Famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge as well as mundane structures such as water mains, pipelines, and roads are all examples of civil engineering. If you enjoy solving problems and are looking for a career, or if you are simply curious about who builds all of the structures that make up our modern world, you’ll want to know more about what civil engineers are and what they do.
Civil Engineering Schools provide opportunities to study civil engineering at varying levels: Associate of Science (AS), Associate of Arts (AA), Bachelor of Science (BS), and Master of Science (MS), and doctorate (PhD) degrees.
Associate degrees in civil engineering can be found in vocational, trade, and technical schools for students that do not have previous experience in engineering. A high school diploma or GED is required. Students in vocational and technical Civil Engineering Schools should anticipate courses in fundamentals of engineering, math, physics, chemistry, structural design, surveying, and related engineering subjects. Associate degrees allow for entry-level positions in fields of Civil Engineering.
Civil engineering is the technical discipline responsible for most of the construction of buildings and infrastructure. They apply scientific and engineering principles to planning and designing structures of all kinds. In the field civil engineers are the project managers responsible for actual construction, cost control, and oversight of operations and maintenance. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more civil engineers than any other type, with 247,000 people employed in the field in the United States in 2007.
Degreed professionals in fields of civil engineering design and supervise construction of industrial and commercial buildings, bridges, tunnels, roads, dams, irrigation systems, and systems for moving water, sewage, oil, gas, and more. Designing and implementing projects requires the civil engineer to consider regulations set by local and federal governments, public impact, and potential environmental problems that a particular structure may encounter in its lifetime, such earthquakes and flooding.
Master and doctorate level courses in Civil Engineering Schools prepare students for supervisory positions on construction sites and administrative positions. Graduates of Civil Engineering Schools may become responsible for quality of materials, designs, and entire projects; estimations of time and costs of a project; and for completion of projects in a timely manner. Civil engineers must be prepared to meet challenges and solve problems of traffic, urban development, pollution, and community planning. Assignments may find civil engineers at computer work stations, in public hearings, or on a project sites. Good Civil Engineering Schools prepare students to anticipate all such challenges in the workplace.