Building on dreams

Whereever you see construction work going on, you can count on the involvement of a civil engineer with it. Civil engineering involves the analysis, planning, design, construction and maintenance of facilities that are required by the community.

The work

Civil Engineers design and execute structural works. The work of civil engineers can be categorised as:

Work performed before construction, which includes feasibility studies, site investigations, and design.

Work performed during construction (dealing with clients, consulting engineers, and contractors)

Work performed after construction (maintenance and research).

Civil engineers work on various projects, which could range from the design and construction of highrise buildings, bridges, dams and transportation systems, including highways, airports and ports. They also work on housing and urban development projects and environmental protection and energy production projects.

They also ensure that the structural frameworks of buildings are able to bear the load for which they are being built and also endure heat, cold and tremors.

Attributes

The qualities required in order to be successful in this field are practicality, perseverance, numerical ability, organising ability, ability to work under pressure and with people. Also, you need to enjoy working with tools, drawing sketches of complex things and operations, and conceptualising forms and structures.

Job opportunities

With the boom in the construction industry, there are immense work opportunities for civil engineers in the country. In the government sector, civil engineers can find jobs in the armed forces and the departments of irrigation, public works, roads, airports, harbours, ports, railways, water and sewerage. Construction companies engaged in housing, infrastructure and consultancy offer employment options to civil engineers. Apart from this, teaching and private consultancies are also other employment options available.

Entry

The basic qualification you require in order to become an engineer is a degree (BE/B Tech) or a diploma.

Eligibility

To apply for a BE / B.Tech degree, the eligibility is 10+2 or equivalent examination, with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Selection to engineering courses is based either on merit or marks secured in the final exam at the plus two level or the candidate’s performance in the entrance exams.

A Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is conducted by the six Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) at Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur and Guwahati, and the Institute of Technology (BHU) at Varanasi for admission to their courses.

All-India examinations for admission to B.Tech/BE course are also conducted by The Birla Institute of Technology, at Pilani, Rajasthan, and at Ranchi; the University of Roorkee, UP; Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal; the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Annamalai University etc.

The 17 Regional Engineering Colleges across the country offer admission to engineering courses on the basis of marks obtained in the Plus Two examination. A bachelor’s degree is also offered by the Associate Membership Examination of the Institute of Engineers (AMIE), to enable people working in the private and public sector, or diploma holders to acquire their degree through distance education, for career advancement.

The BE degree course in civil engineering covers structures, construction and surveying, foundation, fluid mechanics, hydraulics, environmental engineering, irrigation engineering, soil analysis, strength of materials, cost and works management and pollution control.

The BE/B.Tech courses are of four years' duration while the diploma courses are of 2-3 years' duration.

Educational Institutions

Here are a few institutes that offer courses in Civil Engineering:

Indian Institute of Technology (New Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, and Chennai)

Regional Engineering Colleges (Warangal, Andhra Pradesh ; Silchar, Assam ; Jamshedpur, Bihar; Surat, Gujarat ; Kurukshetra, Haryana; Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir; Surathkal, Karnataka ; Calicut, Kerala ; Visvesvaraya REC, Nagpur, Maharashtra ; Rourkela, Orissa ; Jaipur, Rajasthan ; Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu ; Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh ; Durgapur, West Bengal ; Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh ; Jalandhar, Punjab.)

Birla Institute of Technology (BITS) - (Pilani and Ranchi.)

Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi.

University of Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttar Pradesh.

Jadavpur University, Calcutta.