What is Civil Engineering?
What is civil engineering, anyway? The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) states, “Civil engineers design, build, and maintain the foundation for our modern society.” Civil engineering is all around us and impacts almost every part of our lives. What civil engineering is, exactly, is a foundation for sustainability in our society.
Civil engineers are creative people who use their math and science skills to improve the lives of everyone in a community. They design, build, analyze, and maintain infrastructure systems.
These systems are visible, like roads and bridges, and less visible, like drainage systems. By working with community authorities, civil engineers also work on projects that ensure the availability of clean water or create systems that reduce the risk of property damage and loss of life in the event of a catastrophe.
What is Civil Engineering Professional Engineer Designation?
After graduating from an accredited engineering program, an engineer may choose to go through the process of becoming a certified Professional Engineer (PE). An engineer does not need this status to work for an engineering firm, but only PEs are able to submit required plans and other documents for approval.
The process to earn the PE designation includes:
- Graduating from a university level engineering program
- Passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam
- Working as an engineer under a PE for a minimum of four years
- Passing the Professional Engineering exam (PE)
After all these steps are complete, a candidate can apply for PE certification. One of the most important steps in this process is finding and working with a PE. If you are interested in studying this field and pursuing your PE designation, OEI might be the place for you.
OEI Provides Mentorship and Guidance
OEI is dedicated to the development and mentorship of future engineers. As a leading interdisciplinary civil engineering firm, OEI has the experience to mentor would-be engineers in the following disciplines:
- Water Resource Management
- Dam and Levee Analysis and Design
- MEP Design
- Environmental Design
- Architecture and Bridge Design
- Construction Phase Management
- Engineering Project Management
- And more
We work together to continually improve those around us and have successfully mentored new engineers who went on to earn the title of Professional Engineer.
By working together to answer, “What is civil engineering?,” we can show potential engineers an entire world of interesting career possibilities.
Join Our Team
If you want to be a part of an innovative team that offers continual improvement and collaboration in order to achieve the best engineering solutions, OEI is the place for you. Check out our careers page to learn more about our core foundations and opportunities to join the team that makes OEI a leading civil engineering firm.