Hello hello! I’m Jolie, and welcome to my first blog as the Part II Civil & Environmental Engineering blogger! As someone who left specialisation choices to the last minute, I hope to share some of my own experiences with you to help you make the right decision. When it comes down to choosing your specialisation, the most important thing to know is what you’re getting urself into.
So… what is Civil & Environmental Engineering?
When I was in Part I, whenever someone mentioned civil engineering, I’d think of things like roads, bridges, construction sites, and those bright neon vests. Basically, full-on Bob the Builder vibes 👷♀️. And while that’s definitely a part of it, civil & environmental engineering is much broader than that.
Civil engineering is a very diverse discipline that branches into several subfields. And as you go further into your studies, you will get to explore and even specialise in an area that interests you the most! To give you an idea, some of the main subfields you come across are:
🚆Transportation Engineering
If you’ve ever taken public transport, driven on a road, or walked along a footpath, guess what? Transportation engineers have been a part of it! To sum it up, transport engineers design how people and goods move around. They focus on designing safe and efficient transportation systems to help connect communities.
💧Water Engineering
Water engineering is all about planning and designing how water moves through our environment and infrastructure. Water engineers help design systems that manage stormwater, prevent flooding, and provide clean drinking water. The work they do has a direct impact on public health, safety, and also our environment.
🌋Geotechnical Engineering
Geotech engineers specialise in understanding the behaviour of soil, rock and underground conditions, and how these interact with structures. They assess ground conditions to design safe foundations, tunnels and other underground structures. The work they do helps prevent landslides, cracks in the ground or buildings sinking over time. This is especially important in NZ, where our natural terrain is unique and natural disasters like earthquakes occur more often than other places.
🍃Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineers focus on developing solutions to environmental problems. This can include waste management, air and water quality, and reducing our overall environmental impact. The work they do helps to address challenges such as climate change and improve the well-being of both people and the planet.
But what’s the difference between Civil & Structural Engineers? 🏛️
In the past, structural engineering used to be combined with civil engineering in one specialisation, with students having to take five courses in one semester 😅. Thankfully, this is no longer the case, but they are now separate specialisations.
Structural engineers are specialists within the civil engineering field. They focus specifically on structural systems and how they behave in natural disasters like earthquakes. If you are interested in learning about structures and want to work on major projects like skyscrapers or bridges, structural engineering could be the path for you.
Civil engineering students must also take some structural courses, but choosing civil engineering as your specialisation won’t qualify you to work on large scale projects like skyscrapers or bridges.
If you’re unsure whether to go for civil or structural engineering, don’t worry! In part II, civil and structural students take the same courses, making it much easier to switch between the two if you change your mind. To learn more about the courses you need to take as you progress, visit this link: Course Viewer
Final Thoughts 💭
Civil & environmental engineering is a specialisation that can open many doors for you. Whether you are interested in improving transport systems, solving environmental issues, or wanting to be a part of a spec that makes a real impact on communities, there’s a path for you. I hope that this gives you a clearer picture of what civil and environmental engineering is all about.
That’s all from me for now, till next time!
Jolie ✨