Department of Civil Engineering

Scope of Civil Engineering

Considering the earlier pictures, it’s evident that the average number of civil engineers graduating each year wasn’t equivalent to computer science engineers. But as the technology is growing and the need for innovation in construction has gone from negligible to whoppingly high, the demand for qualified and skilled civil engineers has skyrocketed. 

Besides, students are more aware of the lucrative job opportunities one can get in this sector, from both the government and private sector.

All in all, civil engineering is one of those engineering core branches that is flourishing each day. If this trend remains consistent, it will be a matter of time before colleges across the world will have to increase their seating capacities for civil engineers. 

Rest assured, civil engineers have more job options than any other academic line, and perhaps that’s why students have started to show interest in this field. As far as the course scope is concerned, every civil engineer can work in different industrial domains. 

The civil engineering market is classified into several other parts: 

One of the essential branches of civil engineering is structural engineering. From the name itself, you can understand that a professional working in this field will be responsible for designing and planning a complete structure that can bear stress and strain without succumbing to deformation or breakage. In addition, the professionals will be responsible for structure inspection at the construction site, establishing compliance with the industry regulatory standards, and so on.

Geotechnical engineering is a specialized branch of civil engineering where the professionals are responsible for extracting datasets from different geological instruments and setups in real-life and analyzing them. Based on the analysis, engineers assess the soil condition of the construction site, the energy lines, tectonic plate movements, fault lines, and so on. They also consider if the area is within the earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption belt or not. Natural forces are one of the main reasons for the breakdown of structures like buildings, bridges, roads, and more. Therefore, every construction project needs to be packed with a geological report, which is handled by the civil engineer only.

Civil engineers can also work on environmental engineering, where the professionals will be concerned about applying ecological studies to develop sustainable and eco-friendly construction plans. For instance, in Australia, every civil engineer must publish a report based on the energy consumption of a house or a building. 

The plan will be rejected if the submitted value does not match their recommended level. Therefore, every civil engineer must know the energy flow lines through the properties, ways to minimize environmental impact, and so on.

From driveways of the highest commercial buildings to the bridges over the seas and rivers, every single road is the result of the immense efforts of civil engineers. They are responsible for studying the geographical and environmental conditions to determine the best ways of establishing a transport route. The professionals are mainly concerned with designing the roads, bridges, paves, driveways, and so on in different areas, ensuring people can travel safely without any disaster.

Another specialized civil engineering department is water resource engineering, under which fluid mechanics and hydraulics fall. Engineers can design different units for storage, utilization, filtration, and water treatment using these concepts. These structures are mainly implemented in areas like water treatment plans, hydraulic power stations, nuclear power plants, thermal power plants, sewage treatment plants, etc.

Surveying is one of the central departments of civil engineering because here, the professionals are concerned with the inspection and surveys of different buildings, roads, bridges, and so on. They also visit the ongoing construction sites to get details about the work progress, check the material quality, understand the risk preventive measures, and so on. Based on their reports, investors and stakeholders move forward and invest in the construction project.

From the name itself, you can understand the construction engineering is concerned with the construction of different structures, from buildings to roads, excavation platforms, and so on. Therefore, the professionals involved with direct construction need to know the ins and outs of every structural requirement, designing and mapping process, and so on.