Civil engineering is a profession that applies the basic principles of science in conjunction with mathematical and computational tools to solve problems associated with developing and sustaining civilized life on our planet. Civil engineering is a broad engineering discipline both in terms of the range of problems that fall within its purview and in the range of knowledge required to solve those problems.

The completion of a civil engineering project involves the solution of technical problems in which uncertainty of information and a myriad of non-technical factors often plays a significant role. Some of the most common examples of civil engineering works include bridges, buildings, dams, airports, highways, tunnels, and water and sewage distribution systems. Civil engineers are also concerned with flood control, landslides, air and water pollution, and the design of facilities to withstand earthquakes and other natural hazards.

The career paths available to the civil engineer are many and varied and can involve a wide range of activities, tools, situations, clients, and venues from conceptual design of facilities that do not yet exist to forensic study of facilities that have failed to perform as expected, from advanced simulation of complex systems to the management of people and projects, from private consulting to public service. In addition to the educational objectives that apply to all engineering programs, the civil engineer must be as well prepared for a career that traverses this considerable professional breadth as for a career focused on a single professional activity.

The civil engineering curriculum is designed specifically to meet this educational challenge by emphasizing fundamental knowledge, transferable skills, and lifelong learning. It is designed to develop engineers who have a strong background in Mathematics and Basic Science, engineers who are articulate, and understand the nature of their special role in society and the impact of their work on the progress of civilization. The curriculum is designed to guarantee a certain breadth of knowledge of the civil engineering disciplines through a set of core courses and ensure depth and focus in certain disciplines through core and elective area of specialization. The curriculum develops the basic engineering tools necessary to solve problems in the field of civil engineering.

The civil engineering program comprises of six main disciplines: (1) Structural Engineering, (2) Transportation Engineering, (3) Environmental Engineering, (4) Geotechnical Engineering, (5) Water Resources Engineering, and (6) Construction Engineering and Management. While each discipline has its own special body of

knowledge and engineering tools, they all rely on the same fundamental core principles. Civil engineering projects often draw expertise from many of these disciplines.

Civil engineering includes planning and design of various facilities such as residential and service buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, water supply systems, water pumping stations, sewage networks, purification and water treatment plants, dams, and irrigation projects. Civil engineering also includes supervision on the construction of such facilities. In addition, it comprises the study and analysis of existing facilities for the purposes of development and maintenance and develops solutions for existing problems.

A graduate of civil engineering can work in the following fields:

Construction companies.

Local and international engineering consulting offices.

Engineering departments in the government and private sector.

Maintenance and operation departments in the government and private sectors.

Specifications and standards authorities.

Asphalt and concrete factories.

Manufacturing of building materials.

Ministries directly related to certain specialization like; Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Water and Electricity, and Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

Specialized research organizations and centers in the field of civil engineering.

Public transportation Agencies.

Construction materials and testing laboratories.

Civil Engineering academic fields at universities and colleges.

Technical Training Institutes.