Construction Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington

First-year earnings of $72,613 put this program right at the median for Texas construction engineering degrees, though it trails the national benchmark by about $3,400. That's not a red flag—it reflects regional market differences more than program quality. At UTA, you're getting middle-of-the-pack outcomes for Texas but landing below where top construction engineering programs place nationally. The estimated $25,314 in debt (based on comparable programs at similar institutions) translates to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.35, which is manageable in an engineering field where employers actively recruit.

What matters more is the trajectory. Construction engineering degrees typically lead to project management and field supervision roles where mid-career earnings climb substantially. The first-year number represents your starting point as an assistant project engineer or field engineer, not your ceiling. UTA's accessible admission profile (81% acceptance rate) means students aren't competing with peers who had extensive AP coursework or stratospheric test scores, yet they're still reaching solid engineering salaries immediately after graduation.

The limited graduate sample that led to debt suppression suggests this is a smaller program, which could mean more faculty attention but fewer alumni connections in Texas construction firms. If your child is committed to construction management or wants to work for general contractors in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, these estimated outcomes suggest reasonable value—just verify the actual debt through UTA's financial aid office before committing.