Masters in Civil Engineering Jobs
Masters in Civil Engineering Jobs
Civil engineering is the second oldest engineering field in the world, led only by military engineering according to Wikipedia. It is the long established baseline engineering discipline for all types of engineering work unrelated to the battlefield; all of the various engineering specializations today stem from civil engineering. Within the masters of civil engineering degree program at many schools students can choose an area of concentration that allows them to gain additional expertise in a given area. Environmental engineering is a recent offshoot of civil engineering; in many schools the academic programs are similar. But rather than managing the engineering for a new structure or public works project from an architectural perspective, the environmental engineer looks at the potential impact on air and water quality, at potential traffic issues, even archaeological impacts.
Civil engineering is by far the most common discipline in the engineering profession and will remain so, with an expected growth rate of almost 25% over the next ten years. Though civil engineers are still much in demand, the tools of the trade are changing dramatically and so is the education required to excel in the field. A masters in civil engineering provides training in the use of software not only for CAD purposes but also for project management training through the use of critical path software, budget management and on large projects, supply chain management. All of these skills are critical to civil engineering management roles, those jobs that reside at the top of the career hierarchy.
1. Civil Inspection Engineer: All major firms have their own titles for this role, but an inspections engineer plays a key role in quality control for major construction projects. There are several elements to the job title, which include responsibility for Inspection of materials and equipments purchased, and thereafter equipment and facilities constructed. The quality control continues throughout the construction process, ensuring compliance with plans and schedules, with internal standards, with building codes and with any national or international standards. Inspection engineers are especially critical in firms with major offshore development projects such as Saudi Aramco.
2. Geotechnical Engineer: This is one of those civil engineering specializations that a professional often develops through a combination of graduate level engineering studies and on the job training. The complex nature of a new construction project and the ground beneath involves much more than soil conditions today. A geotechnical civil engineer surveys a site and project for soil preparation and foundation requirements, for the impact on any nearby water both on the surface and beneath the surface, and the potential for project problems when heavy weather or flood conditions may prevail. Geotechnical work may also involve evaluating a site for improvements or reconstruction based on code and environmental requirements that didn't exist when the original project went up.
3. Water Resources Engineer: This is another field that usually falls into the public works category, whether the engineer is working for a construction firm or for a government jurisdiction. Water resources engineering may include designing flood or storm damage systems or water delivery systems. In damage control projects the work may include redesigning channels, levees, floodwalls and may include dam improvements. For water delivery systems some knowledge of hydrology is generally required, an excellent choice of study options in a masters in civil engineering program.
4. Transportation Engineer: Civil engineers working in this field may find careers in a state department of transportation or at the federal level. But most of the contracting for new highways or highway improvements, or for interchanges is done by private firms that specialize in road development. The work includes designing grading, utility mapping, retaining walls, and related tasks such as bridge design or overpass design. Careers in this field necessarily involve a lot of paperwork because the contractor is working under government oversight.
5. Engineering Project Management: In this professional niche a master's degree in civil engineering can really pay off. Project management for large construction or redesign projects usually includes contributing to the design and plans for a project, construction drawings and specifications, cost and quantity estimates, and analysis of the geotechnical, civil, and structural issues. The management role extends to supervising other engineers on the project, technical direction, and schedule compliance.
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