(Program of study no longer offered as of Fall 2022)
The Civil Engineering Technology curriculum trains future technicians to help make our community a better place. Civil Engineering Technicians ensure clean rivers and streams, design efficient and sustainable buildings (often retrofitting old ones), improve safety on roads to help reduce accidents, develop mass transit alternatives, ensure safe drinking water, preserve natural ecosystems for wildlife, and design infrastructure that saves lives.
Coursework includes the development of skills required such as low-impact design, materials testing, estimating, sustainability, project management, stormwater management, environmental technology, and surveying. Additional coursework will cover the operation of computers and application software including computer-aided drafting. Day and evening classes are available.
Civil Engineering graduates are typically employed as civil engineering technicians with private contractors, design firms, construction companies, state agencies or local municipalities, project managers or superintendents, inspectors, or estimators. Graduates may also transfer to universities to complete a bachelor's degree.
The American Society of Civil Engineers produced this video to show how civil engineering improves lives and communities.
A recent graduate talks about her experience at A-B Tech here.
Career Opportunities
A.A.S. Degree
2016 Median Salary in North Carolina: $49,980/yr
Civil Engineering Technician
(Source: U.S. Department of Labor, 2018)
Good to Know
- Choose your credential:
- Civil Engineering Technology A.A.S. Degree
- Apply to A-B Tech online at Admissions Overview.
- Apply for the Civil Engineering Technology Program in person at the Bailey Building, Asheville Main Campus.
Problem-solving is an important area of study for Civil Engineering. Like all types of engineering, civil engineering is about solving problems. The engineer is presented with a problem and expected to find a solution for it. Whether that problem is spanning a river, stopping coastal erosion, providing water for farmers in arid climates, or preventing a building from falling in an earthquake, everything a civil engineer does is problem-solving.
Technical drawing is another important skill for civil engineers. The solution to every problem must be drawn in order to share that solution with others. Technical drafting, whether done with a pencil and ruler or on a computer with a CAD (computer-aided drafting) program is essential to the Civil Engineer.
Computer science is also an important area of study for civil engineering students. Today, the engineer has given up his slide rule and drafting table for computers. Not only is this more efficient, but things can be done in a computer drawing that can’t be done well on paper.
Dana Moore
Interim Dean, Engineering, Transportation & Technology
- Phone: (828) 398-7121
- Email: danabmoore@abtech.edu