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org

Civil engineering - Wikipedia

Authority control
25-32 minutes

A multi-level stack interchange, buildings, houses, and park in

Shanghai

, China.

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design,
construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works
such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewerage systems, pipelines, and railways.[1][2]
Civil engineering is traditionally broken into a number of sub-disciplines. It is considered the
second-oldest engineering discipline after military engineering,[3] and it is defined to distinguish
non-military engineering from military engineering.[4] Civil engineering takes place in the public
sector from municipal through to national governments, and in the private sector from individual
homeowners through to international companies.

History of the civil engineering profession[edit]

Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginnings of human existence. The earliest
practice of civil engineering may have commenced between 4000 and 2000 BC in ancient Egypt,
the Indus Valley Civilization, and Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq) when humans started to abandon a
nomadic existence, creating a need for the construction of shelter. During this time,
transportation became increasingly important leading to the development of the wheel and
sailing.

Until modern times there was no clear distinction between civil engineering and architecture, and
the term engineer and architect were mainly geographical variations referring to the same
occupation, and often used interchangeably.[5] The construction of pyramids in Egypt (circa
2700–2500 BC) were some of the first instances of large structure constructions. Other ancient
historic civil engineering constructions include the Qanat water management system (the oldest
is older than 3000 years and longer than 71 km,[6]) the Parthenon by Iktinos in Ancient Greece
(447–438 BC), the Appian Way by Roman engineers (c. 312 BC), the Great Wall of China by
General Meng T'ien under orders from Ch'in Emperor Shih Huang Ti (c. 220 BC)[7] and the
stupas constructed in ancient Sri Lanka like the Jetavanaramaya and the extensive irrigation
works in Anuradhapura. The Romans developed civil structures throughout their empire,
including especially aqueducts, insulae, harbors, bridges, dams and roads.
In the 18th century, the term civil engineering was coined to incorporate all things civilian as
opposed to military engineering.[4] The first self-proclaimed civil engineer was John Smeaton,
who constructed the Eddystone Lighthouse.[3][7] In 1771 Smeaton and some of his colleagues
formed the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers, a group of leaders of the profession who met
informally over dinner. Though there was evidence of some technical meetings, it was little more
than a social society.

In 1818 the Institution of Civil Engineers was founded in London,[8] and in 1820 the eminent
engineer Thomas Telford became its first president. The institution received a Royal Charter in
1828, formally recognising civil engineering as a profession. Its charter defined civil engineering
as:

the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man, as
the means of production and of traffic in states, both for external and internal trade, as applied in
the construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, canals, river navigation and docks for internal
intercourse and exchange, and in the construction of ports, harbours, moles, breakwaters and
lighthouses, and in the art of navigation by artificial power for the purposes of commerce, and in
the construction and application of machinery, and in the drainage of cities and towns.[9]

History of civil engineering education[edit]

The first private college to teach civil engineering in the United States was Norwich University,
founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge.[10] The first degree in civil engineering in the
United States was awarded by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1835.[11][12] The first such
degree to be awarded to a woman was granted by Cornell University to Nora Stanton Blatch in
1905.[13]

In the UK during the early 19th century, the division between civil engineering and military
engineering (served by the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich), coupled with the demands of
the Industrial Revolution, spawned new engineering education initiatives: the Class of Civil
Engineering and Mining was founded at King's College London in 1838, mainly as a response to
the growth of the railway system and the need for more qualified engineers, the private College
for Civil Engineers in Putney was established in 1839, and the UK's first Chair of Engineering
was established at the University of Glasgow in 1840.

History of civil engineering[edit]

Chichen Itza
was a large pre-Columbian city in Mexico built by the

Maya people

of the Post Classic. The northeast column temple also covers a

channel

that

funnels

all the rainwater from the complex some 40 metres (130 ft) away to a rejollada, a former

cenote

Civil engineering is the application of physical and scientific principles for solving the problems
of society, and its history is intricately linked to advances in understanding of physics and
mathematics throughout history. Because civil engineering is a wide-ranging profession,
including several specialized sub-disciplines, its history is linked to knowledge of structures,
materials science, geography, geology, soils, hydrology, environment, mechanics and other
fields.

Throughout ancient and medieval history most architectural design and construction was carried
out by artisans, such as stonemasons and carpenters, rising to the role of master builder.
Knowledge was retained in guilds and seldom supplanted by advances. Structures, roads and
infrastructure that existed were repetitive, and increases in scale were incremental.[14]

One of the earliest examples of a scientific approach to physical and mathematical problems
applicable to civil engineering is the work of Archimedes in the 3rd century BC, including
Archimedes Principle, which underpins our understanding of buoyancy, and practical solutions
such as Archimedes' screw. Brahmagupta, an Indian mathematician, used arithmetic in the 7th
century AD, based on Hindu-Arabic numerals, for excavation (volume) computations.[15]
The civil engineer[edit]
Education and licensure[edit]

Civil engineers typically possess an academic degree in civil engineering. The length of study is
three to five years, and the completed degree is designated as a bachelor of engineering, or a
bachelor of science in engineering. The curriculum generally includes classes in physics,
mathematics, project management, design and specific topics in civil engineering. After taking
basic courses in most sub-disciplines of civil engineering, they move onto specialize in one or
more sub-disciplines at advanced levels. While an undergraduate degree (BEng/BSc) normally
provides successful students with industry-accredited qualification, some academic institutions
offer post-graduate degrees (MEng/MSc), which allow students to further specialize in their
particular area of interest.[16]

In most countries, a bachelor's degree in engineering represents the first step towards
professional certification, and a professional body certifies the degree program. After completing
a certified degree program, the engineer must satisfy a range of requirements (including work
experience and exam requirements) before being certified. Once certified, the engineer is
designated as a professional engineer (in the United States, Canada and South Africa), a
chartered engineer (in most Commonwealth countries), a chartered professional engineer (in
Australia and New Zealand), or a European engineer (in most countries of the European Union).
There are international agreements between relevant professional bodies to allow engineers to
practice across national borders.

The benefits of certification vary depending upon location. For example, in the United States and
Canada, "only a licensed professional engineer may prepare, sign and seal, and submit
engineering plans and drawings to a public authority for approval, or seal engineering work for
public and private clients."[17] This requirement is enforced under provincial law such as the
Engineers Act in Quebec.[18]

No such legislation has been enacted in other countries including the United Kingdom. In
Australia, state licensing of engineers is limited to the state of Queensland. Almost all certifying
bodies maintain a code of ethics which all members must abide by.[19]
Engineers must obey contract law in their contractual relationships with other parties. In cases
where an engineer's work fails, he may be subject to the law of tort of negligence, and in extreme
cases, criminal charges.[20] An engineer's work must also comply with numerous other rules and
regulations such as building codes and environmental law.

Sub-disciplines[edit]

There are a number of sub-disciplines within the broad field of civil engineering. General civil
engineers work closely with surveyors and specialized civil engineers to design grading,
drainage, pavement, water supply, sewer service, dams, electric and communications supply.
General civil engineering is also referred to as site engineering, a branch of civil engineering that
primarily focuses on converting a tract of land from one usage to another. Site engineers spend
time visiting project sites, meeting with stakeholders, and preparing construction plans. Civil
engineers apply the principles of geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, environmental
engineering, transportation engineering and construction engineering to residential, commercial,
industrial and public works projects of all sizes and levels of construction.

Coastal engineering[edit]

Coastal engineering is concerned with managing coastal areas. In some jurisdictions, the terms
sea defense and coastal protection mean defense against flooding and erosion, respectively. The
term coastal defense is the more traditional term, but coastal management has become more
popular as the field has expanded to techniques that allow erosion to claim land.
Construction engineering[edit]

Construction engineering involves planning and execution, transportation of materials, site

development based on hydraulic, environmental, structural and geotechnical engineering. As
construction firms tend to have higher business risk than other types of civil engineering firms
do, construction engineers often engage in more business-like transactions, for example, drafting
and reviewing contracts, evaluating logistical operations, and monitoring prices of supplies.

Earthquake engineering[edit]

Earthquake engineering involves designing structures to withstand hazardous earthquake

exposures. Earthquake engineering is a sub-discipline of structural engineering. The main
objectives of earthquake engineering are[21] to understand interaction of structures on the shaky
ground; foresee the consequences of possible earthquakes; and design, construct and maintain
structures to perform at earthquake in compliance with building codes.

Environmental engineering[edit]

Environmental engineering is the contemporary term for sanitary engineering, though sanitary
engineering traditionally had not included much of the hazardous waste management and
environmental remediation work covered by environmental engineering. Public health
engineering and environmental health engineering are other terms being used.

Environmental engineering deals with treatment of chemical, biological, or thermal wastes,

purification of water and air, and remediation of contaminated sites after waste disposal or
accidental contamination. Among the topics covered by environmental engineering are pollutant
transport, water purification, waste water treatment, air pollution, solid waste treatment, and
hazardous waste management. Environmental engineers administer pollution reduction, green
engineering, and industrial ecology. Environmental engineers also compile information on
environmental consequences of proposed actions.

Forensic engineering[edit]

Forensic engineering is the investigation of materials, products, structures or components that

fail or do not operate or function as intended, causing personal injury or damage to property. The
consequences of failure are dealt with by the law of product liability. The field also deals with
retracing processes and procedures leading to accidents in operation of vehicles or machinery.
The subject is applied most commonly in civil law cases, although it may be of use in criminal
law cases. Generally the purpose of a Forensic engineering investigation is to locate cause or
causes of failure with a view to improve performance or life of a component, or to assist a court
in determining the facts of an accident. It can also involve investigation of intellectual property
claims, especially patents.

Geotechnical engineering[edit]

A phase diagram of soil indicating the weights and volumes of air, soil, water, and voids.

Geotechnical engineering studies rock and soil supporting civil engineering systems. Knowledge
from the field of soil science, materials science, mechanics, and hydraulics is applied to safely
and economically design foundations, retaining walls, and other structures. Environmental
efforts to protect groundwater and safely maintain landfills have spawned a new area of research
called geoenvironmental engineering.[22][23]

Identification of soil properties presents challenges to geotechnical engineers. Boundary

conditions are often well defined in other branches of civil engineering, but unlike steel or
concrete, the material properties and behavior of soil are difficult to predict due to its variability
and limitation on investigation. Furthermore, soil exhibits nonlinear (stress-dependent) strength,
stiffness, and dilatancy (volume change associated with application of shear stress), making
studying soil mechanics all the more difficult.[22] Geotechnical engineers frequently work with
professional geologists and soil scientists.[24]

Materials science and engineering[edit]

Materials science is closely related to civil engineering. It studies fundamental characteristics of

materials, and deals with ceramics such as concrete and mix asphalt concrete, strong metals such
as aluminum and steel, and thermosetting polymers including polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)
and carbon fibers.

Materials engineering involves protection and prevention (paints and finishes). Alloying
combines two types of metals to produce another metal with desired properties. It incorporates
elements of applied physics and chemistry. With recent media attention on nanoscience and
nanotechnology, materials engineering has been at the forefront of academic research. It is also
an important part of forensic engineering and failure analysis.
Structural engineering[edit]

Structural engineering is concerned with the structural design and structural analysis of
buildings, bridges, towers, flyovers (overpasses), tunnels, off shore structures like oil and gas
fields in the sea, aerostructure and other structures. This involves identifying the loads which act
upon a structure and the forces and stresses which arise within that structure due to those loads,
and then designing the structure to successfully support and resist those loads. The loads can be
self weight of the structures, other dead load, live loads, moving (wheel) load, wind load,
earthquake load, load from temperature change etc. The structural engineer must design
structures to be safe for their users and to successfully fulfill the function they are designed for
(to be serviceable). Due to the nature of some loading conditions, sub-disciplines within
structural engineering have emerged, including wind engineering and earthquake engineering.[25]

Design considerations will include strength, stiffness, and stability of the structure when
subjected to loads which may be static, such as furniture or self-weight, or dynamic, such as
wind, seismic, crowd or vehicle loads, or transitory, such as temporary construction loads or
impact. Other considerations include cost, constructability, safety, aesthetics and sustainability.

Surveying[edit]

Surveying is the process by which a surveyor measures certain dimensions that occur on or near
the surface of the Earth. Surveying equipment, such as levels and theodolites, are used for
accurate measurement of angular deviation, horizontal, vertical and slope distances. With
computerisation, electronic distance measurement (EDM), total stations, GPS surveying and
laser scanning have to a large extent supplanted traditional instruments. Data collected by survey
measurement is converted into a graphical representation of the Earth's surface in the form of a
map. This information is then used by civil engineers, contractors and realtors to design from,
build on, and trade, respectively. Elements of a structure must be sized and positioned in relation
to each other and to site boundaries and adjacent structures. Although surveying is a distinct
profession with separate qualifications and licensing arrangements, civil engineers are trained in
the basics of surveying and mapping, as well as geographic information systems. Surveyors also
lay out the routes of railways, tramway tracks, highways, roads, pipelines and streets as well as
position other infrastructure, such as harbors, before construction.

Land surveying

In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and most Commonwealth countries land
surveying is considered to be a separate and distinct profession. Land surveyors are not
considered to be engineers, and have their own professional associations and licensing
requirements. The services of a licensed land surveyor are generally required for boundary
surveys (to establish the boundaries of a parcel using its legal description) and subdivision plans
(a plot or map based on a survey of a parcel of land, with boundary lines drawn inside the larger
parcel to indicate the creation of new boundary lines and roads), both of which are generally
referred to as Cadastral surveying.

Construction surveying

Construction surveying is generally performed by specialised technicians. Unlike land surveyors,

the resulting plan does not have legal status. Construction surveyors perform the following tasks:

 Surveying existing conditions of the future work site, including topography, existing
buildings and infrastructure, and underground infrastructure when possible;
 "lay-out" or "setting-out": placing reference points and markers that will guide the
construction of new structures such as roads or buildings;
 Verifying the location of structures during construction;
 As-Built surveying: a survey conducted at the end of the construction project to verify
that the work authorized was completed to the specifications set on plans.

Transportation engineering[edit]
The engineering of this

roundabout

in

Bristol

, England, attempts to make traffic flow free-moving

Transportation engineering is concerned with moving people and goods efficiently, safely, and
in a manner conducive to a vibrant community. This involves specifying, designing,
constructing, and maintaining transportation infrastructure which includes streets, canals,
highways, rail systems, airports, ports, and mass transit. It includes areas such as transportation
design, transportation planning, traffic engineering, some aspects of urban engineering, queueing
theory, pavement engineering, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), and infrastructure
management.

Municipal or urban engineering[edit]

Municipal engineering is concerned with municipal infrastructure. This involves specifying,

designing, constructing, and maintaining streets, sidewalks, water supply networks, sewers, street
lighting, municipal solid waste management and disposal, storage depots for various bulk
materials used for maintenance and public works (salt, sand, etc.), public parks and cycling
infrastructure. In the case of underground utility networks, it may also include the civil portion
(conduits and access chambers) of the local distribution networks of electrical and
telecommunications services. It can also include the optimizing of waste collection and bus
service networks. Some of these disciplines overlap with other civil engineering specialties,
however municipal engineering focuses on the coordination of these infrastructure networks and
services, as they are often built simultaneously, and managed by the same municipal authority.
Municipal engineers may also design the site civil works for large buildings, industrial plants or
campuses (i.e. access roads, parking lots, potable water supply, treatment or pretreatment of
waste water, site drainage, etc.)

Water resources engineering[edit]

Water resources engineering is concerned with the collection and management of water (as a
natural resource). As a discipline it therefore combines elements of hydrology, environmental
science, meteorology, conservation, and resource management. This area of civil engineering
relates to the prediction and management of both the quality and the quantity of water in both
underground (aquifers) and above ground (lakes, rivers, and streams) resources. Water resource
engineers analyze and model very small to very large areas of the earth to predict the amount and
content of water as it flows into, through, or out of a facility. Although the actual design of the
facility may be left to other engineers.

Hydraulic engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water.
This area of civil engineering is intimately related to the design of pipelines, water supply
network, drainage facilities (including bridges, dams, channels, culverts, levees, storm sewers),
and canals. Hydraulic engineers design these facilities using the concepts of fluid pressure, fluid
statics, fluid dynamics, and hydraulics, among others.

Civil Engineering Systems[edit]

Civil engineering systems is a discipline that promotes the use of systems thinking to manage
complexity and change in civil engineering within its wider public context. It posits that the
proper development of civil engineering infrastructure requires a holistic, coherent understanding
of the relationships between all of the important factors that contribute to successful projects
while at the same time emphasising the importance of attention to technical detail. Its purpose is
to help integrate the entire civil engineering project life cycle from conception, through planning,
designing, making, operating to decommissioning.[26] [27]

Civil engineering associations[edit]

  American Society of Civil Engineers
 Canadian Society for Civil Engineering
 Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors
 Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
 Engineers Australia
 European Federation of National Engineering Associations
 International Federation of Consulting Engineers
 Indian Geotechnical Society
 Institution of Civil Engineers
 Institution of Structural Engineers
 Institute of Engineering (Nepal)
 International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE)
 Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh
 Institution of Engineers (India)
 Institution of Engineers of Ireland
 Institute of Transportation Engineers
 Pakistan Engineering Council
 Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers
 Transportation Research Board

See also[edit]
 Architectural engineering
 Civil engineering software
 Engineering drawing
 Glossary of civil engineering
 Index of civil engineering articles
 List of civil engineers
 List of engineering branches
 List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks
 Macro-engineering
 Railway engineering
 Site survey

References[edit]
1. ^ "History and Heritage of Civil Engineering". ASCE. Archived from the original on 16
February 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
2. ^ "What is Civil Engineering". Institution of Civil Engineers. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
3. ^ a b "What is Civil Engineering?". The Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. Archived
from the original on 12 August 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
4. ^ a b "Civil engineering". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
5. ^ The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance Jacob Burckhardt ISBN 0-8052-1082-2
6. ^ p. 4 of Mays, L. (30 August 2010). Ancient Water Technologies. Springer. ISBN 978-
90-481-8631-0.
7. ^ a b Oakes, William C.; Leone, Les L.; Gunn, Craig J. (2001). Engineering Your Future.
Great Lakes Press. ISBN 1-881018-57-1.
8. ^ "Our history". Institution of Civil Engineers. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
9. ^ "Institution of Civil Engineers' website". Retrieved 26 December 2007.
10. ^ "Norwich University Legacy Website"
11. ^ Griggs, Francis E Jr. "Amos Eaton was Right!". Journal of Professional Issues in
Engineering Education and Practice, Vol. 123, No. 1, January 1997, pp. 30–34.
12. ^ RPI Timeline
13. ^ "Nora Stanton Blatch Barney". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 8 October
2010.
14. ^ Victor E. Saouma. "Lecture Notes in Structural Engineering" (PDF). University of
Colorado. Retrieved 2 November 2007.
15. ^ Henry Thomas Colebrook, Algebra: with Arithmetic and mensuration (London 1817)
16. ^ ,"Cite Postgrad". Archived from the original on 2008-11-06.
17. ^ "Why Should You Get Licensed?". National Society of Professional Engineers.
Archived from the original on 4 June 2005. Retrieved 11 August 2007.
18. ^ "Engineers Act". Quebec Statutes and Regulations (CanLII). Archived from the
original on 5 October 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2007.
19. ^ "Ethics Codes and Guidelines". Online Ethics Center. Retrieved 11 August 2007.
20. ^ "Singapore's Circle Line criminal trial started". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 16
November 2013.
21. ^ Chen W-F, Scawthorn C. Earthquake Engineering Handbook, CRC Press, 2003,
ISBN 0-8493-0068-1, Chapter 2
22. ^ a b Mitchell, James Kenneth (1993), Fundamentals of Soil Behavior (2nd ed.), John
Wiley and Sons, pp 1–2
23. ^ Shroff, Arvind V.; Shah, Dhananjay L. (2003), Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical
Engineering, Taylor & Francis, 2003, pp 1–2
24. ^ "Geotechnical/Geological Engineering" (PDF). Professional Careers in the Mineral
Industry. The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
25. ^ Narayanan, R, A Beeby. Introduction to Design for Civil Engineers. London: Spon,
2003.
26. ^ Samuel Labi Introduction to Civil Engineering Systems: A Systems Perspective to the
Development of Civil Engineering Facilities 2014, John WileyISBN 978-0-470-53063-4
Retrieved May 2018
27. ^ David Blockley and Patrick Godfrey Doing it Differently: Systems for Rethinking
Infrastructure (2nd Edition) ICE Publications, London ISBN 978-0727760821"
Retrieved May 2018
Further reading[edit]
 W . F . Chen and J . Y . Richard Liew, eds. (2002). The Civil Engineering Handbook.
CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-0958-8.
 Jonathan T. Ricketts, M. Kent Loftin, Frederick S. Merritt, eds. (2004). Standard
handbook for civil engineers (5 ed.). McGraw Hill. ISBN 0071364730.
 Muir Wood, David (2012). Civil Engineering: a very short introduction. New York:
Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-957863-4.
 Blockley, David (2014). Structural Engineering: a very short introduction. New York:
Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-967193-9.

External links[edit]
 The Institution of Civil Engineers
 Civil Engineering Software Database
 The Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors
 Civil engineering classes, from MIT OpenCourseWare
targetjobs.co.uk

Civil engineer: job description |

TARGETjobs
4-6 minutes

What does a civil engineer do? Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills

Civil engineers create, improve and protect the environment in which we live. They plan, design
and oversee construction and maintenance of building structures and infrastructure, such as
roads, railways, airports, bridges, harbours, dams, irrigation projects, power plants, and water
and sewerage systems. They also design and build tall buildings and large structures that can
withstand all weather conditions.

Generally, civil engineers fall into two types: consulting engineers and contracting engineers.
Consultants are responsible for the design work of projects and work predominantly in an office.
Contractors then take the designs and implement them during construction. Contractors work on
site, managing the construction of the structure.

Depending on whether you are a contractor or a consultant, work activities can include:

 undertaking technical and feasibility studies including site investigations

 using a range of computer software for developing detailed designs
 undertaking complex calculations
 liaising with clients and a variety of professionals including architects and subcontractors
 compiling job specs and supervising tendering procedures
 resolving design and development problems
 managing budgets and project resources
 scheduling material and equipment purchases and deliveries
 making sure the project complies with legal requirements, especially health and safety
 assessing the sustainability and environmental impact of projects
 ensuring projects run smoothly and structures are completed within budget and on time

Working hours for consulting civil engineers are generally normal office hours, with some extra
hours and weekend work close to project deadlines. Contractors, on the other hand, often work
shifts and weekends and are outside in all weathers.

Typical employers of civil engineers

 Construction companies (both consultants and contractors)

 Local authorities and government departments
 Rail companies
  Utility companies

Civil engineers often specialise in a particular types of project or discipline, such as

coastal/marine, power, water and transport. Find out more about the key disciplines and
specialisms within civil engineering here. Graduates will often apply directly to a scheme in one
of these areas.

Qualifications and training required

There are routes into a career in civil engineering for both university graduates and school
leavers. To find out about how you can get into this career via a school leaver route (eg an
apprenticeship or school leaver training programme) see the construction and property sector of
TARGETcareers, our website aimed at school leavers, and particularly our article on civil and
structural engineering careers.

Graduates will need a degree in civil engineering accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers
(ICE). You are then expected to work towards one of two professionally recognised
qualifications with the ICE. If you have completed a BEng, you can gain an incorporated
engineer (IEng) status. If you completed either an MEng or a BEng plus a masters, you can
acquire chartered engineer (CEng) status. Both titles will help career prospects, but chartered
engineers are often more sought after by employers. For more information, see our article on
achieving chartered status.

If you are applying for a graduate role within civil engineering, it will greatly help your career
prospects if you have gained work experience during a year-in-industry or summer placement.
Some employers offer sponsorship and a job offer to students who have impressed them during
work experience.

Key skills for civil engineers

Employers seek graduates who are commercially aware and capable of working well within a
team environment. Other key skills include:

 sound mathematical, scientific and IT skills

 the ability to think methodically and to manage projects
 problem-solving skills
 ability to work to deadlines and within budgets
 ability to maintain an overview of entire projects while continuing to attend to detailed
technicalities
 excellent verbal and written communication skills
 negotiating, supervisory and leadership skills
 complete knowledge of relevant legislation

Next: search graduate jobs and internships

 View our graduate civil engineering vacancies and internships