Department of Civil Engineering

Professor Ann E. (Beth) Wittig, Chair • Department Office: ST 119 • Tel: 212-650-8000

What Can I do with This Major

Civil engineers design, build, and manage the infrastructure of civilization, which includes buildings, bridges, highways, water supply systems, and other public works. These services are the cornerstone of the discipline, although no longer the limiting scope.

A civil engineering background provides a broad-based education that can be applied to many areas of interest within both the private and public sectors. In addition to the traditional engineering practice involving the design and construction of buildings and bridges using conventional materials, experience in new construction technology has led many civil engineers to obtain employment in areas as varied as the aerospace, computer and biomedical fields. No longer a matter of simply building roadways, transportation engineering now develops systems to move people and products with previously unforeseen efficiency using advanced computer and monitoring technology. Environmental engineering, once limited to the construction and maintenance of water quality and waste management systems, is now an integral part of world-wide efforts to preserve and restore the health and welfare of our air, land and water resources.

Civil engineers start their professional employment at organizations ranging from small consulting firms to large contractors and government agencies. It is not uncommon for civil engineers to begin at the analysis and design level, and achieve in time managerial positions overseeing projects with enormous regional and national economic impact. Alternatively, the civil engineering curriculum enables graduates to pursue careers in other fields such as medicine, law and business administration.

To pursue any of these objectives, the curriculum offers three options: Environmental Engineering/Water Resources Engineering; Structural Engineering; and Transportation Engineering.