Top jobs with a masters in civil and environmental engineering

Find out how studying for a masters qualification in civil and environmental engineering at Surrey opens up a wide range of job and career opportunities.

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Two engineers, male and female, in protective helmets and reflective clothing, standing on construction site where large arch bridge is being built.

The jobs market

There are several positive factors around civil and environmental engineering employability: net-zero targets; increasing infrastructure spend; refurbishment of existing assets; demand for environmental resilience. The shift toward green skills (sustainability, climate adaptation, energy transition) is raising demand globally for engineers with these competencies.

With a masters degree in civil and environmental engineering, you are typically better placed for specialist roles (e.g. water resources, environmental consultancy, sustainable infrastructure) and potentially more rapid career progression.

The UK Government’s Assessment of Priority Skills to 2030 includes engineering among the sectors which will see significant demand increases. Employers may favour candidates with higher credentials combined with relevant experience.

The Global Civil Engineering Market Outlook to 2030 report (Ken Research) says a “shortage of skilled labour continues to be a major challenge” with an estimated global shortfall of 1.2 million skilled workers in 2024 in the civil engineering sector. It also notes that in developed economies (US, Canada, UK) “over 20% of construction roles” were unfilled due to lack of qualified engineers/project managers.

I currently work as a Hydrological Data Scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), and my MSc in Water and Environmental Engineering from the University of Surrey played a pivotal role in helping me achieve this. Gayatri Suman, Water and Environmental Engineering MSc

What Surrey offers

Graduates in Surrey’s civil engineering masters courses are in high demand across many sectors and go into roles such as geotechnical engineer, structural engineer, civil engineer, ground engineer, environmental engineer, bridge engineer or project manager – on an average starting salary of around £41,000 (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA)

Surrey's postgraduate courses enable you to specialise in an area that fascinates you, such as Water and Environmental Engineering or Bridge Engineering. Or you may choose to develop a broader knowledge with our Civil Engineering MSc. All three of these programmes are accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Our students learn with state-of-the-art technology, boost knowledge on research projects, and understand government development strategies and policies from keynote speakers - giving them valuable real world perspective when it comes to looking for a job.

There is high demand for civil engineers, so it's important to think practically about how your knowledge will be applied. Get comfortable solving difficult engineering problems. Marat Khodzhaiev, Bridge Engineering MSc

Graduate success stories

A masters qualification in civil and process engineering can help open the door to a range of careers. Our MSc graduates go on to a huge variety of job roles, not only with major consultancies and contractors, but across other sectors such as management and business consultancy. Recent MSc graduates now work for companies such as: