Alternate Title(s) | N/A |
Minimum Education Requirements | Bachelor's degree, Licensure |
Salary | See Bureau of Labor Statistics for more information |
Job Skills | - Decision making skills. Civil engineers often balance multiple and frequently conflicting objectives, such as determining the feasibility of plans with regard to financial costs and safety concerns. - Leadership skills. Civil engineers take ultimate responsibility for the projects that they manage or research that they perform. - Math skills. Civil engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work. - Organizational skills. Only licensed civil engineers can sign the design documents for infrastructure projects. This requirement makes it imperative that civil engineers be able to monitor and evaluate the work at the jobsite as a project progresses. - Problem-solving skills. Civil engineers work at the highest level of the planning, design, construction, and operation of multifaceted projects or research. The many variables involved require that they possess the ability to identify and evaluate complex problems. They must be able to then utilize their skill and training to develop cost-effective, safe, and efficient solutions. - Speaking skills. Civil engineers must present reports and plans to audiences of people with a wide range of backgrounds and technical knowledge. This requires the ability to speak clearly and to converse with people in various settings, and to translate engineering and scientific information into easy to understand concepts. Writing skills. Civil engineers must be able to communicate with others, such as architects, landscape architects |
Job Duties | Civil engineers typically do the following: - Analyze long range plans, survey reports, maps, and other data in order to plan projects - Consider construction costs, government regulations, potential environmental hazards, and other factors in planning the stages of, and risk analysis for, a project - Compile and submit permit applications to local, state, and federal agencies, verifying that projects comply with various regulations - Perform or oversee soil testing to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations - Test building materials, such as concrete, asphalt, or steel, for use in particular projects - Provide cost estimates for materials, equipment, or labor to determine a project’s economic feasibility - Use design software to plan and design transportation systems, hydraulic systems, and structures in line with industry and government standards - Perform or oversee surveying operations in order to establish reference points, grades, and elevations to guide construction - Present their findings to the public on topics such as bid proposals, environmental impact statements, or descriptions of property - Manage the repair, maintenance, and replacement of public and private infrastructure |
Job Profile | Civil engineers design, build, supervise, operate, and maintain construction projects and systems in the public and private sector, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment. Many civil engineers work in design, construction, research, and education. Civil engineers inspect projects to insure regulatory compliance. In addition, they are tasked with ensuring that safe work practices are followed at construction sites. Many civil engineers hold supervisory or administrative positions ranging from supervisor of a construction site to city engineer, public works director, and city manager. Others work in design, construction, research, and teaching. |
The information presented within this occupational profile was synthesized from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Handbook of Occupational Groups & Families.