Civil Engineering
Build the World Around You
Civil engineers design and build the foundations of our communities — from buildings and bridges to airports, roads and water systems. At Detroit Mercy, you’ll gain the skills and hands-on training needed to work on projects like bridges, dams, highways, tunnels and water treatment plants, as well as environmental cleanup and urban development.
Shape Detroit’s Future
With Detroit’s exciting resurgence, now is a great time to study civil engineering. You’ll have opportunities to make a real impact on the city, work with faculty mentors and network with professionals at leading companies.
A Future Full of Opportunities
Whether you want to design structures, improve transportation or protect the environment, a Detroit Mercy Civil Engineering degree prepares you to succeed. By graduation, most of our students receive multiple job or graduate school offers.
Undergraduate Degrees
- Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE)
- 5-Year Bachelor / Master's in Civil Engineering
- 5-Year Bachelor's in Civil Engineering / Master's in Environmental Engineering
Graduate Degrees
- Master of Civil Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in Civil and Environmental Engineering
The average annual salary for a Civil Engineer in the United States is $82,674 a year.
ZipRecruiter, 2025
Top 3 Best Paying Related Civil Engineer Jobs in the U.S. at more than $100K:
Civil Infrastructure Engineer
Civil Engineer Estimator
Civil Engineer Project Manager
ZipRecruiter, 2025
My co-op gave me a lot of insight and I graduated with a full year of experience in my field — a real resume builder and a tremendous opportunity to network and succeed.
—Elliott Fernandes ’16
Explore Undergraduate Degrees
Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE)
Explore Every Area of Civil Engineering
A traditional undergraduate program, you’ll learn about all major areas of Civil and Environmental Engineering — including structures, transportation, geotechnical engineering, hydrology and environmental systems.
We aim to give you a broad education and real design experience. You’ll gain the skills and tools needed to grow with the profession and meet changing technological and societal needs.
5-Year Bachelor/Master in Civil Engineering
The combined Bachelor and Master of Civil Engineering program is for well-prepared high school school students entering as freshman.
Some senior-year courses count toward both your bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and you take certain graduate courses at the undergraduate tuition rate.
5-Year Bachelor in Civil Engineering / Master in Environmental Engineering
This BCE / MEE accelerated program is for well-prepared high school school students entering as freshman.
Some senior-year courses count toward both your bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and you take certain graduate courses at the undergraduate tuition rate.
Explore Graduate Programs
Master of Civil Engineering
A traditional graduate program for new master's students or Detroit Mercy undergrad students who did not qualify for the 5-year Bachelor/Master program.
The Master of Civil Engineering program prepares students for rewarding careers as consulting engineers, industry and government engineers or researchers in universities and industrial laboratories.
Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in Civil and Environmental Engineering
The Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in Civil and Environmental Engineering requires 81+ hours beyond the bachelor coursework, including 30 hours of dissertation.
Civil Engineering doctoral students take two qualifying exams:
- Math qualifier. You must take and pass this with a grade of 70% within two tries to remain in the program. You should try it in your first term or year in the doctoral program. You must complete this before taking dissertation credit (CIVE 7990). View sample and past exams.
- Departmental qualifier. (also called discipline specific qualifier). You must take and pass this with a grade of 70% to remain in the program. Talk to your doctoral advisor to arrange an offering of the departmental qualifier for you.
- Ph.D. Admission and Degree Requirements.
- Ph.D. Course Descriptions.
- Ph.D. Dissertation / Thesis Requirements.
For more information about the program, contact Dr. Utpal Dutta, Chairperson of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, at 313-993-1040 or duttau@udmercy.edu.
The required co-op program in the Engineering department ensured I was employed with a full year of experience upon graduation.
—Leslie Zawada '98
President, Civil Engineering Solutions, Inc.
Why UDM?
At Detroit Mercy, Civil Engineering students use their skills to help real communities. In your senior capstone project, you’ll solve real problems for local partners — like one team who designed water treatment options for a nearby church.
You’ll gain paid work experience through our co-op program, earning up to $40 an hour (ZipRecruiter, 2025) while building your resume. By graduation, you’ll have the skills and experience employers want.
For additional experience, you can also join the American Society of Civil Engineers and compete in the Concrete Canoe Competition.
Detroit Mercy’s program gives you a global perspective and teaches you how to solve real-world problems in infrastructure, environment and design. You’ll also strengthen your communication, teamwork and leadership skills — the same ones employers look for when promoting future leaders.
Not sure which program is right for you?
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Compare Architectural with Civil Engineering
Civil and Architectural Engineers both work on the design of buildings. You can work in building design and construction with any of these degrees: Architecture, Architectural Engineering or Civil Engineering. All focus on different aspects of building design. Architects focus on comfort and aesthetics. Engineers focus on how to construct the structures. Both focus on economics and usefulness, but in different ways. Architectural Engineers do both.
Historically, Architecture and Structural Civil Engineering were the same field. Structures is a focal area within Civil Engineering that focuses on buildings and bridges. Architectural engineering is bringing together the architectural and engineering aspects of building design.
Civil Engineering:
Buildings or structures is only one area of Civil Engineering. Civil Engineering is very diverse. CE graduates can design water treatment facilities, dams, roads, transit systems and bridges in addition to buildings. If you liked your math and science courses in high school more than the other courses, then you may enjoy engineering more than architecture. You can focus within any of those areas of CE or take a general set of courses. (Learn more: Civil Engineering)
Architecture:
Architecture can be more than buildings. It can be designing and renovating spaces within buildings or working with community groups to create neighbor revitalization plans. If you least enjoyed math and science in high school, but enjoyed art and the other courses, then architecture may be your best fit. (Learn more: Architecture)
Architectural Engineering:
Architectural Engineering is for students who liked their math and science courses in high school, but also have a creative side. Detroit Mercy's program is unique because Architecture and Architectural Engineering take the same courses their first year. If you go into Architectural Engineering, you will also see what it is like to be an Architecture student. This will help you in deciding.
Within Architectural Engineering, there are three main areas: Structural, Mechanical & Electrical and Construction. If you like working outside, then think about managing construction. If you like doing calculations, but also visioning what buildings look like, then think about the structural area. If you want to create energy efficient designs then think about the mechanical & electrical area. You may focus in one of these areas or take a general set of courses. (Learn more: Architectural Engineering)
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Compare Environmental with Civil Engineering
Environmental Engineering students study how to design pollution control systems and determine how to clean up environmental problems. Alternatively, Civil Engineers learn about diverse areas of engineering. They design dams, roads, buildings and transit systems. In addition to traditional environmental areas such as water treatment facilities or landfills.
Environmental Engineers can sometimes become very specialized. At Detroit Mercy, Environmental Engineering students take many courses in Civil Engineering so that they have a very diverse background. This provides you more possibilities for career placement after graduation compared to other environmental engineering programs. If an environmental student wants to deeply specialize, then they can take graduate level courses in specific areas, such as water or ground/land pollution.
Not sure which path to follow? That's OK — the curriculum is similar during your freshman year. Your academic advisor can help you make that decision after you've taken some courses. Even seniors working on their final project can focus on a speciality or the whole scope.
Learn more about Environmental Engineering.
Accreditation
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BCE Accreditation
Bachelor of Civil Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.