Civil engineer
transportation systems, infrastructure | |
Description | |
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Competencies | Technical knowledge, management skills, mathematical analysis |
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructure that may have been neglected.
Civil engineering is one of the oldest engineering disciplines because it deals with constructed environment[1] including planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures, and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.[2]
The term "civil
In some places, a civil engineer may perform
Specialization
Civil engineers usually practice in a particular specialty, such as construction engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, land development, transportation engineering, hydraulic engineering, sanitary engineering, and environmental engineering. A civil engineer is concerned with determining the right design for these structures and looking after the construction process so that the longevity of these structures is guaranteed after completion. These structures should also be satisfactory for the public in terms of comfort.[7] Some civil engineers, particularly those working for government agencies, may practice across multiple specializations, particularly when involved in critical infrastructure development or maintenance.
Work environment
Civil engineers generally work in a variety of locations and conditions. Much of a civil engineer's work is dealing with non-engineers or others from different technical disciplines, so training should give skills preparing future civil engineers in organizational relationships between parties to projects, cost and time.[8] Many spend time outdoors at construction sites so that they can monitor operations or solve problems onsite.[2] The job is typically a blend of in-office and on-location work depending on the focus of each engineer. Most engineers work full-time.
Education and licensing
In most countries, a civil engineer will have graduated from a post-secondary school with a degree in civil engineering, which requires a strong background in
Belgium
In Belgium, Civil Engineer (abbreviated Ir.) (French: Ingénieur Civil, Dutch: Burgerlijk Ingenieur) is a legally protected title applicable to graduates of the five-year engineering course of one of the six universities and the Royal Military Academy. Their speciality can be all fields of engineering: civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, chemical, physics and even computer science.[9] This use of the title may cause confusion to the English speaker as the Belgian "civil" engineer can have a speciality other than civil engineering. In fact, Belgians use the adjective "civil" in the sense of "civilian", as opposed to military engineers.
The formation of the civil engineer has a strong
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2023) |
In
There is generally a slight difference between a Master of Science in Engineering degree and the Scandinavian civil engineer degree, the latter's programme having closer ties with the industry's demands. A civil engineer is the better-known of the two; still, the area of expertise remains obfuscated for most of the public. A noteworthy difference is the mandatory courses in mathematics and physics, regardless of the equivalent master's degree, e.g. computer science.
Although a "college engineer" (högskoleingenjör, diplomingenjör, or mellaningenjör in Swedish; høgskoleingeniør in Norwegian; diplomingeniør in Danish) is roughly equivalent to a
A Scandinavian civilingenjör will in international contexts commonly use the title of "Master of Science in Engineering" and will occasionally wear an engineering class ring. At the Norwegian Institute of Technology (now the Norwegian University of Science and Technology), the tradition with an NTH Ring goes back to 1914, before the Canadian iron ring.
In Norway, the title Sivilingeniør is no longer issued after 2007, and has been replaced with Master i teknologi. In the English translation of the diploma, the title will be "Master of Science", since "Master of Technology" is not an established title in the English-speaking world. The extra overlapping year of studies have also been abolished with this change to make Norwegian degrees more equal to their international counterparts.
Spain
In
Before the current situation, that is, before the implementation of Bologna Process in 2010, a degree in civil engineering in Spain could be obtained after three to six years of study and was divided into two main degrees. In the first case, the earned degree was called Ingeniero Técnico de Obras Públicas (ITOP), literally translated as "Public Works Engineer" obtained after three years of study and equivalent to a Bachelor of Civil Engineering. In the second case, the academic degree was called Ingeniero de Caminos, Canales y Puertos (often shortened to Ingeniero de Caminos or ICCP), that literally means "Highways, Canals and Harbors Engineer", though civil engineers in Spain practice in the same fields as civil engineers do elsewhere. This degree is equivalent to a Master of Civil Engineering and is obtained after five or six years of study depending on the school granting the title.
The first Spanish Civil Engineering School was the Escuela Especial de Ingenieros de Caminos y Canales (now called Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos), established in 1802 in Madrid, followed by the Escuela Especial de Ayudantes de Obras Públicas (now called Escuela Universitaria de Ingeniería Técnica de Obras Públicas de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), founded in 1854 in Madrid. Both schools now belong to the Technical University of Madrid.
In Spain, a civil engineer has the technical and legal ability to design projects of any branch, so any Spanish civil engineer can oversee projects about structures, buildings (except residential structures which are reserved for architects), foundations, hydraulics, the environment, transportation, urbanism, etc. Mechanical and Electrical engineering tasks are included under the Industrial engineering degree.
United Kingdom
A chartered civil engineer (known as certified or professional engineer in other countries) is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and has also passed membership exams. However a non-chartered civil engineer may be a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers or the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors. The description "Civil Engineer" is not restricted to members of any particular professional organisation although "Chartered Civil Engineer" is.
Eastern Europe
In many Eastern European countries, civil engineering does not exist as a distinct degree or profession [
United States
In the United States, civil engineers are typically employed by municipalities, construction firms, consulting engineering firms, architect/engineer firms, the military, state governments, and the federal government. Each state requires engineers who offer their services to the public to be licensed by the state.[10] Licensure is obtained by meeting specified education, examination, and work experience requirements. Specific requirements vary by state.
Typically licensed engineers must graduate from an
Professional associations
ASCE
The ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) represents more than 150,000 members of the civil engineering profession worldwide.[12] Official members of the ASCE must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited civil engineering program and be a licensed professional engineer or have five years responsible charge of engineering experience.[13] Most civil engineers join this organization to be updated of current news, projects, and methods (such as sustainability) related to civil engineering as well as contribute their expertise and knowledge to other civil engineers and students obtaining their civil engineering degree.
ICE
The ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) founded in 1818, represents, as of 2008, more than 80,000 members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Its commercial arm, Thomas Telford Ltd, provides training, recruitment, publishing and contract services.
CSCE
Founded in 1887, the CSCE (Canadian Society for Civil Engineering) represents members of the Canadian civil engineering profession. Official members of the CSCE must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited civil engineering program. Most civil engineers join this organization to be updated of current news, projects, and methods (such as sustainability) related to civil engineering; as well as contribute their expertise and knowledge to other civil engineers and students obtaining their civil engineering degree. Local sections frequently host events such as seminars, tours, and courses.
See also
- Canal engineer
- Construction engineering
- Critical infrastructure
- Environmental engineering
- Sanitary engineering
- Geotechnical engineering
- Glossary of civil engineering
- Hydraulic engineering
- List of civil engineers
- National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
- Professional engineer
- Structural engineer
- Structural engineering
- Transport engineering
- Urban planning
References
- ^ "What is Civil Engineering?". Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics: Columbia University. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Civil Engineers". BLS.gov. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2014. Archived from the original on 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
- ^ Mark Denny (2007). "Ingenium: Five Machines That Changed the World". p. 34. Johns Hopkins University Press.
- ISBN 978-0-312-02559-5.
- ^ "Sub-disciplines of Civil Engineering | Faculty of Engineering". Islamic University of Madinah: Faculty of Engineering. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- .
- ^ Jamal, Haseeb. "Importance of Civil Engineering and Application of Civil Engg. in the World". www.aboutcivil.org. Archived from the original on 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ISSN 0144-6193.
- ^ "Faculté des Sciences Appliquées – Ingénieur Civil" (in French). University of Liège. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ^ National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying; Licensure Archived 2012-11-01 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Civil Engineering Study.com; Requirements for Becoming a Civil Engineer Archived 2015-12-12 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved December 19, 2015.
- ^ "About ASCE". www.asce.org. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
- ^ About ASCE Archived 2010-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Media related to Civil engineers at Wikimedia Commons