University subject profile: civil engineering
What you’ll learn
Civil engineering is all about designing, building and maintaining roads, bridges, railway lines, energy systems, flood defences, water supply, sewage systems and more.
Without civil engineers it would be much harder to get to work in the morning, travel to see friends, heat our homes or get clean water. The provision and maintenance of sustainable and efficient infrastructure is directly linked to economic growth – society, and indeed business, cannot operate without it.
There’s a heavy emphasis on maths in a civil engineering degree, so if you don’t love the subject already, you’ll need to learn to. As well as maths, you’ll likely have modules related to mechanics, electronics, design, data analysis and geology, as well as environmental impact.
How you’ll learn
There should be a balance of practical and theoretical learning, including lectures, tutorials and workshops, lab work, computer workshops and hands-on projects. There will probably be plenty of field trips. You’ll develop problem-solving skills and consider the social and ethical difficulties of civil engineering. Courses involve teamwork, and you’ll learn to argue your ideas and analyse those of others, and work towards a common goal. Most courses have strong industry links, so you may work on real-world problems – sometimes paid – as part of your course.
Entry requirements
More selective universities will require maths and often physics. Further maths, chemistry, biology, computing or computer science, art, design technology or geography could all prove useful.
What job can you get?
There’s a high employment rate for civil engineers, and lots of graduate schemes are open to civil engineering grads. You may find a job in a consulting or contracting engineering firm, or in a local authority or central government. Because of the degree’s practical nature, you’ll have the tools to get on with a job in the sector straight away.
Most new graduates who go on to work for a civil engineering company continue to study part-time to achieve chartered (CEng) or incorporated (IEng) engineer status. You may also wish to specialise – in, for example, water management, earthquake engineering or maritime civil engineering – through further study at postgraduate level.
Civil engineering skills are also highly transferable: problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, data interpretation. Some graduates move into other fields that require project-management skills, including in the business, management and financial sectors.