Educational : A bachelor's degree in Engineering is the minimum
requirement to become a qualified civil engineer. A post graduate degree
is required for research or teaching posts and an additional degree in
business administration is desirable for management positions.
Engineering courses are available at two levels. There are the degree
and postgraduate degree courses offered by the engineering colleges
and Institutes of Technology (IITs), and, the diploma courses available
at polytechnics. There is also the Associate Membership Examination
of the Institute of Engineers (AMIE), which enables working people in
the private and public sector, or diploma holders to acquire a Bachelor's
engineering degree through distance education. IIT Chennai and Institute
Of Post Graduate Studies And Research, Hyderabad gives MS courses in
civil Engineering, through distance education, the basic qualification
of which is BE/ B tech in engineering.
The basic eligibility criteria for a BE / B.Tech in Civil Engineering
is 10+2 or equivalent examination, with high percentage of marks in
Science subjects (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics).
Selection : Selection to the graduate courses ( BE / B.Tech ) is
based on merit i.e the marks secured in the final exams of 10+2 and
through entrance exams. Entrance to the IIT's is through 'JEE' (Joint
Entrance Exam) and for other institutions through their own separate
entrance exams and other state level and national level exams. Apart
from the IIT's, some other famous institutes also recognize JEE
scores for selection. Selection to the postgraduate courses ( M.Sc /
M.Tech) in different universities is through an 'All India Combined
Entrance exam' conducted by JNU, New Delhi and to IIT's through 'GATE'
in Two year/ 4 semester M.Tech courses and through JEE in five year
integrated M.Tech courses.
Duration : BE/B.Tech courses are of 4 year's duration. The diploma
courses are of 2-3 year's duration
Fees : In private colleges fees range from approx Rs.1 lakh
to Rs. 2 lakh annually for a bachelors degree. In IIT's it varies between
Rs. 15,000/- to Rs. 20,000/- per year.
Personal Skills : A civil engineer needs to have a sharp, analytical
and practical mind and give attention to details. Excellent communication
skills is a necessity and he should have the ability to get along at
all levels, as part of a team. He should be good at organizing and solving
problems. He may need to work under pressure and have the ability to
keep calm during crisis.
He needs to know about surveying methods, environmental issues like
whether the area is susceptible to tremors or has sandy soil etc, properties
of building materials like its load bearing strength, resistance to fire
and corrosion etc. Besides having a good technical designing knowledge
conceptualising structures, they should be computer literate in order
to use design, drawing and word processing software. Civil engineers need
to know building and safety regulations, local authority and government
regulations, acceptable standards for construction and how to draw plans.
