The civil engineering undergraduate curriculum in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin provides you, our students, with a strong foundation in the traditional areas of civil engineering practice. The structure of the curriculum allows you the flexibility to tailor your studies to one or more areas of practice: Construction Engineering and Project Management, Construction Materials, Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering, or Water Resources Engineering. At the same time, the breadth and depth of our program will equip you with a solid background, should you decide to follow a non-traditional career path, or choose to pursue research and graduate studies either within or outside civil engineering.
To help you better understand the choices you can make when designing your course of study, this website provides a description of each of the most commonly encountered areas of practice, together with examples of typical employers and career paths, and the courses that can better prepare you for each area. Civil Engineering offers a broad spectrum of employment opportunities, in both the public and the private sectors, within the US and abroad. These opportunities exist in both technical and management positions within organizations of varying size that deal with a dizzying array of issues associated with both engineered and natural systems. Organizations that operate on a larger geographical scale frequently provide the opportunity for travel and have the expectation of occasional relocations as your career progresses. Some jobs afford the opportunity to work outside (e.g., construction-related positions), some (e.g., design oriented) can allow you to qualify faster for a P.E. license than others, and some engineering specializations are centralized in large urban areas. Careers in engineering education and research are other possibilities for those who go on to earn a Ph.D. Given the variety and complexity of career choices, you should use this website only as a starting point for discussions with practicing engineers, faculty members, and career professionals (http://ecac.engr.utexas.edu/; http://www.utexas.edu/student/careercenter/) when considering your own career interests and the courses that will best serve those interests.
Your education at the University of Texas will provide an excellent foundation. To ensure a successful career you will need to further develop your technical and non-technical skills through a combination of practical experience and education. Because technology will continue to evolve, continuing education throughout your career is essential. Also, because many civil engineering jobs involve a significant amount of interaction with other team members, clients, and the general public, good communication and interpersonal skills will always be critical to success. Later in your career, business skills can be very useful as you move into management (and possibly ownership) positions in engineering organizations. More so than with other engineering fields, civil engineering has many entrepreneurial opportunities in businesses ranging from small consulting firms to the largest companies. Whatever career path you choose, this Department is committed to helping you succeed in meeting your goals.
Download the CE Career Guidance in PDF format.