Civil engineering is the oldest branch of engineering, essential for infrastructure development including buildings, bridges, and transportation systems. This field encompasses various specializations and is vital for urban planning, environmental protection, and public works. There is a strong demand for civil engineers in India and worldwide, offering diverse career opportunities and excellent job prospects.

1. Dr. T.P. Somasundaran
Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
National Institute of Technology Calicut
E-mail: soman@nitc.ac.in
WHAT IS
CIVIL ENGINEERING ?

2. Civil Engineers give us Quality of Life !
Civil engineering is the oldest branch of the
profession of engineering after military engineering.
Many of the important things in our lives that we
take for granted are the product of civil
engineering.
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3. Introduction
 Since time immemorial, human beings have been
engaged in building all kinds of edifices. From huts
made of mud to Taj Mahal, we have definitely
come a long way.
 As civilisations matured, it simultaneously led to
the development of bigger, better and diverse
structures. From cave dwellings, human beings
had moved on to construct houses, palaces,
canals, dams, highways, and stadia.
 These civilian structures played a significant role in
the development of human race and gave various
dimensions to human life as various activities
evolved: social, political, economic and
recreational.
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4.  Amongst all branches of engineering, the range
and application of civil engineering is the
broadest and the most visible.
 In fact, the entire infrastructural framework of
a modern nation is the creation of civil
engineers.
 The credit of building mighty power plants,
dams, airports, sea ports, highways, inland
waterways and industrial plants goes to civil
engineers.
 These professionals are also engaged in
building an unending array of urban structures
such as commercial complexes, skyscrapers,
tunnels, bridges, roads, urban rapid transport
systems, sports stadia and so on.
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5.  Civil engineers typically apply the principles
of geotechnical engineering, structural
engineering, earthquake engineering,
environmental engineering, transportation
engineering and construction engineering to
residential, commercial, industrial and public
works projects of all sizes and levels of
construction.
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Civil Engineers

6. The construction of dams
and power stations that
provide the electricity we
use every day requires
civil engineers.
The water and sewage
treatment plants that
provide us with safe
water supplies require
the expertise of civil
engineers.
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7. In fact, most structures,
large and small, require
the help of a civil
engineer in the designing,
planning or managing of
the project.
The paths and roads we travel
are civil engineering projects.
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8. Civil engineers help to preserve
environment by assisting in
cleaning up of existing pollution
and planning ways to reduce
future pollution of air, land and
water.
The scope of civil engineering has now
grown to include: Bioengineering,
Project Management, Life-cycle
Design, Real-time Monitoring,
Rehabilitation, Smart Systems, Space
Structures,...
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9. Major Specialisations
 Structural Engineering
 Geotechnical Engineering
 Transportation Engineering
 Water Resources Engineering
 Offshore Structures
 Environmental Engineering
 Environmental Geotechnology
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10.  Earth science
 Atmospheric science
 Remote Sensing
 Forensic engineering
 Materials engineering
 Municipal or Urban Engineering
 Coastal Engineering
 Construction and Management
 Quantity Surveying
 Control Engineering
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11. Structural Engineering
Deals with Analysis and Design of Structures
such as
 buildings
 Bridges, Aqueducts, Canals
 Docks & Harbours
 towers (TV, telecommunication,
transmission line,…), chimneys
 water tanks
 pressure vessels
 stadia
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12. Geotechnical Engineering
 Analysis and design of foundations for
different structures
 Design of embankments and earthen dams
 Prevention of soil erosion and land slides
 Stabilisation of slopes
 Ground improvement
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13. Transportation Engineering
Planning, design, operation and maintenance
of transport facilities
 Roads
 Railways
 Airports / airways
 Waterways
Transportation planning
Traffic engineering
Pavements
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14. Environmental Engineering
Protection of environment from pollutions
Water quality management
Sewage systems
Waste management
 industrial, hospital, etc.
Air pollution control
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15. Water Resources Engineering
Planning and design of water distribution
systems
 irrigation
 drinking and other house-hold needs
 hydroelectric power generation
Rain water harvesting
Water shed management
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16. Offshore Structures
Analysis and design, fabrication and
erection of offshore structures such as
 Jacket structures
 Gravity structures
 Compliant structures
 Floating production systems
 Offshore pipelines
 Buoys
 Mooring lines
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20. Intelligent (smart) Structures
Surveying and GPS (Global Positioning System )
GPS is a satellite-based system, operated and
maintained by the U.S. Department of Defence (DoD),
that provides accurate location and timing information
to people worldwide.
The system transmits radio signals that can be used by
GPS receivers to calculate position, velocity and time
anywhere on Earth, any time of day or night, in any
kind of weather.
The GPS is a National resource and an international
utility for positioning, navigation and timing.
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21. The World Trade Centre
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22. Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE
829.8 m tall (tallest now)
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23. The Empire State Building
New York, 1931
Commercial Office Tower,
Skyscraper
Steel Frame, Stone Cladding
102 floors, 1252 feet, 381 meters
high. Effective use of setbacks to
emphasise tower.
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24. Tokyo Sky Tree
634 m tall, Japan
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25. Petronas—
Another View
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27. Designed by John Roebling
in 1867 and completed by
his son in 1883, this bridge
is a milestone in bridge
engineering. Steel cables
were used (by spinning) for
the first time.
Brooklyn Bridge (New York)
Cable-Supported Structures…
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28. Golden Gate Bridge (San Fransisco, 1937)
Span = 1280m
Cable-Supported Structures…
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29. Royal Gorge Bridge (Colorado)
Cable-Supported Structures…
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30. Cable-stayed bridges One of the
earliest cable-
stayed bridges.
Albert Bridge
across the River
Thames, opened
in 1873. The
spans are 147 ft,
384 ft & 147 ft.
Cable-Supported Structures…
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31. Cable-stayed bridges
Cable-stayed highway bridge over the River Rhine (Germany).
Spans are 104 m, 255 m, and 104 m. Tower height is 43 m above roadway.
Cable-Supported Structures…
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32. Cable-stayed bridges
Over the River Rhine (Dusseldorf)—Single tower design with single
plane of cables and 3-lane traffic on either side of the centreline
Cable-Supported Structures…
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33. Cable-Supported Structures…
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34. Cable-Supported
Structures…
Katsushika Harp Bridge, Tokyo, 1986
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35. External Prestressing
Truc de la
Fare
Overpass,
France
5 supporting
cables, deviated
by 3 V-shaped
steel ribs
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36. Bahai Temple
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37. Award winning structures 2000
A structure of beauty is
a joy forever
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38. 12-storey building with floors hung
from the top of the central 270-ft.
high concrete core by six sets of
continuous steel bridge cables. Floors
were erected from the top down. The
core is 36 ft.  36 ft. in section, and
can be seen at both top and bottom of
the building. (Vancouver)
Cable-Supported
Structures
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40. Monorail
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41. Skybus
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Rotating tower in Dubai

44.  Wherever you might be, in cities or towns or in
the far-flung areas of the country you simply
cannot miss the creation of civil engineers.
 The nature of this profile makes it an
evergreen prospect for career minded
youngsters.
 There is an endless demand for this job profile
both in the private as well as in public sector
undertakings in our country.
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45. Is it the Right Career for Me?
 As a civil engineer, you will have to plan out,
design and supervise the construction of
different types of buildings.
 You need to posses good knowledge of
mathematics and science. Also, you must also
have good supervisory and administrative
skills.
 Furthermore, you must be ready to sweat it
out at construction sites and even work under
stressful and hostile conditions. And if you
think you fit the bill then civil engineering is
the right profession for you.
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46. Job Prospects
 There is huge demand for civil engineers in India and it
is also expected to get a boost as the country gets ready
to upgrade its infrastructure with growing economic and
political clout in the world.
 The career opens a lot of opportunities in numerous
government departments.
 Civil engineers are employed in all major construction
projects carried out by central and state government
agencies.
 There are equally good opportunities in the private
sector for civil engineers.
 A major opening for qualified civil engineers is also in
armed forces where they can make vital contribution to
the protection of the country.
 Last but not the least you can set up your own
engineering consultancy.
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47. Job Role: A Sneak peek
 A career after civil engineering is highly rewarding.
There are jobs that involve supervision,
construction, design and analyzes of private as well
as public projects, such as dams, highways, canals,
water sewages and bridges.
 The profession demands excellent skills for both
administration and supervision of projects.
 Excellence and responsibility are important factors
associated with the job. In other words, whenever
you see or read about any popular landmark in the
world (iconic works like Golden Gate Bridge, The
Gateway of India, Burj Khalifa, etc.), there is a civil
engineer involved in its construction. Isn’t it
interesting!
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48. Career Outlook
 A career as a civil engineer offers several lucrative job
avenues in both public & private sector.
 Some popular options include consulting firms, railways,
defence force, and municipal corporations. Civil
engineering includes different specializations such as
construction, geo-technical, environmental, coastal and
transportation engineering.
 The aim of every graduate is to get a highly paid job.
Experience plays a vital role in influencing your salary
package. However, the average annual salary of these
professionals includes Rs 356,262(payscale.com).
 Engineers with skills like Project Management, Visual
Basic (VB), Engineering Design, and Microsoft Project
add value to their package.
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49. A Promising Future
 To define the future prospects for civil engineering
graduates in India, lucrative opportunities can be
expected in construction, energy, and power sector.
 In fact, civil engineering is one branch of engineering
that has lesser unemployment rate than the other
branches.
 There are several fields in this branch, which will
offer maximum scope. These include:
Designing:
For finding a designing career in civil engineering,
excellent academic record and experience is
important. Knowledge of civil engineering software
such as AutoCAD, Staad Pro, Etabs, SAP, AutoTum,
and TopoCAD makes you more employable.
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50. Construction:
 projects Job as a project or construction engineer
offers career opportunities in construction field,
including road and industrial construction. It is
considered a challenging job and includes
execution of mega at different levels.
Planning:
If you possess excellent planning skills, choosing
a career in planning or project management is a
good option. Planning engineers find huge
demand in construction companies. Knowledge of
software such as MS Project and Primavera can
be helpful in this field.
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51. Another Tip:
 If you are looking for consulting or management
roles, it is important to gain work experience of at
least five or more years under a qualified
engineer.
 This prepares you to understand the industry
requirement. Moreover, those who want to start
their own company, it is mandatory to get a
license to render your services.
 Hence, the scope of civil engineering is bright in
India and across the globe. Once you have earned
an engineering degree in the field from any
reputed college, finding a job is not a herculean
task.
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52. Demand and Supply
 In the past few years, the demand for civil
engineers has exceeded the supply.
 The growth in economy and exceeding demand
for well qualified and experienced civil
engineers has resulted in towering pay levels.
 Shortage of 7,000 civil engineers is witnessed
by India every year.
 Therefore, no civil engineer can go without a
job after his graduation.
 As a civil engineer, good job opportunities will
await at your doorstep.
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54.  Market Watch
 Growth in the economy as a whole and the
construction industry in particular has brought
cheers to youth seeking to make a career in
civil engineering.
 This demand has been further pushed higher
with more multinational engineering companies
setting up their footprint across India.
 Further, the rapid increase in population and
the steady technological progress made by the
country has considerably enhanced the market
for civil engineers
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55. International Focus
 Indian engineers are in high demand in Asia,
Africa and the middle-east.
 Those graduating from IITs & NITs also manage
jobs in developed countries.
 The employment opportunities abroad are very
appealing.
 The packets are high compared with the pay
packets in India.
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56. ARCHITECTURE
 One needs certain qualities, called soft skills, to
succeed in this occupation.
 If you want to be an architect you should be
creative and have good visualization skills.
 Not only do you need to be able to create designs
for buildings and other structures, you need to be
able to see, in your mind's eye, what they will look
like once they are built.
 Since architects have to describe their ideas to
other people including clients and colleagues, you
must have strong communication skills. The ability
to think critically will help you solve problems that
inevitably arise during most projects.
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57. Advancement Opportunities
 A licensed architect, after gaining experience, may take on
increasingly responsible duties and eventual managing entire
projects.
 Architects may advance to supervisory or managerial
positions in large firms. Some become partners in established
firms while others set up their own practices.
 Job Outlook
 Employment in this field is projected to grow faster than the
average for all occupations through 2020.
 Prospective architects may face competition for positions at
prestigious firms. To increase one's chances of getting an
internship after graduation, it is important to get career-
related experience in an architectural firm while still in school.
 Those who know CADD technology will also have an
advantage.
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58. A Day in an Architect's Life
On a typical day an architect will
 Discuss the objectives, requirements, and budget of a
project
 Provide various pre-design services which may include
conducting feasibility and environmental impact studies,
selecting a site, or specifying the requirements the design
must meet
 Prepare drawings and present ideas for the client to review
 Develop final construction plans that show the building's
appearance as well as details for its construction
 Follow building codes, zoning laws, fire regulations, and
other ordinances
 Make necessary changes throughout the planning process
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59. ARCHITECTURE
 The areas of probable specialisation or career
for those with BArch
degree are as follows:
Architectural Consultancy
Interior Design
Landscape Architect
specialist in Housing
Project Management
Animater
Urban Planner
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60. Architectural Conservation
Urban Design
Disaster Management
Transport Planning
Environmental Planning
Urban Infrastructure planning
Disaster Management
Community Planning
Green Building Design
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61. Remote Sensing and GIS expert
Sustainable Planning and Design
Energy Efficient Building Design
Creative Design
Acoustics Design
Illumination Design
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62. Any Questions?
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63. Thank You!
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