• Structural: These engineers work on both building and nonbuilding projects, to ensure that the structure involved can support a certain load and hold up under extreme pressures and environmental conditions.
• Water Resources: Water resources engineers help design structures that assist in the use of water; these may be dams, piping system, reservoirs, and the like. These engineers must understand hydrology and hydraulics.
• Construction: Construction engineers are dedicated to building the infrastructures that are needed for a modern society. They design highway systems, bridges, utilities, and other large, interconnected projects.
• Transportation: This branch of civil engineering is responsible for designing and maintaining various transportation systems, including subways, interstate systems, traffic light systems, and airports.
• Geotechnical Engineering: Geotechnical engineers combine a knowledge of earth science with engineering principles. They examine the ground stability for construction projects, and are widely employed in mining and petroleum industries.

• Bachelor's Degree: 4 years to complete
• Master's Degree: 2-3 years to complete
• Doctoral Degree: 5 years to complete

The bachelor's degree in civil engineering is required for most entry-level engineering positions. In this four-year program, students learn about engineering fundamentals, such as dynamics, statics, and materials science, as well as basic science like physics, math, and chemistry. Architectural drafting is a required class in all civil engineering programs. Upper-level courses look at specific types of civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, or dams. Project-based learning is important for all engineering degrees, and students are required to make mock ups of engineering designs and participate in laboratory classes.

The master's degree in civil engineering allows students to specialize their training in a more narrow discipline, such as environmental engineering, structural engineering, or civil systems. These degrees may be helpful for advancing in the engineering career and earning a higher salary. The master's program usually requires students to complete a thesis or capstone project, based on an original engineering idea of their own design. Doctoral degrees in civil engineering are geared towards engineers who would like to do intensive engineering research, in order to generate new engineering knowledge and practices.

All U.S. states regulate the practice of engineering. Engineers who do not work for a firm, but instead offer their services independently to the public, must have the Professional Engineer (PE) license. While the exact requirements for this license vary, most states require applicants to have at least 4 years of professional experience in engineering, an ABET accredited undergraduate degree, and a sufficient score on the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. (BLS)

Civil engineers may also earn voluntary certifications, from the American Society of Civil Engineers. These specialty certifications usually require that engineers have a certain amount of professional experience in their particular civil engineering area.

Civil engineers take a wide variety of classes, all of which will help them work effectively in their chosen profession. Among the broadest but most important classes for future civil engineers is city planning. City planning includes organizing roads, utilities, and people in a safe and efficient way. Civil engineers also study basic sciences. For example, civil engineering students nearly always have to take a series of physics classes, which will include extensive study of physics principles and the ways in which physics can be applied to real-life situations. Similarly, all civil engineering students will have to take a number of classes in mathematics. Calculus classes will be among the most important math classes, but advanced geometry should be expected as well.

Finally, students of civil engineering will take classes in engineering. Manufacturing engineering classes will be among the first, and students will be introduced to how science and math principles are applied to solve major engineering problems. Architectural classes will also be important for students of civil engineering. While taking such a course, students will study architectural drafting and building techniques, which are imperative to the work of a civil engineer. 

Yes, it is possible for civil engineering students to complete their entire curriculum online.

General engineering is perhaps the most obviously related degree in comparison to civil engineering. Graduates of general engineering programs will have studied manufacturing engineering, electrical engineering, and chemical engineering in addition to civil engineering. Mechanical engineering is perhaps the most directly related to civil engineering, as it involves students developing the principles necessary to developing new machinery and using it to improve the world around us. Industrial engineering is similarly related to civil engineering, in that it involves creative design and scientific mastery.