What it’s about:
Civil engineering majors learn to apply the principles of science and math to facilities, both public and private, that are essential to industrialized society. Civil engineers work on building; on such largescale projects as bridges, dams, highways, environments control systems, and water purification systems; and on others structures in the urban and rural environments.
What the study of this major is like:
Civil engineering plan, analyze, design, and erect structures (such as buildings bridges) and systems (transportation, water supply). Civil engineering is often called “the people-serving profession” because many of its projects serve the public good. To tackle complex problems, civil engineers use principles of math and science, as well as their creativity. Civil engineering works are generally large-scale, one-of-a-kind projects, usefully requiring cooperation among professionals from a variety of disciplines.
Differences among civil engineering programs are minimal because of the requirement established by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) programs include a board range of courses in mathematics (especially calculus and differential equations); basic sciences (chemistry, physics, and possibly geology or biology); engineering sciences; engineering design; and the humanities and social sciences. In addition, programs may include courses in computer, English composition, speech, report writing, engineering economics, and statistics.
You can expect to take most professional courses during your last two years of study. In civil engineering field, you can concentrate in a number of areas. Some typical concentrations include the following:
Structural engineering.The planning and design of large structures, including bridges, buildings, towers, dams, offshore drilling, and exploration facilities.
Environment engineering.The planning and design of facilities for water purification; control of air and water pollution; solid water management; and disposal of hazardous materials.
Geotechnical engineering. The analysis and design of foundations and retaining walls; the development of excavation and construction techniques for tunnels, dams, and storage systems for hazardous materials.
Transportation engineering. The analysis and design of facilities for highways, airports, railways, aerospace systems, and pipelines,
Most courses are taught in lecture formate, but some have lab components. In most technical courses, you learn primarily by solving “story problems”: scenarios are described to the class, and you must determine which theories are applicable, which information is superfluous, which information is missing, and so on. Later course often have open-ended problems, possibly involving teamwork or research. Like all engineering majors, this one is very demanding. Because many of your courses build on one another, you need to keep up with your studies.
Career options and trends:
Consulting engineer*; city engineer or official at a state or federal agency (e.g., EPA, Department of Transportation)*; construction engineer; researcher in a government laboratory, forensic engineering firm, or university.
Civil Engineers often need a professional engineer’s (PE) license to practice. In some states, structural engineering (SE) has a separate licensure. Increasingly, a master’s degree is required for entry-level positions or advancement.
Since many civil engineering projects are large in scope, they create numerous jobs that last a long time. As a result, employment may remain strong for some time after an economic downturn. Thus, hiring trends in civil engineering may lag behind national trends.
Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors
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