What is civil engineering?
Have you ever played the game 'SimCity'? The game process aims to continuously build cities to improve the quality of life of game characters. Civil engineers are actually playing SimCity every day, using their scientific ideas to build modern towns, such as bridges, tunnels, slope consolidation, old building maintenance, road construction, urban reconstruction, water supply and sewage treatment systems, etc. The literal translation of civil engineering in English is "people's livelihood engineering", which means all construction related to "people's livelihood", that is, civil engineering. The job of a civil engineer involves early design and construction, as well as later maintenance and supervision work. They must be proficient in every aspect of planning, budgeting, management, and analysis for projects of all sizes.
Due to the fact that the scope of work almost includes the entire process of infrastructure projects, there is a greater need for outdoor field visits or work. Of course, not all companies assign engineers to work outdoors, such as engineering consultants who spend most of their time working in the office, responsible for designing and submitting building compliance declaration documents for clients. However, if you work for a contractor or real estate developer, you need to visit the site more frequently and supervise the progress.
What will I learn when studying civil engineering?
For students studying civil engineering, a solid foundation in mathematics and scientific knowledge is crucial. In the first academic year, students need to spend a lot of time using models and simulations to understand engineering principles. In the second and third academic years, students will focus on the unit courses and fields they are most interested in. The courses you may study include (but are not limited to) fluid mechanics, soil mechanics, digital environment construction, engineering geology, civil and construction engineering, minerals and statics, soil mechanics and structural mechanics, etc. The fields involved include: structural engineering, transportation engineering, construction engineering, geological engineering, or hydraulic engineering. Among them, most courses provide students with the opportunity to complete a design project alone or in a collaborative manner. If students want to accumulate industry experience before graduation, they can also choose courses with Placement, which will take four years for your undergraduate studies.
