Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is the broadest of the engineering fields. Civil engineering focuses on the infrastructure of the world which include Water works, Sewers, Dams, Power Plants, Transmission Towers/Lines, Railroads, Highways, Bridges, Tunnels, Irrigation Canals, River Navigation, Shipping Canals, Traffic Control, Mass Transit, Airport Runways, Terminals, Industrial Plant Buildings, Skyscrapers, etc. Among the important subdivisions of the field are construction engineering, irrigation engineering, transportation engineering, soils and foundation engineering, geodetic engineering, hydraulic engineering, and coastal and ocean engineering.
Civil engineers build the world’s infrastructure. In doing so, they quietly shape the history of nations around the world. Most people can not imagine life without the many contributions of civil engineers to the public’s health, safety and standard of living. Only by exploring civil engineering’s influence in shaping the world we know today, can we creatively envision the progress of our tomorrows.
Civil Engineering is the oldest and quintessential engineering profession. It encompasses a
variety of sub-disciplines and jobs. The civil engineering curriculum at the University of
Colorado (CU) and most other U.S. universities emphasize the following major subdisciplines:
• Structural
• Environmental
• Water resources
• Geotechnical
• Construction
• Transportation Architectural engineering is often a related but separate degree (such as at CU).
• Surveying is
a skill used by many civil engineers, but there is a separate professional licensure for land
surveyors. Urban planning is an activity that uses skills from a variety of the civil
engineering sub disciplines.
Some interesting thoughts on civil engineering by Bugliarello (1994) include:
Civil engineering is “the modification of nature to create and improve human
habitats.” Civil engineers work toward an ideal that is “a standard of perfection,
beauty, or moral and physical excellence, especially as an aim of attainment or
realization.” Civil engineers strive to “match deep functionality with aesthetics in
every manifestation of the profession.” Engineers should be mindful that there is a
“moral compact between the engineer and world society.”
“Professional engineers should work for the welfare of the public. They are responsible for
observing societal needs, and often have the position and resources to improve society. As
professionals, engineers are expected to set examples in the work field and to establish
themselves as assets to society.”