What is a Civil Engineer?

The name "civil engineer" has been used since about 1800 to describe the engineer who builds systems to meet the basic community needs of the civilian population.

Civil engineers plan, build, and manage the infrastructure that underpins our society and preserves the environment. They grapple with nearly every aspect of our everyday life - overcrowded roads, obsolete bridges, crowded urban areas, contaminated water, floods, airports, and other vital facilities.

When you take a shower, the water comes from a water treatment plant and a network of pipes designed by civil engineers. The dirty water is cleaned at a wastewater treatment plant designed by civil engineers. When you go to school or work, your road was designed by civil engineers. The drains which carry away rainfall were designed by civil engineers. The structure of the building where you attend classes or work was designed by a civil engineer. Even the electricity you use was brought to you over transmission lines, whose towers were designed by civil engineers.

The need to provide for both environmental quality and our infrastructure challenges civil engineers to meet the needs of a growing population with spiraling demands on the natural environment. The civil engineering student is prepared for these challenges by studying actual engineering projects. Computers are used extensively in design, visualization, and management, with the result that the civil engineer is an experienced user of software and computer graphics.

Civil engineers deal directly with their clients - government agencies, community or citizen's groups, companies, and investors. Skills in communication, management, and personal relations are all very important in the civil engineering profession.

More than other professions, the civil engineer has extensive interactions with the public - serving people where they live and work. The Civil Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a rich history of contributing to local, state, national and international needs of society.