Engineering is a profession, which means that an engineer must have a specialized university education. Many government jurisdictions also have licensing procedures which require engineering graduates to pass an examination, similar to the bar examination for a lawyer, before they can actively start on their careers.

In the university, mathematics, physics, and chemistry are heavily emphasized throughout the engineering curriculum, but particularly in the first two or three years. Mathematics is very important in all branches of engineering, so it is greatly stressed. Today, mathematics includes courses in statistics, which deals with gathering, classifying, and using numerical data, or pieces of information.

Because a great deal of calculation is involved in solving these problems, computer programming is now included in almost all engineering curricula. Computers, of course, can solve many problems involving calculations with greater speed and accuracy than a human being can. But computer are useless unless they are given clear and accurate instructions and information-in other words, a good program.

In spite of the heavy emphasis on technical subjects in the engineering curriculum, a current trend is to require students to take courses in the social science and the language arts. The relationship between engineering and society is getting closer; it is sufficient, therefore, to say again that the work performed by an engineer affects society in many different and important ways that he or she should be aware of. An engineer also needs a sufficient command of language to be able to prepare reports that are clear and, in many cases, persuasive. An engineer engaged in research will need to be able to write up his or her finding for scientific publications.

The last two years of an engineering program include subjects within the student’s field of specialization. For the student who is preparing to become a civil engineer, these specialized courses may deal with such subjects as geodetic surveying, soil mechanics, or hydraulics.

Active recruiting for engineers often begins before the student's last year in the university. Many different corporation and government agencies have competed for the services of engineers in recent years. In the science-oriented society of today, people who have technical training are, of course, in demand. Young engineers may choose to go into environmental or sanitary engineering, for example, where environmental concerns have created many openings; or they may choose construction firms that specialize in highway work; or they may prefer to work with one of the government agencies that deal with water resource. Indeed, the choice is large and varied.

When the young engineer has finally started actual practice, the theoretical knowledge acquired in the university must be applied, He or she will probably be assigned at the beginning to work with a team of engineers. Thus, on-the-job training can be acquired that will demonstrate his or her ability to translate theory into practice to the supervisors.

The civil engineer may work in research, design, construction supervision, maintenance, or even in sales or management. Each of these areas involves different duties, different emphases, and different uses of engineer's knowledge and experience.

Research is one of the most important aspects of scientific and engineering practice. A researcher usually works as a member of a team with other scientists and engineers. He or she is often employed in a laboratory that is financed by government or industry. Areas of research connected with civil engineering include soil mechanics and soil stabilization techniques, and also the development and testing of new structural materials.

Civil engineering projects are almost always unique; that is, each has its own problems and design feature. Therefore, careful study is given to each project even before design work begins. The study includes survey both of topography and subsoil features of the proposed site. It also includes a consideration of possible alternatives, such as a concrete gravity dam or an earth-fill embankment dam. The economic factors involved in each of the possible alternatives must also be weighed. Today, a study usually includes a considerations of the environmental impact of the project. Many engineers, usually working as a team that includes surveyors, specialists in soil mechanics, and experts in design and construction, are involved in making these feasibility studies.

Many civil engineers, among them the top people in the field, work in design. As we have seen, civil engineers work on many different kinds of structures, so it is normal practice for an engineer to specialize in just one kind. In designing buildings, engineers often work as consultants to architectural or construction firms. Dams, bridges, water supply systems, and other large projects ordinarily employ several engineers whose work is coordinated by a system engineer who is in charge of the entire project. In many cases, engineers from other disciplines are involved. In a dam project, for example, electrical and mechanical engineers work on the design of the Powerhouse and its equipment. In other cases, civil engineers are assigned to work on a project in another field; in the space program, for instance, civil engineers were necessary in the design and construction of such structures as launching pads and rocket storage facilities.

Construction is a complicated process on almost all engineering projects. It involves scheduling the work and utilizing the equipment and the materials so that costs are kept as low as possible. Safety factors must also be taken into account, since construction can be very dangerous. Many civil engineers therefore specialize in the construction phase.

specialized专门的，专科的

jurisdiction管辖权，权限

license许可（证），执照

bar 律师业

curriculum n.课程  

branch n. (学科)分科

courses  n.课程,路线  statistics  n.统计学,统计  

undertake  vt.承担

amount of traffic n.交通量

impact碰撞，冲击

variable 变量

curricula n.课程  instruction指令

technical subject技术科目

current trend当前趋势   social science n.社会科学

language arts n.语言艺术学

command  把握， 支配， 控制

write up  v.详细描写

scientific publication 科技出版物

subject科目, 学科  geodetic surveying大地测量  

soil mechanics n.土力学   hydraulics n.水力学 specialization 专业

recruit  招聘

corporation法人, 公司, 企业, <美>有限公司

government agency政府机构   

compete for为...竞争

oriented   adj.导向的   

in demand有需要, 销路好，顾客需要

sanitary engineering  n.卫生工程   

opening空缺, 机会

work with与...共事, 与...合作

supervisor 管理人员

assign分配, 指派  

on-the-job adj.在职的，现场的

construction supervision施工监督，施工管理

finance vt.供给...经费, 负担经费

soil stabilization土体加固法，土体稳定development发展, 开发

survey 调查，测量

topography n. 地形，地形学

subsoil天然地基，下层土

alternative  n.二中择一, 可供选择的办法, 事物 adj.选择性的, 二中择一的

concrete gravity dam 混凝土重力式坝   embankment dam n.填筑坝,土石坝

feasibility study可行性研究

consultant  n.顾问, 商议者, 咨询者

water supply system 给水系统  

coordinate 协同  

system engineer n.系统工程师

discipline学科

powerhouse  n.发电站

launching pad  n.导弹或火箭发射场, 发射台

storage facility贮存设备

scheduling n 行程安排, 进度安排

utilize  利用，使用

construction phase 施工阶段