Today, wherever you look, you can see big buildings and malls. This development of civil engineering has played an important role in infrastructure development. With the changing times, the revolutionary changes in civil engineering have increased the demand for civil engineers in the country as well as abroad. It is also a matter of pride to cooperate in the progress of the country by becoming a civil engineer. Let us know in detail about civil engineering in this blog.
What is Civil Engineering?
Civil engineering is a professional branch of engineering. It teaches about basic facilities i.e projects, design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure and civil engineering is the oldest branch after military engineering.
Example: How big a house will be built in an empty plot, how will it be designed, how many rooms will be there, where will the bathroom, kitchen and hall be all this is designed. Materials such as bricks, cement, sand, bars are procured on the basis of the design and the construction work is done. Civil engineering has the most important role in completing all this work.
Why do Civil Engineering?
To do Civil Engineering, it is important to know why choose this course and profession, which is mentioned below-
Practical Experience: Civil engineering degrees often incorporate workplace study into their curriculum, giving you the opportunity to experience working in engineering and gain practical insights into the subject. Additionally, you will study a number of innovative modules in your classroom-based learning, which will allow you to hone the skills you need to become a successful engineer.
Variety of Study Areas: Civil engineering courses offer a wide range of modules, offering a wide variety of options and paths that you can follow in a future career. In a typical civil engineering degree course, you will have the chance to study subjects such as land surveying, hydraulics, engineering geology, construction project management, mathematics and chemistry.
Postgraduate Opportunities: Once your studies are over, you will have a lot of options available to you. Qualified engineers often undergo professional training to earn Chartered (CEng) or Incorporated (IEng) engineer status. In contrast, some graduates go on to develop specialist knowledge in areas such as earthquake engineering, marine civil engineering or environmental engineering.
Employability: With all the skills learned in an engineering degree, you can expect to be a sought-after candidate in the job market. Depending on which industry you want to pursue, you are likely to have many job opportunities upon graduation. Civil engineering roles are also well paid in the UK, with an average salary of around £31,000 per year (PayScale 2022).
Job Satisfaction: Civil Engineering is vital to modern day to day life. Through your work, you will contribute to the efficiency of society, allowing people to lead their lives safely and efficiently. Plus, you’ll be able to put your best knowledge of science, maths and technology into practice and watch your creations come to life.
Valuable Skills: Studying civil engineering will provide you with many transferable skills, as well as prepare you for an engineering career. As well as learning to design, build and construct practical structures, you will hone your creative approach to problem solving and improve your ability to analyse data. Communication and decision making skills are also a big part of an engineering degree.
Sub-branches of Civil Engineering:
The branches of civil engineering are given below-
Structure Engineering: Structure engineering teaches the design and analysis of structures such as buildings, bridges, towers, flyovers, tunnels, dams, canals, skyscrapers, trusses, marine structures, and other specialised structures.
Water Resources Engineering: Water Resources Engineering teaches about the collection and management of water from natural sources. The design and analysis of water resources engineering is also taught in this branch.
Environmental Engineering: Environmental engineering teaches about biological treatment of waste, chemical treatment of thermal waste, water purification and treatment of air waste.
Geotechnical Engineering: In geotechnical engineering, it is taught how to understand the behaviour of soil and rock. The behaviour of soil on structures related to soil such as underground structures, dams, canals, etc. is explained.
Construction Engineering: Construction engineering involves the planning and construction of buildings.
Surveying: In surveying, understanding the topography of the earth, earth measurements and dimensions, and heights of the earth are taught.
Earthquake Engineering: Earthquake engineering teaches how to build earthquake-proof structures. Structure design is taught so that the structure does not collapse during the earthquake.
Transportation Engineering: Transportation engineering teaches the planning, design and construction of roads, canals, highways, railways, airports and other transport infrastructure.
Urban Engineering: Urban engineering teaches about roads, pathways, water supply networks, sewer lines, street lighting, solid waste management, planning, designing and construction and maintenance of public parks.
Building Materials Engineering: Building Materials Engineering explains about construction materials, advantages and disadvantages of materials, purpose, and how to use them.
Step by Step Guide to Become a Civil Engineer:
Step by step guide to become a civil engineer is given below-
Earn a Bachelor’s degree: Prospective civil engineer needs to have a four-year degree in civil engineering or civil engineering technology. Over the course of four years, you will learn the basics of civil engineering and specialise in a few branches. At the end of the Bachelors programme, you can give the basics of the engineering exam.
Gain Professional Experience as Junior Civil Engineer: It is mandatory to work as an Engineer Trainee or Civil Engineering Intern. It usually takes four years to do this. After gaining the required work experience, you can appear for a professional engineering exam and apply for a PE licence.
Earn a master’s degree. A master’s degree is not required for civil engineers, but it can increase both your knowledge and your earning potential.
Get certification. Because of the complexity of civil engineering tasks, you should learn many secondary aspects. Such as- computer skills and ability to design eco-friendly projects etc. Getting such certifications can help you gain more knowledge in these aspects.
Civil engineering courses:-
The civil engineering courses are as follows:
Diploma in Civil engineering
- construction engineering
- structural engineering
- geotechnical engineering
- earthquake engineering
- surveying
Undergraduate courses:
- Bachelor in Civil Engineering(Hons)
- Bachelor in Building Energy
- B.A in Architectural Technology and Construction Management
- Bachelor in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- B.E in Civil and Constructional Engineering
- Bachelor of Engineering in Civil and Infrastructure
- Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Civil)
- B.Tech. in Civil Engineering Infrastructural Technology
Graduate courses:
- Master of Science in Sustainable Critical Infrastructure
- Master of Science in Civil Engineering
- Master in Civil and Structural Engineering
- Master in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Master in Civil and Geological Engineering
- Master in Civil and Architectural Engineering
- Master in Geo-Environmental Engineering
- Master in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
- Master in Civil and Railway Engineering
The main topic:
The main subjects covered in Civil Engineering are as follows:
- steel structures design
- IT & CAD Applications
- Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
- Design of RC Structures
- water resources engineering
- structural analysis
- Water and Wastewater Engineering
- solid mechanics
- hydraulics
- transportation Engineering
- mathematics
- Basic Electronics
- electrical technology
- mechanics
- Physics
- programming and data structures
- Engineering drawing and graphics
- Introduction to Manufacturing Processes
Top Civil Engineering Universities in India
The names of the top universities in India offering civil engineering courses are given below-
College Location NIRF 2021 Rankings
- IIT Madras Chennai 1
- IIT Delhi Delhi 2
- IIT Bombay Mumbai 3
- IIT Kanpur Kanpur 4
Eligibility:
Following are the qualifications to make a career in civil engineering-
- Diploma/Certificate Course: Must have passed 10+2 formal education from a recognized university.
- UG Course: 10+2 Passed With Formal Education (Science Stream) From A Recognized University. For civil engineering, students have to crack entrance exams like JEE Main, JEE Advanced, MHT CET, OJEE, BCECE. For bachelor’s degree courses abroad, you have to pass the SAT or ACT exam.
- PG Course: UG degree like BE or BTech in Civil Engineering with minimum required GPA. Some universities abroad also require 2 years of work experience for a master’s degree, which may vary from university to university.
- Some universities abroad demand GMAT/GRE exam scores for UG/PG level courses in civil engineering.
- A good score in IELTS, TOEFL or any other English language proficiency test is a must.
- LOR and SOP are also required.
Entrance Exams:
To understand Civil Engineering better, it is also necessary to know its entrance examinations, which are as follows:
- JEE Main
- JEE Advanced
- BITSAT
- WBJEE
- SRMJEE
- COMEDK
Scope of Civil Engineering in Government Sector:
There is a lot of career scope in civil engineering as BE /B.Tech civil engineering graduates can find promising opportunities in both private sector and public sector sectors. Most importantly, civil engineering has immense potential in the government sector. Let’s know the names of these government companies:
- ONGC
- PWD
- Electricity Board
- Armed Forces
- NHAI
- Indian Railways
- IOC
- Town Planning
- BHEL
There are many vacancies available in Indian Railways, ONGC, PWD and BHEL in these Public Sector Organisations and provide the widest scope of Civil Engineering in India!
Top companies
Following are the names of top companies in the world that offer jobs after completing civil engineering:
Foreign companies
- Arup
- Atkins
- Vinci
- Mott McDonald
- Stantec
- Balfour Beatty
- Bechtel
- Skanska
- Laing O’Rourke
- Arcadis
Indian companies
- Punj Lloyd, Gurugram
- Akme Projects Ltd, New Delhi
- Bridge & Roof Co (India) Limited, Kolkata
- DLF Limited, Haryana
- Coastal Projects Pvt Ltd (CPPL), Hyderabad
- CQRA, Mumbai
- Gammon Infrastructure Projects Limited (GIPL), Mumbai
- Stewarts & Lloyds of India Ltd, Kolkata
- Arun Excello Group of Companies, Tamil Nadu
- Conart Engineers Ltd, Mumbai
- Essar Group, Mumbai
Job profiles
Let us check out some of the most popular job profiles that you can choose as a great option:
Job Profiles Average Salary (INR) per annum
- Engineering Technician 4-5
- Environment Engineer 5-6
- Regional and Urban Planner 4-5
- Construction Engineer 4-5
- Transportation Engineer 6-7
- Building Control Surveyor 6-7
- Quantity Surveyors 3-4
- Site Engineer 4-5
- Structural Engineer 5-6
- Water Engineer 4-5
- Engineering Geologist 3-5
- Building Services Surveyor 4-5
- Fire Risk Assistant 4-5
- CAD Technician 5-6
- Sustainability Consultant 3-4
- Assistant Project Manager 5-6
- Assistant Civil Manager 5-6
- Purchase and Quality Control Executive 7-8
- Planning and Design Executive 3-4
- Project Manager 9-10
- Survey Engineer 7-8
Salary
After knowing civil engineering, now it is the turn to know about the salary. According to Payscale.com, the average annual salary of a civil engineer in the UK is up to GBP 31,832 (INR 31.83 Lakh) and up to USD 68,500 (INR 51.87 Lakh) in the US. The salary offered in India after doing civil engineering are as follows:
Sector Annual Average Salary (INR)
- Management and Construction Engineering 7
- Structural Engineering 4.8
- Transport Engineering 4.2
- Water Engineering 6.6
- Geotechnical Engineering 5.6
- Environmental Engineering 4.6
- Coastal Engineering 6.7
- Earthquake Engineering 5.18
- Forensic Engineering 4.8
- Highway Engineering 4.3
What to do after civil engineering?
- After civil engineering, one can go for masters or PhD courses in it.
- Apart from courses, you can start your career by doing an internship in it.