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What is Civil Engineering?

Get a Master's in Civil Engineering

The Civil Engineering B.S.

Civil engineering lies at the heart of our built environment, encompassing the design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, buildings and water supply systems.

Civil engineers use scientific principles and technical expertise to ensure the integrity, functionality and sustainability of structures and systems we live with every day.

Whether your interests are in land development or designing your dream house, building bridges or developing water distribution systems and treatment plants, or creating the highways and transportation systems of the future, a civil engineering degree from Florida Tech prepares you to enter the workforce with maximum skills and a minimum need for additional training.

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Why Choose Florida Tech for Civil Engineering?

With Florida Tech’s rigorous civil engineering curriculum, you’ll develop a strong background in engineering and hands-on experience in computer-aided design and construction management.

Careers in Civil Engineering

Civil engineers are needed everywhere. Florida Tech’s civil engineering students are hired by private architectural, construction, environmental, geotechnical, land development, structural, transportation and water resources companies, including several national and multinational companies. Our students work for cities, counties, municipalities and state and federal agencies, as well as organizations such as Disney.

Many civil engineers hold supervisory or administrative positions, while others work in design, project management, research and teaching.

While government funding is often the source for civil engineering projects, private company projects will continue to fuel demand for civil engineering careers. Several of our graduates have become entrepreneurs and started their own companies.

Civil engineering jobs include:

  • City engineer
  • County engineer
  • Environmental engineer
  • Geotechnical engineer
  • Materials engineer
  • Pipeline transportation
  • Structural engineer
  • Transportation engineer
  • Urban and regional planner
  • Project manager
  • Urban transit systems
  • Water resources engineer

Looking ahead to your future career can be exciting! Keep in mind that certain roles may entail additional prerequisites, such as an advanced degree.

Florida Tech Career Services assists students, alumni and employers in their search for careers and employee candidates. We help students develop career plans and job-search skills. Explore our Career Toolbox to learn more about our services and access additional resources.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides information about specific jobs, including median annual pay, working conditions and job outlook, among other things. Check the handbook for information on the outlook for civil engineering careers.

Advanced Degree Options

After receiving their civil engineering degree, some students continue their graduate studies at Florida Tech and other prestigious universities, specializing in areas such as construction, environmental design, structural engineering, transportation/highway engineering and water resource design.

Post-graduate programs our students choose include:

Explore the Civil Engineering, B.S., Curriculum

The Civil Engineering, B.S., Curriculum

During the first two years of the civil engineering degree program at Florida Tech, you’ll build a solid foundation with courses in chemistry, mathematics, physics and engineering mechanics, augmented by practice-oriented civil engineering courses—including computer-aided design. Your classroom studies are enhanced through field trips and lab work.

You will take courses in all main areas of civil engineering—construction engineering, construction management, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, transportation engineering and water resources engineering—to become familiar with the entire breadth of civil engineering. You'll have the option to specialize through taking electives in your discipline(s) of choice.

As a junior and senior, the emphasis is on project-based learning, and you will complete several real-world design projects as part of course assignments, including a two-course capstone design project in collaboration with a team of your peers. Engineering fundamentals are emphasized in all courses, so students are well-prepared to pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination during the senior year. 

Classes include:

  • Construction Measurements
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Leading Construction Operations

Check the catalog for a description of all courses.

Download the Civil Engineering, B.S. Curriculum now!

Well-Engineered Research Opportunities

Students presenting their design for a plastic recycling plant

Capstone projects are designed to simulate a real-world civil engineering situation and include multiple presentations and investigations of project feasibility and environmental impacts.

As part of the capstone experience, you’ll take your designs from basic blueprints to presentable projects and showcase them to industry leaders and prospective employers at the Northrop Grumman Engineering and Science Student Design Showcase held on campus each spring.

Recent projects have included design of a plastic recycling plant using sustainable processes to minimize the production of construction-related waste, and development of plans for an entire community of energy-efficient and affordable housing, from roads and water systems to home foundations, layouts and materials.

Florida Tech is well known for our fully equipped civil engineering laboratories and faculty who are actively engaged in a wide range of research areas, including construction management, geotechnical engineering, materials, structures, transportation and water resources. Faculty encourage students to get involved in research projects. 

 

Learn more about Civil Engineering at Florida Tech on the website.

You’ve Got a Network to Build—It Starts Here

Beyond the classroom, civil engineering degree students build leadership and professional experience through exciting internships and participation in academic organizations like Tau Beta Pi (the oldest engineering honor society in the U.S.), student government and over 200 other campus-wide student organizations.

Florida Tech’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is one of our most active organizations on campus. ASCE takes part in several national competitions to test members' engineering skills, including concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions. Our concrete canoe team has reached the national level several times and receives sponsorships from a variety of local businesses.

Chi Epsilon is a civil engineering honor society dedicated to honoring engineering students who have exemplified the principles of scholarship, character, practicality and sociability in the civil engineering profession.

These organizations offer networking opportunities for future civil engineering internships and careers.

In addition to on-campus groups, professional groups like the Construction Industry Advisory Board (CIAC) provide students with a solid understanding of the many difficult management issues engineering professionals face in the construction industry. The Civil Engineering Advisory Committee (CEAC) connects students with the civil engineering industry by providing guest lecturers, field trip opportunities and civil engineering internships.

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