Civil Engineering Heading Back To The Future

Civil Engineering Heading Back To The Future

`You can't have civilization without civil engineering."


That saying, popular among civil engineers, is as true today as it was when the Roman aqueducts were built. According to James E. Davis, executive director of the Reston, Va.-based American Society of Civil Engineers, civil engineering is experiencing a golden era to rival the mid-1950s, when the Federal Highway Defense Act launched America's interstate highway system.

"Move ahead 40 years, and a lot of those original guys are retiring," Davis said. "What's happening now is the supply [of civil engineers] is down, and the demand is increasing. There's a need to rebuild America's infrastructure."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, civil engineering is the third largest branch of engineering in terms of employment, after electrical and mechanical engineering.

About half of all civil engineers work for companies that produce designs for new construction projects. Some work in government positions, while still others are self-employed consultants.

There are seven major branches of civil engineering: construction, environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, urban and community planning and water resources engineering.

They rely on computers in the production and analysis of designs, and in simulating how a structure will perform when finished. Working as part of an interdisciplinary team, civil engineers frequently consult with specialists in other occupations to solve problems.

In many engineering-degree programs at the college level, students study basic sciences, mathematics and introductory engineering courses during their first two years, then concentrate in a specific area in their last two years.

Because future civil engineers will lead design and construction teams on a variety of public structures, "leadership skills will be needed," Davis said.

For more information:

American Society of Civil Engineers at 800-548-2723 or www.asce.org. The Illinois section of the American Society of Civil Engineers can be reached at www.mcs.com/(tilde)isasce.

CIVIL ENGINEER

Median salary: $53,450 in 1998

Education/training: Bachelor's degree; master's or doctorate optionalCollege degree, seminary school.


Outlook: 36 percent or more growth through 2008.