Civil Engineering is an applied science that covers the technology to design, build and maintain, and repair buildings. The building here is very diverse, ranging from simple house buildings and the rise buildings, bridges, dams, irrigation, production infrastructure, to the offshore structures such as offshore oil drilling facilities, and various energy generation and transmission facilities.
Civil engineering experts, commonly known as civil engineer, are responsible for the design of the building structure as a whole; starting from its foundation until the entire building is finished and ready for use. Besides the design process, a civil engineer works in a construction team to research, measure, and determine whether the soil strength is adequate. At the same stage, a civil engineer also designs the building scheme and calculates the dimensions and strength of its parts for future reference for contractors.
In addition to dealing with construction, a civil engineer has also the duty that includes the maintenance and repair of the existing buildings. An infrastructure can experience changes in function or declines in condition. A civil engineer must be able to plan improvements to the structure so that it will function properly or may survive up to the maximum age of the building.
In principle, the science that will be studied in this study program will be heavily related to applied physics, especially mechanical science. The students are also expected to possess excellent aptitude in mathematics. Although nowadays various kinds of software are available to aid the computing process, the importance of mastering the knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of engineering is emphasized. Apart from the technical knowledge for the purpose of designing, constructing, and maintaining the building structure, the Civil Engineering study program also teaches various aspects of construction management. Here the students are given the knowledge and trained to manage the implementation of good construction (such as work schedule, organizing labor, materials, and equipment), in accordance with the principles of efficiency and effectiveness in the use of various resources, and to maintain the environment.
