Civil engineering spreadsheets
Have you considered work in civil engineering but were too confused in regards to what exactly a civil engineer does? Precisely what does a civil engineer do? If you are still seeking the result, be forewarned that civil engineering is definitely a broad subject and there's specific short and sweet answer. However if you are curious to find out more or are considering this being a profession, you need to know that of all the engineering disciplines, civil engineering is probably the oldest. Civil engineers handle design for the physical, built environment. Take some of the place where you live and you may begin to see the connection between their design work. By way of example streets, bridges, buildings, water and sewer utilities, stormwater, channels, dikes, dams, canals, etc. The list goes on and so on, and if you study civil engineering you will complete many courses in the broad field, and after that typically focus in with a particular sub-discipline.

bridge design spreadsheet
Which are the sub-disciplines of civil engineering? Some colleges and universities may name the areas of research slightly different, but in general you will find these sub-disciplines: Materials Science, Coastal, Construction, Earthquake, Environmental, Geotechnical, Water Resources, Structural, Surveying, Transportation, Municipal and Urban, and Forensic Engineering. Essentially you'll find basic engineering principals that apply throughout most of these disciplines, so a civil engineer could specialize in multiple area. Because the field is indeed broad, it's not at all common to get a civil engineer to practice in all of these areas, so if you feel considering a profession in civil engineering you probably should start to take into consideration what sub-discipline you happen to be most considering. Recommendations a break down of every area plus a short description to help you better understand them:

Materials Science and Engineering can be a study in the fundamental properties and characteristics of materials. A materials engineer designs ceramics, metals and polymers found in construction. For instance, concrete, asphalt, aluminum, steel, carbon fibers, etc.

Coastal Engineering is a field of study interested in handling the areas in and around the coast, particularly addressing design issues related to tides, flooding and erosion.

Construction Engineering is a field of study to understand the operation of construction, including the way to successfully execute construction projects that could include designs from many other engineering sub-disciplines for example geotechnical, water resources, environmental, structural, etc.

Earthquake Engineering is a study of how structures will react during earthquakes and interact with the movement in the ground. This is the sub-discipline of structural engineering, and involves designing and constructing new buildings/structures, or renovating and updating them to maintain compliance with safety and building codes.

Environmental Engineering is the study of best management practices to shield our living environment, including management of chemical, biological and thermal waste, keeping water and air as clean as is possible, and environmental clean-up of areas that were previously contaminated.

Geotechnical Engineering is the study of the earth's materials, for example rock and soil, and understanding their material properties and behavior under varying conditions (for example seasonal changes, temperature changes, shrink, swell). Geotechnical engineers conduct tests, prepare reports, provide ideas for construction, and observe and advise during construction.

Water Resources Engineering handles understanding, analyzing and modeling water. For example, a water resources engineer has an idea of water quality and quantity, aquifers, lakes, rivers, streams, and stormwater. Water resources engineers can design conveyance systems, including pipes, water supplies, drainage facilities, dams, channels, culverts, levees and storm sewers, canals, etc.

Structural Engineering will be the study of structural analysis of buildings/structures. Structural engineers evaluate the weight from the structure, dead loads, and live loads, in addition to natural forces like snow, wind, earthquake loads, to design safe structures which will successfully support those anticipated loads.

Surveying is often considered to be its separate profession, but engineers study the basics of surveying, that is essentially taking measurements and mapping them for use to understand properties and designing construction projects. Surveyors also conduct construction surveying to assist contractors through providing staking, benchmarks, etc. Surveyors also provide as-built surveying, to recover data after construction is done.

Transportation Engineering could be the study of moving people and merchandise within the many forms of transportation, such as vehicles on streets, boats in canals, trains on railways, planes at airports, shipping boats at ports, and mass transit systems. Designs by transportation engineers take into consideration traffic safety of vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc.

Municipal or Urban Engineering may be the study of the kind of municipal infrastructure, like streets, sidewalks, parking lots, water supplies, sewer systems, utilities, lighting, etc. Municipal and concrete engineers may go directly for public agencies or be outside consultants hired by those public agencies. Additionally, jurisdictions occasionally will give you civil engineering overview of private land development projects before construction approvals being granted.

Forensic Engineering will be the investigation of failures in engineering materials, products or structures, usually after there was harm to home or injuries. This field of engineering is commonly associated with civil law cases, and may provide evidence including professional engineering opinions, reports or testimony in those cases.