What Type of Civil Engineer Should I Be

One press picks a civil engineering specialty to look into, with what it builds or works on.

What Type of Civil Engineer Should I Be

Show all 85
  1. Trenchless technology engineerDoes subsurface construction work that needs few trenches or none.

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How it works

Civil engineers plan, design and supervise the building and upkeep of bridges, roads, tunnels and water and sewage systems. Press the button for one specialty, each with what it builds or works on.

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Generalist first, specialist later

The Occupational Outlook Handbook of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics says civil engineers often work as generalists on a variety of projects, and that some specialize. Its four examples are construction, geotechnical, structural and transportation engineers. Wikipedia’s article on the field adds coastal, earthquake, environmental, forensic, municipal and water resources engineering.

Find the institute for it

The American Society of Civil Engineers has nine institutes: architectural engineering; coasts, oceans, ports and rivers; construction; engineering mechanics; environment and water resources; geotechnics; structures; transportation and development; and utilities and surveying. Their conferences and journals show the work before you choose.

  • Office or site? The handbook says civil engineers work indoors in offices and outdoors at construction sites, sometimes from a temporary office in a trailer.

Questions and answers

What are the types of civil engineering?

Sort them by what gets built: structures such as bridges and tall buildings; roads, rail and airports; water supply, sewers and dams; the ground under all of it; coasts, rivers and ports; and the streets and services of a town.

Do civil engineers need a license?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says civil engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a related field, and usually must be licensed if they provide services directly to the public. Licensure requirements vary by state.

Is a land surveyor a civil engineer?

Not in every country. Wikipedia’s civil engineering article says that in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and most Commonwealth countries land surveying is a separate profession with its own associations and licensing, though civil engineers are trained in the basics of surveying.

What type of civil engineer designs bridges?

A structural engineer. The handbook says structural engineers design and assess major projects, such as buildings, bridges and dams, to ensure their strength and durability. Highway engineering also covers the planning, building and maintenance of bridges on a road.

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All 85 specialties

Buildings, bridges and towers 14

  • Architectural engineer Deals with the engineering and construction of buildings; also called building engineering.
  • Bridge engineer Works on spans over rivers and railways: a deck on beams, arches or cables.
  • Dam engineer Works on dams, structures that hold back water or restrict its flow.
  • Demolition engineer Plans how to tear down buildings and other structures safely and efficiently.
  • Earthquake engineer Designs and analyzes structures such as buildings and bridges with earthquakes in mind.
  • Façade engineer Resolves aesthetic, environmental and structural issues in the enclosure of a building.
  • Fire protection engineer Applies science and engineering to protect people and property from fire and smoke.
  • Forensic engineer Investigates structures and components that fail or do not work as intended.
  • Offshore construction engineer Installs structures in a marine environment, usually for electricity, oil or gas.
  • Seismic retrofit engineer Modifies existing structures to make them more resistant to earthquakes.
  • Structural engineer Designs and assesses major projects such as buildings, bridges and dams for strength.
  • Structural health monitoring engineer Watches bridges and buildings over time with repeated measurements to spot changes.
  • Tall building engineer Works on very high buildings, which must carry their weight and resist wind and earthquakes.
  • Wind engineer Analyzes the effects of wind on the natural and the built environment.

Roads, rail and airports 12

  • Airport engineer Designs and constructs airports, and sets runway orientation from the predominant wind.
  • Cycling infrastructure engineer Works on what cyclists ride on: bike paths, bike lanes and cycle tracks.
  • Highway engineer Plans, designs, builds and maintains roads, highways and streets.
  • Intelligent transportation systems engineer Works on applications for traffic management that keep travelers better informed.
  • Pavement engineer Designs and maintains flexible (asphalt) and rigid (concrete) pavements.
  • Railway engineer Covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of railways.
  • Track engineer Works on railway track: rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast on a prepared subgrade.
  • Traffic engineer Works for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on roadways.
  • Transit engineer Works on metro lines, high-capacity public transport built in urban areas.
  • Transportation engineer Plans, designs and maintains streets and highways, airports, mass transit systems and harbors.
  • Transportation planner Defines the policies, goals and investments for future needs to move people and goods.
  • Tunnel engineer Works on underground and undersea passageways dug through soil, earth or rock.

Water and pipes 20

  • Desalination engineer Works on the process that turns salt water into fresh water.
  • Drainage engineer Works on the removal of surface and sub-surface water from land with too much.
  • Flood management engineer Works on methods that reduce or prevent the harm done by flood waters.
  • Hydraulic engineer Deals with the flow and conveyance of fluids, mainly water and sewage.
  • Hydrogeologist Deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in soil and rock.
  • Hydrologist Studies the movement, distribution and management of water.
  • Hydropower engineer Works on using falling or fast-running water to produce electricity.
  • Irrigation engineer Works on applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops.
  • Low-impact development engineer Manages stormwater runoff through land planning and design, as part of green infrastructure.
  • Pipeline engineer Works on systems of pipes that carry a liquid or gas over long distances.
  • Sanitary engineer Improves sanitation: the removal of human waste and the supply of safe drinking water.
  • Sewer engineer Works on sewerage: sewers with their drains, manholes and pumping stations.
  • Stormwater engineer Designs drains that carry excess rain off paved streets, car parks and roofs.
  • Sustainable drainage engineer Designs drainage that is aligned with natural water processes.
  • Trenchless technology engineer Does subsurface construction work that needs few trenches or none.
  • Utility engineer Manages the risks of buried utilities: mapping them, coordinating them and designing relocations.
  • Wastewater engineer Works on the treatment that removes contaminants from sewage before discharge.
  • Water resources engineer Is concerned with the collection and management of water as a natural resource.
  • Water supply engineer Works on water supply networks, from the raw water collection point onward.
  • Water treatment engineer Works on removing unwanted chemicals, biological contaminants and solids from water.

Ground and tunnels 12

  • Earthworks engineer Works on engineering works made by processing quantities of soil or unformed rock.
  • Engineering geologist Applies geology so that geological factors are accounted for in engineering works.
  • Foundation engineer Applies soil and rock mechanics to the element that connects a structure to the ground.
  • Geoenvironmental engineer Works to protect groundwater and to maintain landfills safely.
  • Geological engineer Applies geological science and engineering to civil engineering, mining and other fields.
  • Geotechnical engineer Ensures the safety and sturdiness of foundations for streets, buildings and other structures.
  • Offshore geotechnical engineer Designs foundations for structures in the sea, such as oil platforms and artificial islands.
  • Remediation engineer Works on removing, treating and containing pollution in soil, groundwater and sediment.
  • Retaining wall engineer Designs rigid walls that hold soil at different levels on their two sides.
  • Rock mechanics engineer Studies the mechanical behavior of rocks and rock masses.
  • Slope stability engineer Assesses whether inclined soil and rock slopes will withstand movement.
  • Soil mechanics specialist Describes the behavior of soils, which are mixtures of fluids and particles.

Coasts, rivers and ports 10

  • Breakwater engineer Works on permanent structures that protect a coast against tides, currents and waves.
  • Canal engineer Works on artificial waterways built for drainage or for water transport.
  • Coastal defense engineer Works on defense against flooding and erosion at the coast.
  • Coastal engineer Deals with building at or near the coast: waves, tides, storm surges and salt water.
  • Dredging engineer Works on the excavation of material from a water environment.
  • Hydrographic surveyor Measures and describes features that affect navigation, marine construction and dredging.
  • Land reclamation engineer Works on creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds.
  • Navigation lock engineer Works on locks, which raise and lower boats between stretches of water at different levels.
  • Port and harbor engineer Handles the design, construction and operation of ports, harbors and canals.
  • River engineer Studies human intervention in the course, characteristics or flow of a river.

Towns, sites and the environment 8

  • Ecological engineer Uses ecology and engineering to design, construct or restore ecosystems.
  • Environmental engineer Deals with treating wastes, purifying water and air, and cleaning up contaminated sites.
  • Infrastructure asset manager Sustains public assets such as water treatment facilities, sewer lines, roads and bridges.
  • Land development engineer Looks at what a site could become, and at permitting issues and environmental challenges.
  • Municipal engineer Looks after a town's streets, sidewalks, water supply networks, sewers and street lighting.
  • Public works engineer Works on infrastructure projects that a government body finances and procures.
  • Site engineer Converts a tract of land from one use to another: site visits, meetings and construction plans.
  • Solid waste engineer Works on the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste.

Building, measuring and checking 9

  • BIM engineer Creates and manages digital representations of a building's physical and functional characteristics.
  • Construction engineer Manages construction projects so they are scheduled and built to plans and specifications.
  • Construction manager Applies project management to the planning, design and construction of a project.
  • Construction materials engineer Studies the materials of civil works: concrete, asphalt concrete, aluminum and steel.
  • Construction surveyor Stakes out reference points and markers that guide new roads, rail or buildings.
  • Cost engineer Manages project cost: estimating, cost control, cost forecasting and risk analysis.
  • Geomatics engineer Collects, stores, analyzes and presents geographic data.
  • Land surveyor Establishes land boundaries; a separate licensed profession in the US, Canada and the UK.
  • Quantity surveyor Brings expert knowledge of construction costs and contracting to a project.