up civil engineering

What is Civil Engineering?

One of the oldest engineering disciplines, civil engineering is the applied science of physics and mathematics to address the infrastructural needs of human civilization. This includes construction engineering, bridge engineering, highway engineering, and the basic maintenance of roads, canals, dams, and buildings. Throughout history have not only been key to advancing societies, but their work has produced some of our most enduring artifacts – take, for example, the Ancient Egyptian pyramids or the Roman aqueducts – both stand as enormous feats of civil engineering.

What is a Civil Engineer?

A civil engineer helps to design and build public works infrastructure including roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewerage systems, pipelines, buildings, and railways.

What do civil engineers do?

Beyond the study of structural engineering books, today most engineers work in offices designing structural plans that can withstand changes in our environment including earthquakes and hurricanes. engineers are also often responsible for the construction management of projects in the field.

In order to become a civil engineer, a four year degree or a degree in a related specialty with ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) certification is required. Civil engineering courses cover a wide variety of civil engineering subjects including mechanical engineering, mathematics, statistics, and geology.

With engineering programs online, you can register and learn more about engineering today.

Courses in Civil Engineering

With global warming and increasing changes to our environment, one of the chief concerns of  today is climate. You can learn more about environmental engineering by signing up for Delft University of Technology’s intermediate course, Introduction to Water and Climate. There you will learn about the latest engineering interventions for water resources management in rivers, coasts and the urban environment. You will also learn about water supply in places like California and other regions in the Untied States as a project manager, engineering manager, and a professional engineer.

If you are looking for something more introductory, TU Delft also offers Railway Engineering: an Integral Approach, which explores one of the 20th century’s greatest achievements in engineering, the railway system. Learn how railways work, how they evolved over time, and the global influence of trains from an urban, social and economic point of view.

With an array of online courses available, you can explore your interest and lay the foundation for an exciting career.

Jobs in Civil Engineering

According to the United States Bureau of Employment Statistics, the median income for engineers in 2016 was over $80,000 per year. According to the same report, employment opportunities for civil engineers is projected to grow by 11 percent from 2016 to 2026, exceeding the growth average for all occupations.

As infrastructure continues to age, civil engineering will be needed to manage construction projects to rebuild, repair, and upgrade bridges, roads, levees, dams, airports, buildings, and structures of all types, making civil engineering an in-demand and highly competitive field. One of the most in-demand fields today is geotechnical engineering with the ever changing climate and weather patterns today.

A search on Indeed.com yields over 17,000 search results, with more than 12,000 of those earning over $70,000 a year. Civil Engineers are needed in cities as diverse as New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Austin, TX.

Sign up for an online civil engineering course today and open up a world of possibilities!

Career in Civil Engineering

As climate changes and populations continue to grow along with the need to expand structures and transportation systems, water resources engineering will provide the key to human technological advancement, survival, and sustainability. Help set the agenda for the future and sign up for engineering courses today!