How do I Become a Construction Engineer?

Construction engineers implement the plans to build things such as roads, bridges, buildings, or dams so that construction occurs safely while meeting legal code requirements. The construction engineer also does cost estimation, orders building materials, and selects equipment. Construction engineers additionally have to use computer software to design hydraulic systems. If you aspire to become a construction engineer, you generally will need a college degree and a postgraduate degree.

Earning a construction engineering bachelor's degree can be helpful if you hope to become a construction engineer. Usually, construction engineer coursework includes a mix of engineering coursework and business coursework. For example, you could be required to take courses such as engineering mechanics, building safety, and calculus alongside courses such as business management and accounting.

You could choose to pursue a job immediately after college if you seek to become a construction engineer. Granted, it could be more useful for your career if you apply to graduate school. It is true that the bachelor's degree is sufficient to apply for entry-level engineering positions, however, if you wish to pursue construction engineering jobs with higher levels of responsibility or higher pay, the master's of science (MS) degree in engineering is recommended.

Pursuit of the master's degree in engineering will enable you to go into more depth in your learning of construction and engineering. Also, it will give you the knowledge to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FEE) and the Principles and Practice in Engineering (PPE) exam. Passing both of these exams is necessary to get a professional engineers (PE) license, which is required if you want to be qualified to eventually oversee and approve public projects as a construction engineer.

If you aspire to become a construction engineer, keep in mind that although construction engineers must have excellent math and science skills, they also must have other skills. For instance, construction engineers must have good critical thinking and problem solving skills because if a problem arises, the construction engineer will be the person who must solve it. Of course, the construction engineer also needs to communicate the solution to co-workers, hence the need for the construction engineer to also have good communications skills.

Having a career in construction engineering can be challenging. The challenge is due to the problem solving the job requires. Controlling the costs of building can also be difficult because unforeseen problems may arise despite the best planning efforts. Granted, if you persevere, your efforts may enable you to start your own construction business someday.