Also called: Dam Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer (Dams)
Inspects and designs repairs for dams to make sure they won't fail and flood the towns below.
You climb inside a massive concrete dam's tunnels with a flashlight, checking for cracks and leaks, and read instruments that measure tiny movements. Back at the office, you model what would happen in a 1,000-year flood and design upgrades.
Estimate; senior civil engineers with this specialty earn above the civil engineer median.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in civil engineering, often a master's in geotechnical or water resources engineering, and a PE license.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). Civil engineers; thousands of US dams are rated high-hazard and aging.
Low risk for 10 years. AI and sensors watch dams around the clock; inspections, repair design and safety sign-off stay with licensed engineers.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Earth science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2051.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.