Is MS in Civil Engineering Worth it if you are Already Earning Well in India?

Updated on: 06 Sep 2023

This post is a continuation of our series “Is it Worth Studying Abroad if you are Already Earning Well in India?” We’ve covered four master’s degrees till now to assess the worth of studying abroad in this series:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering 
• Computer Science 
• Material Science
• Engineering Management
• Electrical Engineering
• Biotechnology
• Aerospace Engineering
• Chemical Engineering

Swing by the linked blogs if those are the subjects of your choice. If studying in the best country for master's in Civil Engineering is your chosen path, then read on. 

Is it Financially Worth Studying MS in Civil Engineering Abroad?

The most critical aspect of studying abroad is the financial investment involved. Be it MS in the US or Germany or Canada or Australia, higher education abroad costs considerably. It thus makes sound sense to examine if opting for a master’s degree abroad will be a financially profitable endeavour or not. 

Though there are multiple ways to find the answer such as the scope of Civil Engineering in foreign countries and job opportunities after MS in Civil Engineering, the most suitable method is to calculate the future earnings in store. So to help you calculate, we have put our estimate future earnings tool to use to give you a detailed breakup of the estimated earnings after MS in Civil Engineering abroad.

The tool factors in a handful of assumptions like your tentative MS in Civil Engineering salary. Using the assumptions, it gives you three values:

• NPV, Net Present Value, is the discounted difference between cash flowing in and cash flowing out over a given period of an investment. The higher the NPV of a college, the more beneficial choice it is.
• IRR is the Internal Rate of Return. When comparing study destinations, the one with the higher IRR is preferable.
• The profit which is self-explanatory.

Based on the values, one can ascertain if it is a feasible decision to quit your job (or give up a job offer) in India in favour of studying M.S. in Civil Engineering abroad. For a better understanding of our tool, terms, and standard assumptions, we highly recommend reading this post.

Below you’ll find the four most popular overseas education destinations– US, Germany, Canada, and Australia. Under each target country, four college rank groups with three salary levels are discussed. Scroll to the country where you’re thinking of enrolling for MS, your present Indian salary and the rank range within which your preferred college falls.

Look at the corresponding NPV and profit values to decide if resigning from your current job in India for M.S. in Civil Engineering abroad is a logical move or not.

In case your exact salary doesn’t match with the given figures, scan for the closest option and then extrapolate or go to our Estimate Future Earnings Tool. It provides a more accurate picture of the benefits and risks involved in enrolling for masters in science in civil engineering abroad as per your exact salary.

United States

For the Current Salary of INR 5 Lakhs in India:

Verdict:  If you are earning INR 5 lakhs per year right now or have a job offer with a similar salary, the most beneficial option would be to study MS in Civil Engineering in the US. The significantly high NPVs and profits prove that such an investment will yield huge profits. Since the NPVs and profits for all the colleges are at par, the ranking of the college does not result in any variation in the profits, implying that the investment is financially viable for colleges of all rankings.  

For the Current Salary of INR 15 Lakhs in India:

Verdict: As the above table shows, the NPVs for all college ranks in the US is negative. We would, therefore, advise you to chuck out MS in IT in the US from your plans and to continue working in India instead. 

For the Current Salary of INR 25 Lakhs in India:

Verdict: Any person with a yearly salary of INR 25 lakhs would be much better off in their current job in India than even in the best place to study MS in Civil Engineering in the US. The steeply negative NPV implies you’ll save more by staying in India.

• MS 
• Civil Engineering 

First published date: 31 Oct 2019