What is civil engineering ?
A STEM discipline called civil engineering is dedicated to planning and building livable environments for people. Large construction projects like those involving structures, roads, bridges, subway systems, dams, and water supply networks are typically the focus of civil engineers. Knowledge of math, physics, and design is crucial for the field. Large projects such as structures, dams, bridges, roads, tunnels, and water systems are designed and constructed by civil engineers. Math and physics are heavily used in civil engineering, but design, economics, and materials science are also significant.
Architectural engineering, environmental engineering, and water resource engineering are just a few of the many sub-specialties within the broad field of civil engineering.
Areas of civil engineering
Anywhere there is a need to construct something substantial, a civil engineer will be involved. Here are just a few specialties of civil engineering.
- Building planning and construction are the main areas of interest in architectural engineering. To ensure that architectural designs are structurally sound, architectural engineers use their engineering expertise.
- Environmental engineering is concerned with safeguarding people and the environment through sustainable design. Understanding how to channel, treat, and repurpose a city’s wastewater may be one project.
- The earth that will be used for a building project and the ground that will support it are the focus of geotechnical engineering. Engineers must ensure that the soil and rock at a construction site have the mechanical characteristics required to guarantee the stability and durability of the project.
- All different kinds of construction projects, from skyscrapers to train tunnels, are the focus of structural engineering. Making sure a construction project can safely withstand the stresses it will experience over the course of its lifetime is the responsibility of the structural engineer.
- Roads, airports, subway systems, and railroads are the main areas of focus for transportation engineering. A transportation engineer is responsible for the planning, safety, and effectiveness of these transportation systems.
- The study of water use for sanitation, human consumption, and irrigation is the focus of water resource engineering. The study of obtaining water from the earth and transporting it safely and sustainably to its intended destinations is known as hydrology.
Types of civil engineers
Many civil engineers specialize their work based on their interests and the demands of their clients. Some people might be storm water management experts. While others may focus on railroads or airports, others may handle seismic retrofitting or road construction. Civil engineers may work on the projects from the beginning or manage them once they are finished.
The following job titles are related to civil engineering:
- structural engineer
- architect/project manager
- Building engineer
- urban planner
- engineering permits and licenses
Best Civil Engineering Schools in Texas
The following is a list of the best universities in Texas, ranked by their research performance in Civil Engineering. A graph of 15.1K citations received by 591 academic papers published by 9 Texas universities was used to calculate publication ratings, which were then adjusted for publication dates and added to final scores.
We make no distinction between undergraduate and graduate programs, and we make no adjustments for current majors offered. Degree information can be found on a university page, but always double-check with the university website.
Best Civil Engineering Schools in Texas
| Institution | Category | Location | website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cockrell School of Engineering | University department | 301 E Dean Keeton St | http://www.cockrell.utexas.edu/ |
| Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, ECSS | College | Engineering and Computer Science Building, 800 W Campbell Rd | https://engineering.utdallas.edu/ |
| Lyle School of Engineering | University | Embrey Engineering Bldg, 3101 Dyer St Suite 105 | http://www.smu.edu/lyle |
| UTA College of Engineering | University department | 634 Nedderman Hall 416, Yates St | http://www.uta.edu/engineering/ |
| College of Engineering | College | 1981 Hawthorne St | http://www.utep.edu/engineering/index.html |
| College of Science and Engineering | University | 2840 W Bowie St Suite 102 | http://cse.tcu.edu/ |
| Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering | University | 902 Boston Ave | http://www.depts.ttu.edu/coe/ |
| Civil Architectural and Environmental Engineering | University department | 301E E Dean Keeton St c1700 | http://www.caee.utexas.edu/ |
| College of Engineering | University | Biotechnology Sciences and Engineering Building | |
| Civil and Environmental Engineering | University | +1 713-743-4250 | http://cive.uh.edu/ |
| George R. Brown School of Engineering | Engineering school | 6100 Main St | http://engr.rice.edu/ |
| Rice University Civil and Environmental Engineering | University department | 6100 Main St | http://ceve.rice.edu/ |
| College of Science | University | 6300 Ocean Dr | http://www.tamucc.edu/science/ |
| Women In Engineering Program | Engineer | University Club Dr | https://cockrell.utexas.edu/wep |
| Trinity University | Private university | 1 Trinity Pl | http://www.trinity.edu/ |
Where civil engineers work ?
While some civil engineers work for government organizations, others are employed by construction and consulting companies that serve both private and public sector clients. While a project is in the planning stages, civil engineers might work in an office environment. They might work on building sites while implementation is taking place.
Being a civil engineer allows you to work with the military as well, and infrastructure is crucial for moving troops from one location to another. The US Army Corps of Engineers, which employs non-military engineers and instructs soldiers in engineering principles, is responsible for managing many civil infrastructure projects in the United States.
Average Civil Engineer Salaries
The employment outlook for civil engineering is bright, with faster-than-average job growth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for civil engineers in 2019 was $87,060. Subfields frequently overlap.
For instance, the median salary for environmental engineers is $88,860. According to Payscale.com, the median annual salary for entry-level civil engineers is $61,700, and the median annual salary for mid-career workers is $103,500. There are about 330,000 people working in the industry. Some of the highest salaries for bachelor’s degree holders are in the engineering field. The pay for civil engineering positions is comparable to that of mechanical engineering positions but slightly less than that of electrical, chemical, and materials engineering positions.
