Civil engineering involves the planning, design, construction, and operation of facilities and systems that are essential to modern life and infrastructure. Civil engineers create and manage bridges, highways, buildings, airports, dams and waterways, water purification plants and distribution systems, foundations and tunnels, waste treatment and disposal facilities, and conventional and renewable energy supply systems.

Perhaps more than any other field of engineering, a civil engineering degree offers the greatest variety of employment opportunity. Washington State University civil engineering graduates are in high demand by employers throughout the Northwest and the nation. Traditional civil engineering employers include architectural and engineering firms. Other options include careers in government agencies, utility companies, telecommunications businesses, oil and natural resource industries, consulting firms, aerospace manufacturing companies, construction industries, biotechnology, and information technology firms.