What is Civil Engineering?
Civil engineering includes planning, designing, improving and supervising the construction of facilities essential to modern life. These facilities vary widely in nature, size and scope, including buildings, roads and bridges, tunnels, highways, dams, airports, space satellites, launching facilities, offshore structures, irrigation projects, water supply and distribution systems, and wastewater collection and treatment plants. Major specialties within civil engineering are structural, water resources, environmental, construction, transportation, highway and geotechnical engineering.

The term "civil engineering" essentially indicates projects related to public works; the work itself may involve principles of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or other specialized fields.

Research Areas at UCLA:

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Earthquake Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Water Resource Systems Engineering
• Structural Engineering and Mechanics

What are some occupations related to Civil Engineering?
Many civil engineers hold supervisory or administrative positions, from supervisor of a construction site to city engineer. Others may work in design, construction, research, and teaching.

What are some industries that recruit Civil Engineering majors?
Federal, State and Local government
Construction
Engineering and architectural services

Who are some employers that have recruited UCLA Civil Engineering majors?
Accenture
Anubus
Black & Veatch
Bovis Construction Corp
Cal Trans
CIM Vision
CMGI Solutions
Dassault Systems
Deloitte Consulting
Dept. of PublicWorks
Earth Mechanics
Exponent
ExxonMobile
FCI Constructors, Inc.
Fluor Daniel
Gemstar Development Corp
Geomatrix
Geovision
Idea edge
Kleinfelder
KPFF
LA Department of Public Works
LA Department of Water and Power
Law Crandall
Metropolitan Water District of Southern CA
Montgomery Watson
Pacific Bell
Parsons
Phillips Semiconductor
PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP
Rehrig Pacific Company
Rockwell Collins
Sanitation District of LA County
State Water Resources Control Board
Structural Integrity Engineering
Tetra Tech, Inc.
Texaco, Inc.
Trilogy
URS Corporation

Which Student Groups are related to Civil Engineering:
American Society of Civil Engineers www.seas.ucla.edu/asce
Engineering Society of University of California www.esuc.seas.ucla.edu
Engineering Graduate Student Association www.seas.ucla.edu/egsa

Professional Associations:
American Society of Civil Engineers www.asce.org
American Institute of Engineers www.members-aie.org
American Association of Engineering Societies www.aaes.org
American Association of Engineering Societies www.aaes.org
Resources - Scholarly Societies www.scholarly-societies.org/civileng_soc.html

Some Web Resources for further research and information:
ASCE Publications www.pubs.asce.org/cedbsrch.html
Civil Engineering Research Foundation www.cerf.org
Civil Engineers from Occupational Outlook Handbook stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos030.htm

Some resources available in the UCLA Career Center Library:

• For Career Exploration
  Career Management for Scientists and Engineers by John K. Borchardt
  Careers in Engineering by Geraldine O. Garner
  “Civil Engineers” In The Chronicle Occupational Library by CGP
  Directory Of California Technology Companies By Harris Info Source
  Great Jobs for Engineering Majors by Geraldine O. Garner
  Is There an Engineer Inside You?: A Comprehensive Guide to Career Decisions in Engineering by Celeste Baine
  Job Choices In Science, Engineering, And Technology By Nace
  Jobs Available: A Listing Of Employment Opportunities In The Public Sector [Periodical]
  Military Careers by the U.S. Department of Defense [See: “Engineering, Science, and Technical Occupations: Civil Engineers”]
  Opportunities In Civil Engineering Careers by D. Joseph Hagerty & Louis F. Cohn
  Opportunities In State And Local Government Careers by Neale Baxter
  Plunkett’s Engineering And Research Industry Almanac by Jack Plunkett, ed.
  Professional Careers Sourcebook: Where to find help planning careers that require college or technical degrees", 5th ed. Kathleen E. Maki & Kathleen M. Savage, eds.
  
  
• GRADUATE SCHOOL
  The Best Graduate Programs: Engineering, 2nd ed. By the Princeton Review
  The Grad School Handbook By Richard Jerrard & Margot Jerrard
  Graduate School Admissions Advisor by Kaplan [See: “Chapter 7: Engineering”]
  Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way Into The Graduate School Of Your Choice by Donald Asher
  Peterson’s Graduate Programs In Engineering And Applied Sciences by Peterson’s
  Rea’s Authoritative Guide To Graduate Schools by the Research and Education Association [See “Chapter 11: Chemical Engineering”]

Prepared by Iris Morgan in collaboration with HSSEAS faculty/staff, 2004.