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Civil Engineering Surveyor
Does the world of construction appeal to you? A career in Civil Engineering Surveying combines all the core practices of land surveying, engineering surveying.
Civil Engineering Surveyors are involved in every stage - from discussing the initial concept to monitoring the completed structure of projects such as the design and construction of roads, railways, bridges, water supply systems and power stations.
There are 2 specific areas of Surveying, namely:
Commercial Management (Quantity Surveying)
As a Commercial Manager you will work alongside other professionals in preparing the documents on which projects are based, measuring the work completed on site and ensuring that the companies carrying out the construction are paid a fair price for it.
Responsibilities include:
- Preparing documents, including legal documents
- Evaluating prices received from various contractors and subcontractors to see who should be appointed to do the work
- Preparing estimates of the likely cost of the construction of a project
- Advising engineers on financial issues
- Measuring and costing the work carried out
- Valuing the contract as work proceeds
This profession also includes the following functions:
- Estimating: calculating the cost of a project
- Procurement Engineering: purchasing the materials & services needed
- Planning: programming the construction and ensuring that it is carried out as specified
- Project Management: general management of the construction project
- Construction Law: advising on the legal aspects of the construction, including settling claims and disputes
The other area of expertise is:
Geospatial Engineering
As a Geospatial Engineer you will work within construction on the measurement and monitoring of projects, as well as producing maps, plans and charts of different features.
The main profession within Civil Engineering is Engineering Surveying (sometimes known as Land Surveying).
Engineering Surveyors are generally responsible for:
- Investigating land, using computer-based measuring instruments and geographical knowledge to work out the best position to construct bridges, tunnels and roads
- Producing up-to-date plans which form the basis for the design of a project
- Setting out a site, so that a structure is built in the correct spot and to the correct size
- Monitoring the construction process to make sure that the structure remains in the right position and recording the final as-built position
- Providing control points by which the future movement of structures such as dams or bridges can be monitored
The term Geospatial Engineering includes the following specialist areas:
- Engineering surveying: preparation of maps and plans for the planning and design of structures as well as ensuring that the construction takes place to the dimensions and tolerances required
- Hydrographic surveying: measuring and mapping the earth's surface that is covered by water
- Photogrammetry: obtaining information from photographic images in order to produce a plan of an area
- Geographic Information Systems: collecting and manipulating geographic information and presenting the information in the form required
- Cartography/Visualisation: accurately and precisely producing maps or plans and representing the information in two or three dimensions
What are the entry qualifications?
Most people start their career in civil engineering surveying by taking a degree in one of a number of subject areas. On the commercial management side, degrees are available in civil engineering quantity surveying and civil engineering commercial management. Within geospatial engineering, degrees are in engineering surveying, surveying and mapping sciences and topographic science.
Useful Information
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Career Snapshot Civil Engineering Surveyor |
In Demand
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Qualification Required |
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Work Outdoors |
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Maths Required |
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Science Required |
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This is a general guide - it is important to check admission requirements with the various training institutions first because entry requirements may vary.
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