Engineering Professionals I

How to become a civil engineer

Official title: Civil engineer

Also called: Asphalt engineer, Bridge construction engineer, Civil engineer (bridge construction), Civil engineer (dock and harbour construction), Civil engineer (dredging), Civil engineer (highway and street construction), Civil engineer (hydraulics), Civil engineer (hydrographic), Civil engineer (railway construction), Civil engineer (road construction), Civil engineer (soil mechanics), Civil engineer (tunnel construction)

Civil engineer conducts research, designs, plans and oversees construction and maintenance activities on structures and facilities such as bridges, roads, airports, railways, pipelines and industrial and other large buildings. He/she establishes control systems to ensure efficient functioning of structures as well as safety and environmental protection. He/she organises and directs maintenance and repair of existing civil engineering structures. He/she may analyse the stability of structures, collect and test samples to study the behaviour of soil, rock or construction materials under proposed design parameters.

Main tasks

Conducting research and developing new or improved theories and methods related to civil engineering
Advising on and designing structures such as bridges, dams, docks, roads, airports, railways, canals, pipelines, waste-disposal and flood-control systems, and industrial and other large buildings
Determining and specifying construction methods, materials and quality standards, and directing construction work
Establishing control systems to ensure efficient functioning of structures as well as safety and environmental protection
Organising and directing maintenance and repair of existing civil engineering structures
Analysing the behaviour of soil and rock when placed under pressure by proposed structures and designing structural foundations
Analysing the stability of structures and testing the behaviour and durability of materials used in their construction

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore
Licence or registration: Anyone can work as an engineer, but only a registered Professional Engineer with a practising certificate may supply professional engineering services, such as signing off civil, mechanical, electrical or chemical engineering plans submitted to the authorities. Registration needs an approved degree, at least four years of practical experience, the PEB's Fundamentals and Practice of Professional Engineering exams, and an interview. Law: Professional Engineers Act 1991. Regulator: Professional Engineers Board Singapore (PEB) (https://www1.peb.gov.sg).

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $78,000 a year. The middle half earn $58,800 to $97,980 a year.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

How do I become a civil engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees.

How much does a civil engineer earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $78,000 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $58,800 to $97,980.

Will AI change the work of a civil engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026