by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 14 U.S. colleges awarded 122 degrees and certificates in Trasportation Engineering. Master’s degrees are the most popular award, at 78% of graduates. College Factual ranks 4 schools in its 2027 Best Trasportation Engineering Schools ranking and compares their cost in a Best Value ranking. Graduates earn a median $70,820 one year after completing, rising to $87,870 after four years.
Studying Trasportation Engineering covers Transportation And Highway Engineering. A Program That Prepares Individuals To Apply Mathematical And Scientific Principles To The Design, Development And Operational Evaluation Of Total Systems For The Physical Movement Of People, Materials And Information, Including General Network Design And Planning, Facilities Planning, Site Evaluation, Transportation Management Systems, Needs Projections And Analysis, And Analysis Of Costs.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
In the U.S., trasportation engineering is a widely-pursued major, with 122 degrees awarded annually. 14 colleges award trasportation engineering degrees, an average of 9 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 40.
By level, the 122 awards include 13 bachelor’s degrees, 95 master’s degrees and 14 doctorates.
Women earned 30% of trasportation engineering degrees and certificates in the latest year (36 of 122). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (43) and Asian (18), and international students earned 41.
College Factual ranks 4 schools in its 2027 Best Trasportation Engineering Schools ranking, including 4 for bachelor’s degrees, 2 for master’s degrees and 1 for doctorates. It also ranks trasportation engineering schools within 4 states. In all, 14 colleges offer trasportation engineering programs; compare them by degree level below or in the Best Value Trasportation Engineering Colleges ranking, which weighs quality against cost.
The most common trasportation engineering credential is the master’s degree: 95 of the 122 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to trasportation engineering call most for Speaking, Reading Comprehension and Active Listening, and for knowledge of Engineering and Technology, Design and Mathematics, according to O*NET. The most important abilities are Oral Expression, Written Comprehension and Oral Comprehension.
Top skills, rated 0–5:
Top knowledge areas, rated 0–5:
How long a trasportation engineering degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 13 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 95 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 14 |
Bachelor’s degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to trasportation engineering, at 37.3%.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 37.3% |
| Doctoral degree | 26.8% |
| Master’s degree | 12.7% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 8.6% |
| Post-doctoral training | 8.0% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2.2% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 2.1% |
| First professional degree | 1.3% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 0.7% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 0.2% |
Source: O*NET Online.
6 occupations are related to Trasportation Engineering, with an average median salary of $91,612; the strongest outlook belongs to Civil Engineers, at 11.7% projected job growth. Typical job titles include Manufacturing Engineering Professor, Environmental Engineering Professor, Chemical Engineering Teacher and Electrical Engineering Lecturer.
The occupation related to trasportation engineering with the most projected jobs is Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary, at 1,297,204.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,297,204 | -2.0% |
| Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers | 440,884 | 8.0% |
| Transportation Engineers | 392,941 | 1.1% |
| Water/Wastewater Engineers | 383,114 | 5.6% |
| Civil Engineers | 278,890 | 11.7% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 207,139 | 9.0% |
Trasportation Engineering graduates earn a median $70,820 one year after completing their program, $87,870 after four years and $88,477 after five years, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $70,820 |
| 4 years | $87,870 |
| 5 years | $88,477 |
Source: College Scorecard.
The highest-paying occupation related to trasportation engineering is Transportation Engineers, with a median salary of $120,210.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Transportation Engineers | $120,210 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $101,277 |
| Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers | $89,263 |
| Water/Wastewater Engineers | $86,573 |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | $79,889 |
| Civil Engineers | $72,457 |
Trasportation Engineering has 5 similar majors in the Engineering field, which together award 19,734 degrees a year; the largest are Civil Engineering, General (19,082), Structural Engineering (385) and Civil Engineering, Other (208). Browse all Engineering majors or the full list of college majors.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Civil Engineering, General | 19,082 |
| Structural Engineering | 385 |
| Civil Engineering, Other | 208 |
| Water Resources Engineering | 40 |
| Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering | 19 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
