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If you are interested in becoming a civil engineer, you might have questions about what subfield you should go to. As someone with a degree in structural engineering, I will explain the difference between a civil engineer and a structural engineer.
In short, a civil engineer is in charge of designing and building structures such as bridges and tunnels. A structural engineer is in charge of analysing and designing structures that the civil engineer builds. In essence, structural engineering is part of civil engineering. Civil engineers can be construction managers, structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, environmental engineers and hydraulic engineers.
The above is the short answer to the difference. You can call a structural engineer a civil engineer, but not every civil engineer is a structural engineer.
Structural engineering is the second biggest specialised field in civil engineering after construction management. All civil engineering fields are challenging. However, structural engineering is the most difficult subfield in civil engineering.
The following explains civil and structural engineering in detail with some guidance into which civil engineering field you should choose.
What Is A Civil Engineer?
When you call someone a civil engineer, they can be any of the following:
- Structural Engineer
- Construction Engineer
- Project Engineer
- Site Engineer
- Environmental Engineer
- Hydraulic Engineer
- Wind Engineer
- Mining Engineer
- Geotechnical Engineer
- Architectural Engineer
- Transport Engineer
- Bridge Engineer
- Seismic Engineer
- Geological Engineer
- Surveying Engineer
- Material Engineer
- Marine Engineer
A structural engineer is only a career path and one of the civil engineering subfields.
What Is Civil Engineering?
Civil engineering is one of the 5 major engineering fields. Civil engineering major includes everything that has to do with the construction of buildings, bridges, airports, highways, tunnels, railways, dams, mines, sewerage systems, renewable energy plants such as wind turbines, hydraulic power generation plants and wastewater treatment plants. Essentially everything physical you see around you has been designed and built by a civil engineer.
Civil engineering is the oldest known engineering major that deals with designing, building and maintaining physical structures.
The above is a quick summary of civil engineering. For more, the following are two of our best resources to teach you everything you need to know about civil engineering in 10 minutes or less:
- How Hard Is Civil Engineering? 8 Insider Facts U Must Know.
- 15 Civil Engineering Career Options. Insights, Salary & More.
How Hard Is A Civil Engineering Degree?
Most students usually do a general civil engineering degree which teaches you the following courses:
- Construction Management
- Structural Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Hydraulic Engineering
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Architectural Engineering
- Transport Engineering
- Marine Engineering
The civil engineering degree is not as difficult as chemical and electrical engineering. Still, it does have some challenges, which you can learn about in detail here: How To Study Civil Engineering? Pass & Get High Marks.
What Is A Structural Engineer?
Structural engineers design and analyse structures using their knowledge of engineering mechanics, structural analysis, and steel and concrete design. To succeed in structural engineering, you need to have a good background in math and physics and learn how to analyse and design structures using computer-aided design software (CAD).
Is Structural Engineering Harder Than Civil Engineering?
Compared to other civil engineering subfields, structural engineering is the most difficult subfield after geotechnical and transport engineering.
Structural engineering is very difficult to study and work in. It was ranked as the ninth most difficult engineering degree when we asked 1000 engineers to rank the most difficult engineering degrees; you can check the results here.
Although structural engineering is offered as a separate course from civil engineering, you can still do a general civil engineering course and take extra subjects in structural engineering. This way, you have a more comprehensive approach to civil and structural engineering.
If you want to learn more about how difficult it is to study structural engineering, read: How To Study Structural Engineering? 5 Tips To Get Ahead.
Structural Engineer Vs Construction Engineer: What Is The Difference?
Construction engineering, also known as construction management, is the biggest subfield in civil engineering that deals with the construction and building of structures. There are many career options in construction engineering, such as project manager, project engineer, and site engineer. Structural engineering is the second biggest subfield in civil engineering which deal with the design and analysing of structures using computer-aided design software (CAD).
What Type Of Civil Engineer Gets Paid The Most?
Almost all civil engineers make around the same. However, project managers make the highest salary, averaging $101,700. Structural engineers make, on average, $92,000.
Which Is Better For You: Civil Or Structural Engineering?
If you want to do civil engineering or do not know what field in civil engineering you should do, the best is to do a general civil engineering degree. This way, you can be eligible to pursue any career option after graduation.
