Practicing Engineers
In most countries, a
bachelor's degree in engineering represents the first step towards professional
certificate, and a professional body certifies the degree program. After
completing a certified the degree program, the engineer must satisfy a range of
requirements including work experience and exam requirements before being
certified. Once certified, the engineer is designated as a professional
engineer (In the United States, Canada and South Africa), a chartered engineer
(in most commonwealth countries), a chartered professional engineer (in
Australia and New Zealand), or a European engineer (in most countries of the
European Union). There are international agreements between relevant
professional bodies to allow engineers to practice across national borders.
The benefits of certification
vary depending upon location. For example, in the United States and Canada,
"only a licensed professional engineer may prepare, sign and seal, and
submit engineering plans and drawings to public authority for approval, or seal
engineering work for public and private clients. This requirement is enforced
under provincial law such as the Engineers Act in Quebec. No such legislation
has been enacted in other countries including the United Kingdom. In Australia,
state licensing of engineers is limited to the state of Queensland. Almost all
certifying bodies maintain a code of ethics which all members must abide by.
Engineer must obey contract
law in their contractual relationships with other parties, in cases where an
engineer's work fails, they may be subject to the law of tort of negligence,
and in extreme cases, criminal chargers. An engineer's work must also comply
with numerous other rules and regulations such as building codes and
environmental law.
Sub-disciplines
There are a number of
sub-disciplines within the broad field of civil engineering. General civil
engineers work closely with surveyors and specialized civil engineers to design
grading, drainage, pavement, water supply, sewer service, dams, electric and
communications supply. General civil engineering is also referred to as site
engineering, a branch of civil engineering that primarily focuses on converting
a tract of land from one usage to another. Site engineers spend time visiting
project sites, meeting with stakeholders, and preparing construction plans.
Civil engineers apply the principles of geotechnical engineering, structural
engineering, environmental engineering, transportation engineering and
construction engineering to residential, commercial, and industrial and public
works projects of all sizes and levels of construction.
