Where Your Career Can Go Within Engineering & Construction: Civil Engineering

Civil engineers design and oversee construction projects of highways, tunnels, buildings, bridges, dams, and water and sewage systems. With America currently engaged in the rebuilding of our infrastructure of these systems, civil engineers are engaged in many projects throughout the country. More frequently than ever, civil engineering jobs include considerations for energy efficiency and the use of recyclable materials.

You may have heard of perhaps the greatest civil engineers through history: Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Henry Maybury, and William Mulholland. But did you know that explorer Francis Drake, former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, American inventor Buckminster Fuller, and former Russian president Boris Yeltsin were also trained civil engineers?

What Do Civil Engineers Do?

When projects are in the design phase, civil engineering firms evaluate construction costs, design specifications, government civic code requirements and regulations, potential threats from hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes, as well as loads on the structure from materials, users, and traffic. Civil engineers work for private design firms or government agencies, or as private contractors. Some advance into management roles in construction firms, education, research, or the government.

Online Civil Engineering Degree Programs

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that a bachelor's degree in engineering is the standard degree for entering the profession as a civil engineer. However, many professionals complete a graduate degree in engineering. Employment prospects for civil engineering supervisory roles typically improve with a post-graduate engineering degree, according to the BLS. Online degree programs may include a general engineering discipline with specialization courses in civil engineering or technology. There are also two- and four-year online degree programs in engineering technology.

Each state in the nation has its own licensing requirements; however, all civil engineers who plan to work for firms engaged in public projects are required to pass licensing examinations. Engineers who have current licenses are known as professional engineers (PEs). According to the BLS, jobs for civil engineers are expected to grow by 18 percent during the 2006-2016 decade. The 2008 median annual wage for civil engineers was $74,600, with top-tier earnings reported at $115,630.

Related Civil Engineer Jobs

Another way to enter the field is to pursue job training through an online program that leads to a civil engineering technician degree or certification. For example, engineering technicians are hired by governmental organizations, construction companies, or civil engineering firms to conduct research. As a civil engineering technician, you would conduct tests to evaluate needs in transportation, building, water supply, pollution, and environmental control factors on a project.

The BLS reports that most technicians hold an associate's degree or higher to qualify for jobs. A 10 percent growth in jobs for engineering technicians is predicted during the 2006-2016 decade. The 2008 median annual wage for civil engineering technicians was $44,290, with top-tier earnings reported at $66,690.

Additional careers within the civil engineering profession include drafters, cost estimators, building inspectors, cartographers, and surveyors. Enrolling in an accredited online degree program can qualify you for one or more of these civil engineering disciplines. Become a civil engineer, and you can help rebuild America.