the starting salaries for women were even higher than men, making a career in Civil and Environmental Engineering rewarding for all graduates.


Civil and environmental engineers are employed in a variety of industries, including construction, design, specialist consulting, scientific and technical services, transport and all levels of government. They acquire skills in engineering and technology, building and construction, sustainable design and project management, to name a few.

Our recent graduates have been at the forefront of the significant investment in infrastructure in Sydney. Many of our students can be seen working on the major road and rail projects in Sydney. A look at our leading graduates from the last four years showed they followed many different career paths however infrastructure development was a leading driver of employment.

Engineering graduates are in high demand across Australia, with more than 80% in full-time employment withing 4 months of graduation.

The number of people working as Civil Engineering professionals grew very strongly over 5 years: from 39,100 in 2014 to 56,100 in 2019.

Discover

What is civil engineering?
Civil engineers contribute to several parts of the construction process, from selecting the materials and designing how they will work best together, to developing new materials with better performance.

What is environmental engineering?
Environmental engineers design ways to minimise the impact on the environment, especially when something new is constructed. A career in Environmental Engineering is a pathway to helping preserve the natural environment and its resources through engineering.

What is surveying & geospatial engineering?
Suryeyors and geospatial engineers provide critical advice to developers. They work with space age technology to look at the natural environment in a new way, measuring angles and lines to accurately position structures.