What is civil engineering?
Civil Engineering is a science and technology-based discipline which deals with the designing, construction and the maintenance of physical structures. These structures include anything from deceptively simple roads, canals, and dams to enormous skyscrapers and world wonders such as the Pyramids, The Great Wall, and more!! As one of the oldest disciplines in the world, civil engineering has come a long way since the dawn of civilization and mankind. Civil engineering was born the day mankind first started to construct houses and other large structures. Unlike today, the notion of an “architect” and civil engineer was one and the same in the old world. However, during the eighteenth century, the two disciplines were suddenly acknowledged as distinct and prestigious professions. Today, civil engineers play a vital part in planning and executing every aspect and detail of infrastructure in the modern world. From small suburban houses to booming skyscrapers in the New York City skyline, civil engineers play a role in all corners of society. Civil engineering itself has been sub-divided into many categories and specializations, like many other science-based disciplines.
Different sub-categories of civil engineering – What exactly is civil engineering?
Transportation engineering
The discipline involves the surveying, design, construct and maintenance of transportation mediums such as canals, roads, rail systems and the other components of mass transit.
Water Resources Engineering
Water Resource Engineers seek to optimize the best possible utilization of water resources.
Structural engineering
Structural engineers concern themselves with analyzing and designing the structure of bridges, tunnels, buildings and towers.
Environmental Engineering
One of the newest branch of engineering, environmental engineering deals primarily with the management of various wastes, which can be highly toxic and hazardous for human beings.
Geotechnical engineering
This branch of civil engineering is concerned with the study of geological factors in construction, such as tectonic plates and earthquakes.
Materials Engineering
This branch of civil engineering deals with the compositions and properties of the different materials which are used in the construction of various structures.
Surveying Engineering
One of the bases of civil engineering, this branch deals with surveying land that has been designated for use in future construction projects
Construction Engineering
Construction Engineering involves the final planning and the execution of various structures such as dams, tunnels, and other construction projects.
Coastal Engineering
This branch of engineering involves the study and the management of areas prone to water and flood damage
Urban or Municipal Engineering
This discipline involves the study and planning of the municipal structures such as roads, drains and other public facilities.
Civil engineering is related to all the aspects of the building and the maintenance of the various infrastructures. One of the oldest engineering disciplines in the world, civil engineering can trace its beginning to the dawn of the civilization, when mankind moved from living in the caves to the building the various structures and start living in them. In the olden days, civil engineering and the architecture were the two faces of the one profession. With the times, these two faces were gradually separated to become the different disciplines. Now, with the specialization of each profession, civil engineering has been further divided into different specializations depending upon the resource which is being utilized.
I hope this serves as a good primer FAQ for anyone interested in pursuing a career in civil engineering.
What is civil engineering and What do engineers do?
