B.
ATTRIBUTES OF A CIVIL ENGINEER
In order to carry out the engineering work outlined above, a civil engineer is likely to possess
certain attributes, in addition to the abilities and skills acquired through the educational process of a
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE) degree program. These attributes are listed here.
1. Analytical and Organized. The application of the vast amount of knowledge in civil engineering to
solving real-life problems requires an analytical approach and an organized mind. Civil engineers
are generally very organized in their daily lives as well.
2. Bold in Conception and Careful in Details. Seeking solutions to real-life problems requires a bold
conceptual design. Every new project is different and requires the exploration of different solution
outlines. In carrying out the details of the design, the civil engineer must be careful in every step to
ensure safety and accuracy.
3. Creative but Conservative. Finding new and economical solutions to civil engineering problems
requires a creative mind that thinks beyond the accepted and regular practices, but the reliability
and safety of the created product requires a conservative assessment in every aspect, because for
every civil engineering product, failure is not an option.
4. Dependable and Trustworthy. Civil engineers depend on each other in teamwork. Everyone is
entrusted to produce reliable and accurate work. Civil engineering projects are all time-sensitive.
On-time delivery is highly valued and even financially rewarded as may be written in a contract.
5. Ethical and Honest. The impact of a civil engineering project is usually aThe because it entails the
creation of a new built environment, large or small. A civil engineer must be ethical in practice and
honest in character in order to earn the public trust. In Chapter 6, engineering ethics issues are
described.
6. Forthright but Personable. Civil engineers need to communicate with others effectively. Very rarely
does a civil engineer work alone. The teamwork necessitated by the nature of the engineering work
requires a civil engineer to possess excellent interpersonal skills to be able to fit in and work well
with others.
7. Passionate About Work. The authors never met a civil engineer who is not passionate and proud of
what they do. Because civil engineer products are everywhere and visible, it is possible to see a
civil engineer pointing to a building, a bridge, a river, or other structures and proudly announcing
his/her contribution.
C. RELATED DISCIPLINES
Some of the disciplines that interact or overlap with civil engineering are described here.
1. Applied Mechanics. Mechanics is one of the early and basic areas in physics. It studies the nature
and effects of force. Applied or engineering mechanics emphasizes the application aspects of the
theory of mechanics. Civil engineering structures are subjected to the effects of gravitational force,
wind, and earthquakes, and effects of temperature change. Various applied mechanics areas ranging
from the fundamental statics, dynamics, fluid mechanics, and mechanics of materials to more
advanced areas such as thermal stress and wave propagation have direct applications in structural
engineering, geotechnical engineering, water resources engineering, environmental engineering, and
construction engineering.
2. Architectural Engineering. Architectural engineering specializes in the aesthetics and structural
design of buildings. The structural design aspect of architectural engineering overlaps with structural
engineering. The aesthetical design aspect of architectural engineering applies the knowledge
developed in architecture studies. Architectural engineers also study and apply knowledge in
electrical and mechanical systems to building designs.
3. Agricultural Engineering. Agricultural engineering traditionally entails two technical areas: irrigation
engineering and mechanization. Irrigation engineering is part of hydraulic engineering while the
mechanization of agricultural engineering is part of mechanical engineering. Since the advent of DNA
engineering, the use of basic molecular biology techniques to change the properties of a specific crop
becomes an important addition to agricultural engineering and a new and broader field of
bioengineering emerges.
4. Aerospace Engineering. Aerospace Engineering entails aeronautical engineering and astronautical
engineering, which develops vehicles that fly through the earth’s atmosphere and beyond,
respectively. The structural analysis and design of the flying vehicles, airplanes, and spacecraft, is
most similar to that of civil structural engineering. The difference is in the nature of forces acting on
the structures.
5. Biomedical Engineering. Biomedical engineering specializes in the applications of engineering to the
medical field, including medical imaging, surgical devices, and implant devices. The structural
analysis and design of medical devices and implants overlaps with civil structural engineering in the
basic tools used and differs in the nature of forces acting on the devices.
6. Naval Architecture. As briefly described before, naval architecture specialized in the design of ships.
The analysis and design of ship structures is similar to that of civil structures and uses similar
computational tools. The difference is in the nature of forces acting on the structures
