Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Tyler

UT Tyler's civil engineering graduates earn nearly $68,000 in their first year—slightly below both the Texas median ($67,832) and national average ($69,574) for the program. Sitting at the 40th percentile among Texas civil engineering programs, this puts graduates about $7,000-$8,000 behind what peers earn at Texas A&M, UT Austin, or even UT Arlington. The 13% earnings growth to $76,702 by year four is solid and keeps pace with typical career progression for civil engineers, though it doesn't close the initial gap with top-tier programs.

The manageable debt load of $22,670 makes this worth considering despite the middle-of-the-pack earnings. That 0.34 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates can realistically pay off loans within a few years while building their careers. For a school with a 92% admission rate serving a substantial population of Pell grant recipients, these outcomes represent reasonable access to a stable engineering career without the burden of crushing debt.

The practical question: Would your child be better off at a flagship program? If they can get into Texas A&M or UT Austin, the $7,000-$8,000 premium in starting salary matters—that's real money annually. But UT Tyler delivers a working civil engineering degree at lower debt, which matters if your student needs an accessible entry point into the profession or wants to stay in East Texas.