Civil engineering is arguably the oldest engineering discipline. It deals with the built environment and can be dated to the first time someone placed a roof over his or her head or laid a tree trunk across a river to make it easier to get across.
The built environment encompasses much of what defines modern civilization. Buildings and bridges are often the first constructions that come to mind, as they are the most conspicuous creations of structural engineering, one of civil engineering's major sub-disciplines. Roads, railroads, subway systems, and airports are designed by transportation engineers, another category of civil engineering. And then there are the less visible creations of civil engineers. Every time you open a water faucet, you expect water to come out, without thinking that civil engineers made it possible. New York City has one of the world’s most impressive water supply systems, receiving billions of gallons of high-quality water from the Catskills over one hundred miles away. Similarly, not many people seem to worry about what happens to the water after it has served its purposes. The old civil engineering discipline of sanitary engineering has evolved into modern environmental engineering of such significance that most academic departments have changed their names to civil and environmental engineering.
These few examples illustrate that civil engineers do a lot more than design buildings and bridges. They can be found in the aerospace industry, designing jetliners and space stations; in the automotive industry, perfecting the load-carrying capacity of a chassis and improving the crashworthiness of bumpers and doors; and they can be found in the ship building industry, the power industry, and many other industries wherever constructed facilities are involved. And they plan and oversee the construction of these facilities as construction managers.
Civil engineering is an exciting profession because at the end of the day you can see the results of your work, whether this is a completed bridge, a high-rise building, a subway station, or a hydroelectric dam.
Civil engineers work on construction, renovation, and rebuilding projects. They often work alongside architects, technologists, and other industry professionals. Engineers may alternate time between working in an office and visiting sites. Duties may range from reviewing government regulations and city ordinances to designing highways.
Educational Requirements for Civil Engineers
A bachelor's degree from an accredited program is the minimum requirement for most civil engineering jobs. Aspiringcivil engineersmay look to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) for a list of approved programs (www.abet.org). High school students may consider advanced courses in mathematics, such as calculus and trigonometry to prepare for college.
Core Courses
Aspiring civil engineers generally begin their college careers by enrolling in chemistry, physics, and advanced mathematics courses. Some programs may include classes incomputer-aided design(CAD) as part of the core requirements. Additionally, students may take courses in engineering statistics in order to develop their computational skills. Pre-major courses may also cover fundamental engineering principles and concepts.
Major Requirements
After completing core course requirements, civil engineering students delve into advanced topics, such as thermodynamics and structural analysis. Courses may include the completion of a design project, in which students assess structural integrity of materials. This may require the use of CAD programs to test their designs.
Most programs generally require students to complete laboratory courses in which they analyze substances ranging from soil to concrete. These courses help students identify basic properties of materials, as well as potential problems from using them.
Civil engineers design, construct, supervise, operate, and maintain large construction projects and systems, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment. Many civil engineers work in design, construction, research, and education.
Duties
Civil engineers typically do the following:
Analyze survey reports, maps, and other data to plan projects
Consider construction costs, government regulations, potential environmental hazards, and other factors in planning stages and risk analysis
Compile and submit permit applications to local, state, and federal agencies verifying that projects comply with various regulations
Perform or oversee soil testing to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations
Test building materials, such as concrete, asphalt, or steel, for use in particular projects
Provide cost estimates for materials, equipment, or labor to determine a project's economic feasibility
Use design software to plan and design transportation systems, hydraulic systems, and structures in line with industry and government standards
Perform or oversee, surveying operations to establish reference points, grades, and elevations to guide construction
Present their findings to the public on topics such as bid proposals, environmental impact statements, or property descriptions
Manage the repair, maintenance, and replacement of public and private infrastructure
Many civil engineers hold supervisory or administrative positions ranging from supervisor of a construction site to city engineer. Others work in design, construction, research, and teaching. Civil engineers work with others on projects and may be assisted bycivil engineering techniciansLinks to an external site..
The federal government employs civil engineers to do many of the same things done in private industry, except that the federally employed civil engineers may also inspect projects to be sure that they comply with regulations.
Civil engineers work on complex projects, so they usually specialize in one of several areas.
Construction engineersmanage construction projects, ensuring that they are scheduled and built in accordance with the plans and specifications. They are typically responsible for design and safety of temporary structures used during construction.
Geotechnical engineerswork to make sure that foundations are solid. They focus on how structures built by civil engineers, such as buildings and tunnels, interact with the earth (including soil and rock). In addition, they design and plan for slopes, retaining walls, and tunnels.
Structural engineersdesign and assess major projects, such as buildings, bridges, or dams, to ensure their strength and durability.
Transportation engineersplan, design, operate, and maintain everyday systems, such as streets and highways, but they also plan larger projects, such as airports, ports, mass transit systems, and harbors.
Work Environment
Civil engineers held about 272,900 jobs in 2012. Civil engineers generally work indoors in offices. However, they sometimes spend time outdoors at construction sites so they can monitor operations or solve problems at the site. Occasionally, civil engineers travel abroad to work on large engineering projects in other countries.
The industries that employed the most civil engineers in 2012 were:
Architectural, engineering, and related services
50%
State government, excluding education and hospitals
13
Local government, excluding education and hospitals
11
Nonresidential building construction
5
Federal government, excluding postal service
4
Work Schedules
Civil engineers typically work full time, and about 1 in 4 worked more than 40 hours per week in 2012. Engineers who direct projects may need to work extra hours to monitor progress of the overall projects, to ensure that the design meets requirements, and to ensure that deadlines are met.
How to Become One
Civil engineers need a bachelor's degree. They typically need a graduate degree and licensure for promotion to senior positions. Though licensure requirements vary within the U.S., civil engineers must usually be licensed in the locations where they provide services publicly.
Education
Civil engineers must first complete a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or one of its specialties. A program accredited byABETLinks to an external site.is needed in order to gain licensure, which is required to work as a professional engineer (PE). In many states, a bachelor's degree in civil engineering technology will also suffice as an academic requirement for obtaining a license.
Bachelor's degree programs in civil engineering or civil engineering technology include coursework in math, statistics, engineering mechanics and systems, and fluid dynamics, among other courses, depending on the specialty. Courses include a mix of traditional classroom learning, work in a laboratory, and fieldwork.
More than one of every five civil engineers has a master's degree. Further education after the bachelor's degree is helpful in getting a job as a manager, along with the PE license and previous experience. For more information on engineering managers, see the profile onarchitectural and engineering managersLinks to an external site..
Important Qualities
Decision-making skills.Civil engineers often balance multiple and frequently conflicting objectives, such as determining the feasibility of plans with regard to financial costs and safety concerns. Urban and regional planners often look to civil engineers for advice on these issues.
Math skills.Civil engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
Organizational skills.Only licensed civil engineers can sign the design documents for infrastructure projects. This makes it imperative that civil engineers be able to monitor and evaluate the work at the job site as a project progresses to assure compliance with design documents.
Problem-solving skills.Civil engineers work at the highest level of planning, design, construction, and operation of multi-faceted projects or research with many variables that require the ability to evaluate and resolve complex problems.
Writing skills.Civil engineers must be able to communicate with other professionals, such as architects, landscape architects, and urban and regional planners. This means that civil engineers must be able to write reports clearly so that people without an engineering background can follow.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Civil engineers who sell their own services publicly must be licensed in all states and the District of Columbia. A license is required to exercise direct control of a project and to supervise other civil engineers andcivil engineering techniciansLinks to an external site.. A degree from anABETLinks to an external site.-accredited program in civil engineering or civil engineering technology is generally required to obtain a license.
Early in the licensing process, a civil engineer must take and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination. After passing this exam and meeting a particular state's requirements, an engineer then becomes a Civil Engineering (CE) Intern or an Engineer-in-Training (EIT). Afterward, depending on the state, civil engineers must have a minimum of experience, pass more exams, and satisfy other requirements to qualify as a CE Professional. Each state's licensure board for professional engineers, which can be found through thesestate societies of professional engineersLinks to an external site., can give further details.
Advancement
Civil engineers with ample experience may move into senior positions, such as project managers or functional managers of design, construction, operation, or maintenance. However, they would first need to obtain the Professional Engineering (PE) license, because only licensed engineers can assume responsibilities for public projects.
After gaining licensure, credentialing that attests to a Professional Engineer's expertise in a civil engineering specialty may be of help for advancement to senior technical or even managerial positions.
Pay
The median annual wage for civil engineers was $79,340 in May 2012. The median wage is the wage at which half of the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $51,280, and the top 10 percent earned more than $122,020.
In May 2012, the median annual wages for civil engineers in the top five industries in which these engineers worked were as follows:
Federal government, excluding postal service
$89,440
Local government, excluding education and hospitals
83,670
Architectural, engineering, and related services
79,470
State government, excluding education and hospitals
74,180
Nonresidential building construction
73,740
Civil engineers typically work full time, and about 1 in 4 worked more than 40 hours per week in 2012. Engineers who direct projects may need to work extra hours to monitor progress of the overall projects, to ensure that the design meets requirements, and to ensure that deadlines are met.
Job Outlook
Employment of civil engineers is projected to grow 20 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. As infrastructure continues to age, civil engineers will be needed to manage projects to rebuild bridges, repair roads, and upgrade levees and dams.
Moreover, a growing population means that new water systems will be required while the aging, existing water systems must be maintained to reduce or eliminate leaks of drinkable water. In addition, more waste treatment plants will be needed to help clean the nation's waterways. Civil engineers play a key part in all of this work.
The work of civil engineers will be needed for renewable energy projects. Civil engineers prepare the permit documents for these types of projects, verifying that the project will comply with federal, state, and local requirements. With regard to solar energy, these engineers conduct structural analyses for large-scale photovoltaic projects. They also evaluate the ability of solar array support structures and buildings to tolerate stresses from wind, seismic activity, and other sources. For large-scale wind projects, civil engineers often prepare road beds to handle large trucks that haul in the turbines. In addition, they prepare the sites on shore or offshore to make sure that the foundations for the turbines will safely keep the turbines upright in expected environmental conditions.
Although states continue to face financial challenges and may have difficulty funding all the projects that need attention, some of the projects that have been delayed will ultimately have to be completed in order to build and maintain critical infrastructure.
Job Prospects
Although a bachelor's degree is the typical requirement for entry, applicants who gain experience by participating in a co-op program while in college will have the best opportunities.
Employment projections data for Civil Engineers, 2012-22
Occupational Title
Employment, 2012
Projected Employment, 2022
Change, 2012-22
Percent
Numeric
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
Civil engineers
272,900
326,600
20
53,700
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