Choices, Advantages of CEE

Throughout modern history, civil engineers have always been at the forefront of the drive to improve our standard of living. They remain the central figures in the planning, design, and construction of many developments, large and small, that make modern life possible.

Dams, bridges, buildings, housing, highways, railroads, and water and wastewater systems are all creations of civil engineers. Civil engineers seldom work on a project alone, but usually as a part of an interdisciplinary team, and so benefit from a broad-based education.

What is CEE?

Civil and Environmental Engineering is one of the broadest and most ancient fields of engineering. Civil and environmental engineers create the advanced infrastructure of the world around us. Buildings, bridges, dams, roads, railway systems, sanitation systems, flood canals: all of these projects are lead by civil and environmental engineers, through the initial plans, final design, and construction.

Civil and environmental engineers enjoy many potential opportunities to develop their career paths. In private companies, they may enjoy the challenges of exciting new projects to develop quickly. In government organizations, they may lead development of a project that will benefit many communities with a better standard of living. And as faculty members at a university, they may discover in research a new technology that will save thousands of lives in years to come, and improve the environment.

Technology is a central factor for today's civil and environmental engineers. With advancements in computer and information systems, civil engineers can now plan and design projects which could only be dreamed of a hundred years ago. Computers are now a daily requirement in this field, offering you new technical frontiers to test your imagination and make discoveries.

Would you like to learn more about your options in Civil and Environmental Engineering? Explore this site or contact CEE at Illinois at civil@illinois.edu.

Future Prospects

Students who graduate from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are highly sought-after by employers in industry and academia.

Entry-level positions for civil engineers are found all over the world—in large and small engineering firms, in government agencies, consulting firms, major corporations, and more. Alumni from our department can thus be found in many major organizations and firms throughout the global economy, providing you with further opportunities for future employment.