Civil engineers design, construct, project manage, and commission a wide range of facilities and infrastructure such as buildings, bridges, towers, dams, roads and railways, pipe networks, and treatment plants. These facilities provide people with a reliable, safe, sustainable, and modern environment to live in. Electric power depends on civil engineers for the design and construction of dams, canals, and transmission towers. Many towns and cities are protected against flooding or the effects of fire and earthquakes by infrastructure designed and constructed by civil engineers. Civil engineers have responsibility for managing people, equipment, resources, time, and money. Communication skills are vital, as all professional engineers need to effectively disseminate complex information to people of diverse backgrounds by providing detailed engineering reports, presentations, and taking part in public hearings and inquiries. This is a broad field, and students may take courses to focus on a more specific area of civil engineering during their professional years of study to suit their interests.

There are excellent career opportunities for civil engineers, with a strong demand for graduates in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world in a diverse range of fields. Most new graduates are employed by consultants (who design and manage), contractors (who build and maintain), or central, regional and local government (who develop and manage the infrastructure of countries, cities, and communities). Many civil engineers become experts in a specialised area of civil engineering such as structural, water, geotechnical, transportation, fire, or environmental fields. Some UC civil engineering graduates go on to run their own companies, enter into partnerships, or become researchers for government agencies or business.