Career prospects

Civil engineers are equally concerned with the expansion and maintenance of infrastructure and the protection of natural resources. As structural engineers, they design imposing high-rise buildings and long-span bridges together with architects.

As employees of construction companies, they are responsible not only for ensuring that construction projects are completed on schedule, on budget and to the required quality standards, but also for ensuring that buildings are operated economically. Other focal points are the supply of drinking water to the population, the purification of wastewater and the environmentally compatible treatment of waste. In this context, civil engineers are responsible for the planning, execution and operation of facilities to protect and keep the environment clean. Other areas of responsibility include flood protection and the maintenance of natural bodies of water. Transportation deals with the causes and volume of passenger and freight traffic and, based on this, with the transportation infrastructure for the road, rail, water and air modes of transport.

Graduates in civil engineering are still in high demand. In addition to the traditional construction industry, engineering companies in the fields of water and waste management, for example, are looking for Master's graduates for the structural management of infrastructure and technical facilities (as of 2019).

1.5 years after graduation, graduates of civil engineering at the University of Kassel are predominantly employed in the construction industry (42-58%) or in engineering offices (8-18%). More than 40% of the bachelor graduates work in construction planning and management.

Compared to bachelor graduates in other STEM fields, such as environmental engineering, bachelor graduates in civil engineering benefit from higher starting salaries (on average approx. 3200 € gross), better employment conditions (71% have a permanent employment contract) and more realistic chances (22%) for a management position.
Despite these good conditions for a direct career entry after the bachelor's degree, a majority of 65% of the students at the University of Kassel still completes the corresponding master's degree to specialize in a certain content area.