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 play 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.​