1. Diploma in Structural Engineering for Civil Engineers 

This popular specialist course explains single degree of freedom (SDOF) systems and the impact of arbitrary and pulse excitations, vibrations and dampers.

2. Superstructure Activities in Building Construction

Bridges are the most common superstructures in civil engineering. This course takes you through beam placements, slab centring, cube casting and slump testing.

3. Concrete Structures: Corrosion of Embedded Metal and Reinforcement

Civil engineering projects in the ocean, other bodies of water, or very humid air need to resist corrosion. Sign up for an in-depth look at this critical aspect of construction planning.

Civil engineering is planning, designing, building and maintaining public infrastructure such as roads, bridges, railways, harbours, dams, airports, sewage systems, pipelines, power plants and so on. These are vital construction projects that allow societies to function. An easy way to remember what civil engineering is is to think of places that ‘civilians’ use or buildings that ‘civilisations’ have (even ancient civilisations had roads, bridges, aqueducts, and so forth).

These installations often have unique requirements that require specialist civil engineering knowledge, such as being exposed to the elements, being in remote terrain or needing to be built on enormous scales from materials that can withstand floods, heat or even earth tremors. Poorly conceived and constructed civil engineering projects can lead to loss of life and environmental degradation.

Civil engineering is a highly technical field because projects are generally at enormous scales, entail considerable public budgets, and must deliver essential services. Increasingly, civil engineers also need to understand cultural and environmental concerns: a bridge may have to be relocated and thus redesigned if other factors come into play (the area could be a traditional sacred space or the habitat of a threatened species, for example).

If you are considering a career in civil engineering, then complete as many free Alison courses in the following subjects as you like:

• Algebra
• Trigonometry
• Calculus
• Physics
• Geography
• Construction
• Technical drawing
• Surveying
• Thermodynamics