Structural engineering and civil engineering are two closely related disciplines, but there are some key differences between them.
Structural engineering
is a sub-discipline of civil engineering, which focuses on the design and maintenance of structures such as public and private buildings, water systems, airports, and roads. Structural engineers analyze, design, build and maintain structures and materials that counteract or reinforce loads. Simply put, all structural engineers are civil engineers, but not all civil engineers are structural engineers.Civil engineers can participate in different types of projects and aspects of projects than structural engineers. In short, if you're wondering if you need a civil engineer or a structural engineer to work for you, then the answer is that you'll need both. While a civil engineer will be responsible for overall site design and coordination, a structural engineer will ensure that load members are properly sized and positioned to support the intended load. Structural engineering has grown so much in popularity and demand that it is now considered a separate engineering discipline.
Students can earn a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering before pursuing graduate degrees in this area if they so choose. It also involves knowledge of corrosion engineering to avoid, for example, galvanic coupling of different materials. As an owner, contractor, or architect, you may need the services of a civil engineer or structural engineer at one time or another. One of the differences is that civil engineering focuses on design elements, while structural engineering is more concerned with inspecting materials used for construction.
The physical sciences underlying structural engineering began to be understood in the Renaissance and have since become pioneering computer-based applications in the 1970s. Structural engineers often specialize in particular types of structures, such as buildings, bridges, pipelines, industrial, tunnels, vehicles, ships, planes, and spacecraft. Aerospace structures typically consist of thin plates with reinforcements for external surfaces, bulkheads and frames to support the shape, and fasteners such as welds, rivets, screws and bolts to hold components together. In conclusion, both civil engineering and structural engineering are important in either construction or development project. As a result, engineering firms provide civil and structural engineering services to their customers.
Undergraduate students who wish to study structural engineering may choose to specialize in this area while completing a more general engineering program.
