Online Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree helps grad reach education destination

It wasn’t Matthew Moulton’s goal of developing and maintaining safer bridges for the state of Michigan that drove him to return to college for his master’s degree in civil engineering. It was a desire to complete a path he had started long ago.

“I wanted to get a master’s degree, even as an undergrad,” Moulton said. “With scheduling and financing, I decided not to do it immediately after graduation.”

Instead, in 2019, Moulton completed his bachelor’s in civil engineering and joined the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) as a bridge program engineer. But he couldn’t move past his desire for an advanced degree. He still wanted to learn more about his profession while building his career.

“As the pandemic was winding down, I realized that there were all these online programs now. I thought, ‘Maybe I could do something like that to get a master’s degree.’”

Moulton’s search for civil engineering master’s degree program started locally. The in-state programs he found were expensive. His mom suggested looking out of state. 

“That’s when I looked at Purdue,” Moulton said. 

Purdue University’s online Master of Science in Civil Engineering program, ranked No. 1 for Best Online Master’s in Civil Engineering Programs by U.S. News and World Report in 2026, offered Moulton an opportunity he could not find locally: a quality online education at a reasonable price. 

“I thought, ‘Wow, it has a higher rank. It’s more affordable than any of those in-state schools.’”

Around the same time, MDOT started its tuition assistance program. Suddenly, Moulton’s goal was within reach. While working on his master’s, he was promoted to big bridge management and scoping engineer, but Moulton continued his degree program because he still wanted to learn more about civil engineering.

“I have a better understanding of design,” Moulton said.  “I’m not super involved in bridge design, but I help plan projects. Being able to better understand the designers is helpful for my role in the project development process.”

The program’s online modality offered Moulton the opportunity to fit classes in whenever possible. 

“I was able to get the degree while still working full-time and taking advantage of my employer’s program to help pay for it,” Moulton said.

“Having everything  asynchronous was great. If I had free evenings after work, I could sit down and watch a lecture or do homework.  Or on the weekends. I didn’t have to plan it around anything. It worked out really well.” 

After completing his degree in 2025, Moulton said he appreciates the value of continuing education.  

“I got out of it what I wanted to get out of it: more experience in civil engineering topics, more details about what I learned in my undergrad,” Moulton said. “And I got to take some electives that I didn’t get in my undergrad. I took a plastics in infrastructure course. I never had any courses like that before. I would say it was a great program, and it was very flexible.”

For more information about Purdue’s online Master of Science in Civil Engineering, visit the program’s website.