While both mechanical and civil engineering entail design and construction, the projects that these engineering branches work on differ.
What then are the key differences between the two fields of engineering?
What is a civil engineer?
A civil engineer is a person that focuses on planning, designing, building, maintaining and operating infrastructure while safeguarding the public’s and the environment’s health.
Civil engineering is one of the oldest engineering specialties because it works with the built environment, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbours, canals, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.
Architecture, construction, roads, environment, water resources, and forensics are engineering specialties.
Responsibilities of civil engineering jobs include:
- Designing plans for projects.
- Analysing maps, surveys, reports and other data.
- Monitoring construction.
- Considering environmental effects.
- Using advanced software to create designs.
- Reviewing and understanding building regulations.
- Ordering and analysing soil, concrete, steel, wood or asphalt tests.
- Overseeing infrastructure maintenance and repairs.
- Creating estimates and budgets for projects, including those that involve materials, labour and equipment.
What is a mechanical engineer?
A mechanical engineer designs, evaluates and works on mechanical devices. It is the broadest of the engineering branches. They employ materials science, engineering physics, and arithmetic to design, analyse, build, and maintain mechanical systems. Mechanical engineers must understand mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, materials science, structural analysis and electricity.
Mechanical engineers use advanced software programs to create and analyse their designs. They work closely with architects and other engineers to design devices and achieve project goals. In addition, they design and assess manufacturing facilities, industrial machinery, heating and cooling systems, transport systems, airplanes, watercraft, robotics, medical devices, and weaponry using CAD, CAM, and product lifecycle management.
Responsibilities of a mechanical engineering job include:
- Changing designs to remove flaws.
- Creating designs and plans.
- Analysing designs for flaws.
- Developing and testing prototypes.
- Managing a device’s manufacturing process.
- Finding ways that mechanical devices can solve problems.
- Correcting equipment failures.
Key differences between civil and mechanical engineers
Degree requirements
Civil and mechanical engineers both need to obtain a four-years bachelor’s degree. Then they have to pass the engineering exams and get licensed. The subjects they study and degrees they get, differ.
For civil engineers the following steps are required before entering their field:
- Obtain a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and pass the engineering exam.
- Receive on-the-job training through internships, and trainee programs.
- Write the Professional Engineering exam to receive a senior civil engineering license.
For mechanical engineers the following steps are required before entering their field:
- Obtain a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and pass the engineering exam.
- Get at least four years of entry-level experience.
- Obtain a professional engineering license.
Read more: Announcing the launch of the new IIE Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering
Skills
Civil engineers usually follow a clear and accepted path for working on projects, whereas mechanical engineers use creative skills to construct complex designs.
Skills civil engineers require involve:
- Math
- Decision-making
- Communications
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
Skills mechanical engineers require involve:
- Math
- Teamwork
- Reasoning
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
Work environment
Civil engineers may spend more time on-site supervising projects or traveling between job sites than mechanical engineers do. Civil engineers typically work with architects, government officials, construction managers, and urban planners, whereas mechanical engineers usually engage with other engineers.
Industry or project types
Because civil and mechanical engineers specialise in different fields that vary in size and scope, their industries or projects they are involved in vary.
Civil engineering projects often take very long to complete. Their projects typically occur on a much larger scale than most mechanical engineering projects.
Where civil engineers work on buildings and infrastructure, mechanical engineers work on cars, planes, tools, weapons and machines.
The focus of a civil engineer is on an objects structure and appearance while mechanical engineers focus on an object’s function.
Where civil engineers design the entire structure or building, mechanical engineers design one system that is part of a larger structure.
Civil engineers design one system that is part of a larger structure, whereas mechanical engineers invent or reinvent things.
While civil engineers test their materials’ durability and the foundation’s ability to support a structure, mechanical engineers test their prototypes’ and devices’ performance.
