What can you do with a Civil Engineering degree?

Pursuing Civil Engineering at Birmingham, I have gained insight into the world around me and how it is designed, built, and maintained. Whether that’s buildings, bridges, roads, water use and supply, or sustainable infrastructure, civil engineering is all around us, but we don't always see it.

The course is designed in such a way that modules get harder over the course of the degree, as each module unveils new complex concepts in the world of civil engineering. It’s difficult, but one thing I really like is the ability to apply the technical learning to the real world.

The modules and facilities in Civil Engineering enabled me to make the subject interesting, practical, and meaningful. The Geotechnical Engineering and Construction Practice and Management modules have unlocked new perspectives on my degree and helped me map my career.

Geotechnical Engineering

I found this module intriguing as it sharpened my vague idea about the correlation between a structure and ground. Before I studied Civil Engineering, it was easy to focus on the buildings and bridges that are above ground. But once I heard about soils and their behaviour under different loads, foundations, and ground conditions, I realised that all structures are successful because of what is going on beneath the foundations.

I feel this area is interesting because it demonstrates that Civil Engineering is not just a design discipline, but also a study of the natural world in which structures are constructed. It has helped me gain a broad understanding of how engineers make decisions and solve problems prior to building even starting.

Construction Practice and Management

I was always curious about how massive projects are handled when there are many people with different backgrounds involved in them. During the Construction Practice and Management module, I clearly understood the planning, organising and delivering of projects, not just in terms of design and calculations in practice.

In addition to covering the module’s syllabus, the professor’s insights into the industry were the cherry on top, as I came to understand how the construction industry was moving. It is fascinating to hear about how decisions are made regarding time, cost, safety, and resources on a construction site.

It has taught me that technical knowledge is not only what is needed to be a successful engineer, but also communication skills, teamwork, and effective management. The environment here has presented me with a great opportunity to learn the role of civil engineers in the entire process of building a project, from the initial planning stages to the successful completion of the project.

Facilities

One of my favourite things about doing Civil Engineering at Birmingham is the opportunity to relate the things that are learnt in lectures to the real world. The facilities provided to the students make the course more interesting, as they give us a glimpse of engineering principles beyond calculations and theories.

The facilities of the laboratories are useful, especially to the students as they will be able to gain an understanding of the behaviour of materials, soils and open channel flows in actual situations. By visualising concepts in practice, it becomes easier to understand them and provides a better understanding of what working in the engineering industry may entail.

The School of Engineering also has facilities that can be used for project work and creative thought, including the Design Centre and Makerspace. These facilities are useful because, usually in Civil Engineering, it is not only technical questions that are worked out, but also teamwork, the development of design, and solving problems. Visiting facilities has helped me better understand the latest technology used in the planning phase of a construction project.

I feel this is a very practical aspect of the course which enables students to apply their knowledge and understanding with a degree of confidence. It also makes the transition from university to the workplace more attainable. These experiences will affect how I will develop as a person for the rest of my life.

You can check out a video of the Makerspace on the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences’ Instagram page.

As a whole, these areas have taught me about the diversity of Civil Engineering and the multitude of career pathways that may lie ahead. The facilities at Birmingham are also a great factor as students can learn, alongside having the opportunities to learn practically, which will ultimately help in preparing a student for the industry while encouraging their choices.