Civil Engineering for Building Your World!
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that involves the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including buildings, roads, bridges, and water supply systems. Civil engineers play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and functionality of society’s infrastructure while also safeguarding public and environmental health. An introductory course in civil engineering covers the basics of professional practice focus areas, including structural, geotechnical, transportation, and construction management. These courses provide students with a foundational understanding of the field and its importance in society.
A civil engineering course typically covers core topics such as surveying, mechanics, materials, fluid mechanics, transportation engineering, and soil mechanics. In addition to technical coursework, students may also take general interest electives to broaden their knowledge base. Civil engineering degree programs may also require coursework in chemistry, environmental engineering, and applied computing. Through a combination of coursework, practice, and research, civil engineering students gain the skills necessary to design and construct safe, efficient, and sustainable infrastructure.
Civil engineers also plan, design, and manage construction projects from beginning to end while considering the public, structural and environmental effects of their work. As a result, many civil engineers choose to specialize in a particular field or area of civil engineering (i.e., geotechnical engineering).
Self-Assessment Quiz: Should I choose to study Civil Engineering?
Answering the following questions can help you determine whether studying civil engineering is right for you:
Do you enjoy studying math, science, and engineering in high school?
Do you enjoy the outdoors or are you willing to work in a lab environment?
Are you interested in working on your own ideas or doing well with guidance?
Can you describe yourself as a persistent, patient, detail-oriented, analytical-thinking person?
Do good grades or test scores come easy to you?
Do you like working with numbers and solving problems?
Do you wonder how a building or a structure was built?
Do you like to build or create things?
Do you enjoy working with your hands and physically building something?
If you answered “yes” to most of the questions above, studying civil engineering might be right for you.
Job Prospects for Civil Engineers in India and Abroad
Civil Engineers are always in demand. As a result, they typically enjoy very high rates of pay and benefits. The demand for construction materials, transportation systems, and water treatment facilities creates immense opportunities for civil engineers.
In India, the expanding population is creating extraordinary infrastructure needs in roads, dams, and irrigation systems. For example:
The government has proposed to build 10 express highways across India’s most populous states.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced the construction of nine new subway lines in 2016.
Hyderabad announced plans to build 100 footbridges in Hyderabad by 2020.
Currently, there is only one airport for every 6 million people in India. This number seems low considering that Mumbai alone has 945 aeroplanes that take off and land every day.
China is also experiencing rapid infrastructure growth. The ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative is expected to create $1 trillion in Chinese infrastructure spending across Asia, Europe, and Africa. If budgets are approved for this project it could result in huge numbers of jobs for engineers specializing in civil engineering!
Civil Engineers are often recruited by the US State Department because they are needed to design and supervise the construction of embassies, consulates, defence installations, and other government facilities. They are also needed for road projects around the world.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is an example of a group that recruits civil engineers all over the world who specialize in designing water treatment plants, increasing irrigation efficiency, building roads, and planting trees.
In the US, civil engineers design skyscrapers, highways, bridges, and airports. They also work on large construction projects such as water treatment facilities and new power plants. In addition to all of the above, they are needed to monitor existing infrastructure including repairing ageing dams and rehabilitating levees.
As you can see, there are many types of civil engineers with different focuses who are needed to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems.
Civil Engineering Specializations
A Civil Engineer may choose to become an expert in different fields. If you have a B. Tech degree in Civil Engineering, you may choose to specialize in the following fields at the Master’s level:
Construction Engineering and Management (CEM): This specialization prepares you to manage construction projects chosen by the client such as dams, highways, and skyscrapers.
Environmental Engineering: You would plan and implement strategies that improve the quality of our environment while not costing too much money or using scarce natural resources. You may choose to specialize in water management, environmental assessment, risk assessment, and emergency response.
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering: You would help in the design and construction of dams, tunnels, and pavements while staying within budget requirements. You might also specialize in landslides and groundwater management.
Structural Engineering: When a plan is made to construct a skyscraper or large building it requires the assistance of a structural engineer. You would plan and design the most efficient structure using math and science principles.
Transportation Engineering: This specialization involves planning and implementing an integrated system of roads, railways, and airports that meet travel needs while staying within budget requirements.
Water Resources and Hydrology: This specialization requires knowledge of meteorology, hydraulics, and management to manage resources such as drinking water and irrigation.
Highway Engineering (HE): An HE engineer would work with traffic engineers, urban planners, and implementers to plan roadways that allow for fast, efficient travel.
How to Become a Civil Engineer in India?
To become a civil engineer, you first need to take admission in an undergraduate engineering degree program in Civil Engineering. After you graduate with a degree in Civil Engineering, you may decide to specialize in one of the above specializations.
To qualify for admission in an undergraduate civil engineering program in India, you need to complete 10+2 (intermediate) level schooling with Mathematics and Physics as major subjects. You also need to clear JEE Main and/or JEE Advanced entrance examination with a good score.
Best Indian engineering colleges for Civil Engineering are:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Powai
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela
Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Matunga
Government College of Engineering, Aurangabad
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai
Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya (BVM), Mesra
Colleges with the highest number of unreserved seats in Engineering are:
University College of Engineering, Osmania University
Vignan’s Foundation for Science, Technology & Research (VF-STEM), Guntur in Andhra Pradesh
B.S. Abdur Rahman Institute of Science and Technology (A) in Chennai
Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Matunga
Gogte Institute of Technology (GIT), Belgaum
JNTU College of Engineering, Hyderabad
Dr. D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
Visveswaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur in Maharashtra
Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Manipal
If you want to be a part of the world’s best Civil Engineering courses, you should study in the following countries:
USA
UK
Australia
Canada
Staying in one of these countries might be expensive, but it will definitely help you get the job that you want. You must remember that there are other options too. You can study abroad even if it is not for an undergraduate program. Many short-term courses offer quick specializations and lead to a high-paying job.
The cheapest countries to study Civil Engineering are:
China
Portugal
Denmark
Switzerland