Civil engineering
Civil Engineering
Civil engineering (pronunciation: /ˈsɪv.ɪl ˌɛn.dʒɪˈnɪər.ɪŋ/) is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings. The term civil engineering is derived from the Latin civis, meaning 'citizen', and ingenium, meaning 'cleverness'.
History
Civil engineering is arguably the oldest engineering discipline. It deals with the built environment and can be traced to the very beginnings of human history. The term itself was coined in the 18th century to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering.
Sub-disciplines
Civil engineering has several sub-disciplines including:
- Structural engineering: Structural engineers design and analyze buildings, bridges, power plants, electrical towers, dams, and other large structures that are essential to life as we know it.
- Transportation engineering: Transportation engineers plan, design, operate and maintain everyday systems such as streets and highways, but they also plan and design complex systems such as airports and harbors.
- Environmental engineering: Environmental engineers use the principles of engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems.
- Geotechnical engineering: Geotechnical engineers make use of the principles of soil mechanics and rock mechanics to investigate subsurface conditions and materials, determine the relevant physical/mechanical and chemical properties of these materials, and evaluate stability of natural slopes and man-made soil deposits.
Education and licensing
In most countries, a bachelor's degree in engineering represents the first step towards professional certification and the degree program itself is certified by a professional body. After completing a certified degree program, the engineer must satisfy a range of requirements including work experience and exam requirements before being certified.
See also
- Architectural engineering
- Construction engineering
- Earthquake engineering
- Forensic engineering
- Hydraulic engineering
- Municipal or urban engineering
- Water resources engineering
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Civil engineering
- Wikipedia's article - Civil engineering
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski