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Guide to College Majors in Engineering
--R. E. Hellmund
What is Civil Engineering?
Civil engineers design and supervise the construction of
infrastructure such as roads, buildings, tunnels, airports, dams,
bridges, and water supply and sewage systems. One of the oldest of
the engineering disciplines, civil engineering encompasses many
specialties, including structural, water resources, environmental,
construction, transportation and geotechnical engineering.
A
civil engineering degree program applies mathematics and
physical science to solve specific, real-world problems in commerce
and industry. A strong civil engineering program typically
emphasizes the practical use of geometry, trigonometry, and
calculus in conjunction with physics, material science, and
chemistry.
Online degree programs in civil engineering, primarily
available at the master's level, allow experienced students and
professionals to learn advanced theory.
Civil Engineering Career Trends
Civil engineers held about 256,000 jobs in 2006, with continual
job growth predicted. Firms providing engineering consulting
services, primarily developing designs for new construction
projects, employed a little over half of them. Almost a third of
the jobs were in federal, state, and local government agencies. The
construction and manufacturing industries accounted for most of the
remaining employment. Approximately 12,000 civil engineers were
self-employed, many as consultants.
Employment of civil engineers is expected to increase about as fast
as average through 2010. Due to general population growth and an
expanding economy, more civil engineers will be needed to design
and construct higher-capacity transportation, water supply,
pollution control systems, and large buildings and building
complexes. They will also be needed to repair or replace existing
roads, bridges, and other public structures. There may be
additional opportunities within non-civil engineering firms, such
as management consulting or computer services firms.
Employers are offering higher salaries and signing bonuses to
compete for graduates of civil engineering programs across the
country. UCLA civil engineering professor and chair Dr. Michael K.
Stenstrom says, "With the kind of employment picture being painted
at top universities across the country, civil engineering graduates
should be dancing in the streets. My overall feel is that it [the
employment outlook] is probably the best that I've seen in five or
six years."
Civil Engineering Career Education
Bachelor's Degrees in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is inherently an interdisciplinary field.
Often, students select courses in related application areas, such
as computer science, applied mathematics, urban and regional
planning, economics, chemistry and management. During their degree
programs, civil engineering majors learn to take a holistic
approach to solving problems. By blending creative use of math and
science with a psychological understanding of citizens' needs,
future civil engineers can continue to make breakthroughs in design
and efficiency.
To earn a
bachelor's degree in civil engineering, students complete
courses in mathematical and computational methods, as well as
courses geared more specifically toward the application of these
methods to real-world problems. Typically, the student completes
this curriculum within four to five years. Almost all entry-level
engineering jobs require a bachelor's degree.
Master's Degrees in Civil Engineering
The American Society of Civil
Engineers now recommends a master's degree in civil engineering
for career advancement. More than a third of engineering majors go
on to pursue a master's degree. An MS usually requires an
additional one to three years of study, depending on the program.
This additional degree may be earned after the student has
increased his or her skills in a specific area. Students may take a
wide range of flexible, individually tailored courses of
study.
Opportunities exist for interdepartmental and interdisciplinary
programs and research in conjunction with other departments such as
computer science, mechanical engineering, earth sciences, and
management science. Often, an MS program is designed to prepare
technically qualified engineers for responsible management roles in
the construction and operation of major civil engineering projects.
Online master's degrees in civil engineering are increasingly
popular among working engineers and their employers, as they allow
students to schedule their courses around their current work and
personal commitments.
PhD Degrees in Civil Engineering
PhD
degree programs in civil engineering dive most deeply into
theory and practice, through formal coursework and research
requirements. The PhD is a research degree involving creative,
extensive approaches to problem solving. Students interested in
teaching civil engineering at a university or conducting research
professionally are usually required to earn a PhD.
To reap the maximum benefit from a PhD program, it's recommended
that you choose a program in which the research specialties match
your own interests. Each student's program of study should be
arranged to suit his or her individual interest and previous
education.
Online Degree Programs in Civil Engineering
Designed for working adults, online degree programs combine the convenience of home study with the expertise of experienced faculty. Students interested in augmenting their bachelor's training can obtain an MS through participation in online coursework or in an individual project under the guidance of an instructor, as administered through video seminars, chat rooms, forums and so on. A graduate degree is highly recommended, particularly because the job duties of a civil engineer lend themselves to management positions that require it.
What can you do with a College Degree in Civil Engineering?
Career options for aspiring civil engineers
Civil engineers are employed primarily by government
departments, utilities, architectural firms, builders, and
engineering firms. There are also career options available in
education and consulting. Civil engineering is far from your
average desk job. Engineers are often on the move, working outdoors
at construction sites, sometimes in offices, and sometimes in
research labs.
Civil engineers work in all parts of the country, and some spend
their entire careers traveling and working on different projects.
About half of civil engineers work for public authorities. In the
private sector, civil engineers can work not only for traditional
engineering firms, but also for telecommunication businesses,
consulting firms, or even toy and athletic equipment manufacturers.
A variety of engineering specialties are open to qualified
graduates:
- Transportation engineers work with local and regional planning boards to identify areas of growth and development. They also look for opportunities to alleviate traffic snarls. Once they understand the needs of drivers in a region, they design plans and develop cost estimates for construction projects.
- Structural engineers work with architects and builders to assure that steel and other material used in construction projects exceeds the needs of a given project. With advances in technology and an abundance of creative new building materials, today's structural engineers work on a wider variety of projects than ever before.
- Geo-technical engineers help builders excavate underground projects and work with experts who manage challenging land renewal projects. When cities want to expand their underground mass transit systems, they call in geo-technical engineers to oversee the tunneling. As more developers erect skyscrapers and other large buildings in urban centers, geo-technical engineers assure that the bedrock can safely sustain the pressure of new structures and the people they will support.
- Hydraulic/Hydrology/Water Resource engineers redirect water to benefit residents and businesses in a community. They construct canals to speed up shipping while preserving the natural flow of wild fish through a region, and build dams that generate vital electricity while opening up potential new parcels of land for development. Some hydraulic engineers design pipelines that safely transfer fresh water to remote areas, allowing new communities to thrive.
- Wastewater engineers help improve both our environment and our economy by helping communities and businesses dispose of waste without polluting natural water sources. Until very recently, factories and refineries dumped their industrial waste into rivers and streams (some still do, though it's now illegal).Today, wastewater engineers develop sewage treatment plants that can remove waste products from water, returning pure water to streams and reservoirs.
- Environmental engineers are in astonishingly high demand as developed countries finally address the climate change crisis. Environmental engineers work closely with business leaders and government officials to institute new air pollution standards that reduce harmful emissions from factories without negatively impacting industrial output. Environmental engineers also examine the quality of our soil, ensuring that harmful toxins do not seep up through the ground and contaminate crops, animals, businesses and homes.
- Compliance officers work in both corporate and government settings to ensure that local and federal laws are observed in the construction, maintenance, and operation of all kinds of facilities. Compliance officers working in the private sector help their employers prepare for upcoming inspections by anticipating and eliminating sources of pollution or substandard construction. In-house compliance officers simulate visits from official inspectors, saving their companies significant amounts of money through their proactive approach.
- Construction managers use their engineering and leadership skills to ensure that building projects are completed on time and under budget. Construction managers must coordinate the efforts of teams of engineers and laborers to meet tight production schedules. They are often the most visible hub of connection between architects, developers, and construction specialists.
- Government and urban planning engineers often use a combination of skills and specialties to coordinate public works and private construction in their communities. Traditionally, government planning engineers forged relationships with state agencies that would provide funding or construction of major projects. Local planning engineers would help residents understand the potential environmental impact of new highways or infrastructure projects.
More recently, local governments across the country have
strengthened their internal planning systems and hired more
engineers. By creating comprehensive land development plans as part
of their long-range strategies, cities and towns can position
themselves to benefit from explosive growth without succumbing to
overwhelming demands on water systems or roads. When residents
manage engineering issues internally, they retain more control over
the shape and the scope of development in their communities.
Civil Engineering: Salary Information & Career Outlook
According to surveys conducted by the United States Department
of Labor, most civil engineers earn high salaries, ranging between
$50,000 and $85,000. Entry-level apprentice engineers and
compliance officers often earn over $40,000 within the first year
after completing their degree programs. As they gain experience and
add more projects to their portfolios, civil engineers working in
the private sector can quickly earn higher salaries. Private-sector
positions often require civil engineers to move around the country
to locations where development is booming.
While engineers working in the public sector do not always make as
much money as their corporate counterparts, they enjoy other perks.
Civil engineers working for government bureaus often enjoy
excellent benefits packages. In many cases, state employees can
receive full medical and dental coverage within the first few
months of employment. They often enjoy tuition reimbursement
benefits that allow them to continue their studies while still
earning a full-time income. Most importantly, they enjoy strong job
stability, without the fear of having to move to participate in
projects.
Professionals with master's
degrees and
PhDs in civil engineering earn significantly higher salaries
than do their colleagues holding only bachelor's degrees. Advanced
degrees offer professionals the opportunity to specialize, assuring
clients and employers that they bring the best credentials and
experience to any project.
Certification and Licensure
Anyone who provides engineering services to the public must be
licensed. Certification as a professional engineer requires a
degree from an accredited engineering program, four years of
relevant work experience, and successful completion of a state
examination in the fundamentals, principles and practice of
engineering.
The National Council of Examiners
for Engineering and Surveying also administers exams twice each
year in all 50 states to assist states with evaluating and
selecting licensed professional engineers. While it is not always
necessary to attain the Professional Engineering (PE) license to
practice engineering, this license is required to practice certain
government work or to review and approve designs, and some firms
require the license for someone to progress to an engineering
management position.
Civil Engineering Related Accredited Certifications:
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- American Academy of Water Resource Engineers (AAWRE)
- American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE)
- Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE)
- Online Degrees in Civil Engineering
- Online Degrees in Engineering Management
- Online Degrees in Environmental Engineering
