Civil vs. Architectural Engineering (and How Both Differ From Architecture)

Civil and architectural engineering both deal with the built environment, and both are accredited under program criteria led by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The scope is different, though. Civil engineering covers infrastructure broadly, from structures and transportation to water and geotechnical work. Architectural engineering concentrates on buildings and the systems inside them. And neither one is architecture, which is a separately accredited and separately licensed profession. This guide sorts out the three and shows what you can study online.

Civil engineering in ABET's terms

ABET's civil engineering criteria are unusually specific. An accredited civil program must include mathematics through differential equations, probability and statistics, calculus-based physics, chemistry, and either computer science, data science or another basic science. Students apply engineering mechanics, materials science and numerical methods; apply principles of sustainability, risk and resilience; apply the design process in at least two civil engineering contexts; solve complex problems in at least four civil specialty areas; and conduct experiments in at least two contexts. The criteria also require explaining project management, engineering economics, and a civil engineer's professional responsibilities, "including licensure and safety."

The "four specialty areas" requirement is what gives civil engineering its breadth: a civil graduate has worked across several sub-disciplines rather than one.

Architectural engineering in ABET's terms

ABET's architectural engineering criteria (lead society ASCE, with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers cooperating) define four curriculum areas: building structures, building mechanical systems, building electrical systems, and construction/construction management. A program must reach the design level in one of these, the application level in a second, and the comprehension level in the other two. It must also cover basic concepts of architecture in the context of architectural design and history, and design work must fit within the overall architectural design and consider codes, standards, building performance and sustainability.

Penn State, which calls its program the oldest continuously accredited architectural engineering program in the United States, says it emphasizes the scientific and engineering aspects of planning, designing and constructing buildings.

How both differ from architecture

An architectural engineering degree is an engineering degree. Architecture is a different profession with its own accreditation and licensing path. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredits professional degree programs in architecture and describes its accreditation as the primary means by which those programs assure quality to students and the public. NCARB lays out the path to an architecture license as earning a degree (with NAAB-accredited programs as the reference point), gaining experience through its Architectural Experience Program (AXP), and passing the Architect Registration Examination (ARE), and it notes that each state has its own rules for practicing architecture.

So if your goal is to be a licensed architect, an architectural engineering or civil engineering degree is not the standard route. If your goal is to engineer the structural, mechanical or electrical systems of buildings, architectural engineering (or a building-focused civil path) is.

Licensure: separate exams, same state-based system

NCEES offers an FE Civil exam and reports architectural engineering graduates among examinees on the FE Other Disciplines exam. Its PE exam list includes a PE Architectural exam, five civil PE exams (Construction, Geotechnical, Structural, Transportation, and Water Resources and Environmental) and a separate Structural exam.

NCEES describes the most common path to a PE license as an EAC/ABET-accredited bachelor's degree, passing the FE and PE exams, and typically four years of acceptable experience, while noting that many states offer additional paths. Each state board sets its own requirements, and it is the board where you plan to practice, not your school, that decides. A master's degree does not automatically make up for a bachelor's the board does not accept. Our guide to engineering licensure and online degrees walks through the steps.

What you can study online

The online picture is lopsided. In our directory (October 2026), 37 programs list civil engineering as a major and only one lists architectural engineering (how we count). See civil engineering and architectural engineering.

Civil, bachelor's. Liberty University's online BS in Civil Engineering is 133 credits and states accreditation by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission. It is not entirely remote: two 2-credit intensives on the Lynchburg, Virginia campus provide hands-on training in material properties, fluid properties and surveying.

Civil, master's. Options vary in focus:

• Purdue's online MSCE requires 30 credit hours of coursework and prefers applicants with an engineering, physical sciences or related background.
• USC's MS in Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering) is delivered through DEN@Viterbi, and the listing states the program is completely online.
• The University of Washington's online MSCE in construction engineering requires 14 three-credit courses (42 credits) and an undergraduate degree in engineering.

Architectural, doctoral. The single architectural program in the directory is Capitol Technology University's PhD in Architectural Engineering, which begins in Fall 2026, is offered 100% online, and requires a minimum of 60 credit hours plus a dissertation that is presented and defended. Applicants need a master's degree in a relevant field and a resume showing at least 3–5 years of directly related work experience.

If you are interested in building systems at the master's level, look at civil programs with structural or construction tracks and read the course lists for building-related electives.

How to choose

• Civil engineering if you want breadth across infrastructure (structures, transportation, water, geotechnical, construction) and the widest selection of online programs.
• Architectural engineering if you want to specialize in buildings, especially their structural, mechanical and electrical systems, and are prepared for few online options.
• Architecture if you want to design buildings as a licensed architect; look for NAAB-accredited programs instead.
• For licensure, confirm that your bachelor's program is EAC/ABET-accredited for the delivery mode you choose, and check your own state board's rules early.