A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing,

constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public

and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.
Civil engineering is one of the oldest engineering disciplines because it deals with constructed
environment[1] including planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of
building structures, and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels,
dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.[2]
The term "civil engineer" was established by John Smeaton in 1750 to contrast engineers working on
civil projects with the military engineers,[3][4] who worked on armaments and defenses. Over time,
various sub-disciplines of civil engineering have become recognized[5] and much of military
engineering has been absorbed by civil engineering.[6] Other engineering practices became
recognized as independent engineering disciplines, including chemical engineering, mechanical
engineering, and electrical engineering.
In some places, a civil engineer may perform land surveying; in others, surveying is limited to
construction surveying, unless an additional qualification is obtained.

Work environment[edit]
Civil engineers generally work in a variety of locations and conditions. Many spend time outdoors at
construction sites so that they can monitor operations or solve problems onsite.[2] The job is typically
a blend of in-office and on-location work. Most work full-time.

Education and licensing[edit]

In most countries, a civil engineer will have graduated from a post-secondary school with a degree in
civil engineering, which requires a strong background in mathematics and the physical sciences; this
degree is typically a bachelor's degree, though many civil engineers study further to
obtain master's, engineer, doctoral and post doctoral degrees. In many countries, civil engineers are
subject to licensure. In some jurisdictions with mandatory licensing, people who do not obtain a
license may not call themselves "civil engineers".

Belgium[edit]
In Belgium, Civil Engineer (abbreviated Ir.) (French: Ingénieur Civil, Dutch: Civiel Ingenieur) is a
legally protected title applicable to graduates of the five-year engineering course of one of the
six universities and the Royal Military Academy. Their speciality can be all fields of
engineering: civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, chemical, physics and even computer
science.[7] This use of the title may cause confusion to the English speaker as the Belgian "civil"
engineer can have a speciality other than civil engineering. In fact, Belgians use the adjective "civil"
in the sense of "civilian", as opposed to military engineers.
The formation of the civil engineer has a strong mathematical and scientific base and is more
theoretical in approach than the practical oriented industrial engineer (Ing.) educated in a five-year
program at a polytechnic. Traditionally, students were required to pass an entrance exam on
mathematics to start civil engineering studies. This exam was abolished in 2004 for the Flemish
Community, but is still organised in the French Community.

Scandinavia[edit]
In Scandinavian countries, civil engineer (civilingenjör (Swedish), sivilingeniør (Norwegian),
civilingeniør (Danish)) is a first professional degree, approximately equivalent to Master of Science in
Engineering, and a protected title granted to students by selected institutes of technology. As in
English the word has its origin in the distinction between civilian and military engineers, as in before
the start of the 19th century only military engineers existed and the prefix "civil" was a way to
separate those who had studied engineering in a regular University from their military counterparts.
Today the degree spans over all fields within engineering, like civil engineering, mechanical
engineering, computer science, electronics engineering, etc.
There is generally a slight difference between a Master of Science in Engineering degree and the
Scandinavian civil engineer degree, the latter's programme having closer ties with the industry's
demands. A civil engineer is the most well-known of the two; still, the area of expertise remains
obfuscated for most of the public. A noteworthy difference is the mandatory courses in mathematics
and physics, regardless of the equivalent master's degree, e.g. computer science.
Although a 'college engineer' (högskoleingenjör, diplomingenjör/mellaningenjör (Swedish),
høgskoleingeniør (Norwegian), diplomingeniør (Danish)) is roughly equivalent to a Bachelor of
Science in Scandinavia, to become a 'civil engineer' one often has had to do up to one extra year of
overlapping studies compared to attaining a B.Sc./M.Sc. combination. This is because the higher
educational system is not fully adopted to the international standard graduation system, since it is
treated as a professional degree. Today (2009) this is starting to change due to the Bologna
process.
A Scandinavian "civilingenjör" will in international contexts commonly call himself "Master of Science
in Engineering" and will occasionally wear an engineering class ring. At the Norwegian Institute of
Technology (now the Norwegian University of Science and Technology), the tradition with an NTH
Ring goes back to 1914, before the Canadian iron ring.
In Norway, the title "Sivilingeniør" is no longer issued after 2007, and has been replaced with
"Master i teknologi". In the English translation of the diploma, the title will be "Master of Science",
since "Master of Technology" is not an established title in the English-speaking world. The extra
overlapping year of studies have also been abolished with this change to make Norwegian degrees
more equal to their international counterparts.

Spain[edit]
In Spain, a civil engineering degree can be obtained after four years of study in the various branches
of mathematics, physics, mechanics, etc. The earned degree is called Grado en Ingeniería Civil.
Further studies at a graduate school include master's and doctoral degrees.
Before the current situation, that is, before the implementation of Bologna Process in 2010, a degree
in civil engineering in Spain could be obtained after three to six years of study and was divided into
two main degrees. In the first case, the earned degree was called Ingeniero Técnico de Obras
Públicas (ITOP), literally translated as "Public Works Engineer" obtained after three years of study
and equivalent to a Bachelor of Civil Engineering. In the second case, the academic degree was
called Ingeniero de Caminos, Canales y Puertos(often shortened to Ingeniero de Caminos or ICCP),
that literally means "Highways, Canals and Harbors Engineer", though civil engineers in Spain
practice in the same fields as civil engineers do elsewhere. This degree is equivalent to a Master of
Civil Engineering and is obtained after five or six years of study depending on the school granting
the title.
The first Spanish Civil Engineering School was the Escuela Especial de Ingenieros de Caminos y
Canales (now called Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos),
established in 1802 in Madrid, followed by the Escuela Especial de Ayudantes de Obras
Públicas (now called Escuela Universitaria de Ingeniería Técnica de Obras Públicas de la
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), founded in 1854 in Madrid. Both schools now belong to
the Technical University of Madrid.
In Spain, a civil engineer has the technical and legal ability to design projects of any branch, so any
Spanish civil engineer can oversee projects about structures, buildings (except residential structures
which are reserved for architects), foundations, hydraulics, the environment, transportation,
urbanism, etc.
In Spain, Mechanical and Electrical engineering tasks are included under the Industrial
engineering degree.

United Kingdom[edit]
A chartered civil engineer (known as certified or professional engineer in other countries) is a
member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and has also passed membership exams. However a
non-chartered civil engineer may be a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers or the Institution
of Civil Engineering Surveyors. The description "Civil Engineer" is not restricted to members of any
particular professional organisation although "Chartered Civil Engineer" is.

Eastern Europe[edit]
In many Eastern European countries, civil engineering does not exist as a distinct degree or
profession but its various sub-professions are often studied in separate university faculties and
performed as separate professions, whether they are taught in civilian universities or military
engineering academies. Even many polytechnic tertiary schools give out separate degrees for each
field of study. Typically study in geology, geodesy, structural engineering and urban
engineering allows a person to obtain a degree in construction engineering. Mechanical
engineering, automotive engineering, hydraulics and even sometimes metallurgy are fields in a
degree in "Machinery Engineering". Computer sciences, control engineering and electrical
engineering are fields in a degree in electrical engineering, while security, safety, environmental
engineering, transportation, hydrology and meteorology are in a category of their own, typically each
with their own degrees, either in separate university faculties or at polytechnic schools.

United States[edit]
In the United States, civil engineers are typically employed by municipalities, construction firms,
consulting engineering firms, architect/engineer firms, the military, state governments, and the
federal government. Each state requires engineers who offer their services to the public to be
licensed by the state.[8] Licensure is obtained by meeting specified education, examination, and work
experience requirements. Specific requirements vary by state.
Typically licensed engineers must graduate from an ABET-accredited university or college
engineering program with a minimum of bachelor's degree,[9] pass the Fundamentals of Engineering
exam, obtain several years of engineering experience under the supervision of a licensed engineer,
then pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam. After completing these steps and the
granting of licensure by a state board, engineers may use the title "Professional Engineer" or PE in
advertising and documents. Most states have implemented mandatory continuing education
requirements to maintain a license.[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineer