Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage systems, pipelines, structural components of buildings, and railways.

Civil engineers apply the principles of geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, environmental engineering, transportation engineering and construction engineering to residential, commercial, industrial and public works projects of all sizes and levels of construction.

There are a number of sub-disciplines within the broad field of civil engineering:

• Coastal engineering
• Construction engineering
• Earthquake engineering
• Environmental engineering
• Forensic engineering
• Geotechnical engineering
• Materials science and engineering
• Site development and planning
• Structural engineering
• Transportation engineering
• Municipal or urban engineering
• Water resources engineering
• Civil engineering systems