What Is ASCE and What Does Membership Offer Civil Engineers?

ASCE is the American Society of Civil Engineers, a professional society founded in 1852 that represents more than 150,000 members of the civil engineering profession across 177 countries. It is described as the nation's oldest engineering society. Membership is organized so that students, early-career engineers, and experienced professionals each have a defined path into the community, with benefits spanning local networking, technical groups, continuing education, and major industry events.

Who ASCE serves

ASCE structures its offerings around career stage rather than a single one-size-fits-all membership:

• Students — ASCE on campus provides mentorship connections, networking opportunities, and educational resources at no cost, according to the site.
• Early-career professionals — programming described as "for younger members, by younger members" focuses on skill-building and career advancement alongside peers and leaders.
• Experienced professionals — access to technical institutes, continuing education, and leadership credentials.

The society also notes a membership renewal push ("New RENEW Membership moves you forward faster"), which signals that membership is ongoing rather than a one-time purchase.

Core membership benefits

Local and technical communities

ASCE maintains a presence in "nearly every corner of the continent" through Regions, Sections, and Branches, so members can find a local group. For discipline-specific interests, Institutes and technical groups let members interact with colleagues who share their technical focus. ASCE Collaborate adds a virtual networking layer that works from anywhere in the world.

Continuing education and credentials

The site lists several education pathways:

• Expert-taught programs intended to help members fulfill licensure requirements, with over 55 years of programming
• An unlimited all-access pass for on-demand webinars
• PE civil exam prep
• ASCE seminar week
• Live and on-demand training
• Technical certificate programs across several disciplines, plus a new Leadership & Management certificate

If your goal is licensure or a specific technical credential, the certificate programs and PE exam prep are the most directly relevant items to check first.

Career and recognition resources

ASCE publishes a "top 10 best places to be a civil engineer," ranked on salary data, job availability, and cost of living — useful if you are weighing where to live and work. Recognition happens through events such as the OPAL Gala, held Oct. 15 in Reston, Virginia, to celebrate civil engineering's best.

Major events to know

ASCE2027: The Infrastructure and Engineering Experience is the inaugural edition of a new event format, scheduled for March 1–5, 2027, in Philadelphia. The site frames it as a new way to look at the future of engineering and infrastructure, with registration open.

How to decide whether to join

The site does not publish membership pricing on the pages reviewed here, so cost is not something you can assume from this material — check the membership page directly before deciding. The clearest starting points are the local Section for networking, the certificate programs if you want a credential, and ASCE2027 if you want the flagship event.