Civil engineering is a branch of professional engineering which concerns the development, construction, design and maintenance of the physically and naturally built environment. Roads, bridges, canals, buildings and dams are some of the examples of physical constructions made through the discipline of civil engineering.

Civil Engineering is broken into several sub-disciplines, these include: Control engineering, structural engineering, transportation engineering, coastal engineering, aerospace engineering and forensic engineering plus other sub-disciplines.

Civil engineering is the second-oldest engineering discipline after military engineering, and it is defined to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering.

Civil engineers themselves typically hold an academic degree in civil engineering. The length of study is three to five years, and the completed degree is designated as a bachelor of engineering or a bachelor of science. The curriculum generally includes classes in physics, mathematics, project management, design and specific topics in civil engineering

Civil engineering takes place in the public sector from municipal through to national governments, and in the private sector from individual homeowners through to international companies.