Civil engineering makes a vital contribution to the development of the modern world. Society relies heavily on the abilities of civil engineers to create a sustainable environment which is both functional and pleasing.
The Built Environment
Civil engineers are leading players in the provision and operation of the infrastructure which underpins all successful economies. Every bridge, road, reservoir, tunnel and pipeline is designed and constructed by civil engineers. Civil engineers also work with other professionals such as architects, mechanical engineers and financial specialists to design and construct projects such as buildings and power stations - the work of the civil engineer has a fundamental effect on all our lives.
The Natural Environment
Civil engineers also have a major role in the enhancement of the health and well-being of society and the protection of the natural environment. Indeed, civil engineers can claim to have made the greatest positive impact of any profession on world health through the provision of potable water and the disposal of waste water.
A Creative Career
Civil engineers need to possess a wide range of abilities. Civil engineering is about being creative - in formulating ideas, in design, and in communicating ideas to others. Civil engineers must be able to take a proposal through from an initial idea to a finished project, creating a design, a set of drawings and calculations from which we can build. Civil engineers work as part of a team with a wide range of backgrounds. Civil engineers use theory and models to predict how a design will perform and test ideas in the field. Without these abilities, many of the great civil engineering projects of the past and the present, such as the Forth Bridges and the Channel Tunnel, would not have been possible.
