Construction engineering is a professional discipline that deals with the designing, planning, construction, and management of infrastructures such as highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, and utilities. Construction Engineers are unique such that they are a cross between civil engineers and construction managers. They learn the designing aspect much like civil engineers and construction site management functions much like construction managers.

The primary difference between a construction engineer and a construction manager is that the construction engineer has the ability to sit for the Professional Engineer license (PE) whereas a construction manager cannot. At the educational level, construction managers are not as focused on design work as they are on construction procedures, methods, and people management. Their primary concern is to deliver a project on time, with-in budget, and of the desired quality.

The difference between a construction engineer and civil engineer is only at the educational level as both disciplines are able to sit for the PE exam giving them the same title of engineer. Civil engineering students concentrate more on the design work, gearing them toward a career as a design professional. This essentially requires them to take a multitude of design courses. Construction engineering students take design courses as well as construction management courses. This allows them to understand both the design functions as well as the building requirements needed to design and build today infrastructures.

Careers:

Construction Engineers design, construct, and maintain facilities essential to modern life. They are able to work in both private and public agencies in a variety of professional positions. Because of their versatility, construction engineers are able to be pursuing careers in design firms, consulting firms, construction, water and sewage treatment facilities, pollution control, transportation, urban planning, and utilities. They often work as designers, project managers, field engineers, inspectors, superintendents, schedulers, estimators, and safety specialist.

Educational Requirements:

Individuals looking to obtain a construction engineering degree must first ensure that the program is accredited by Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). ABET accreditation is assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students.