The department offers quality education in Civil Engineering and Geomatics (previously Surveying and Cartography) to prepare students for the requirements of industry.  Our programmes are developed and offered with the assistance of University support services, and in close cooperation with the profession.  Graduates will be responsible for the planning, development and maintenance of infrastructure.

Civil Engineering as a career

Civil Engineering is divided into two basic activities: planning and design on the one hand, and construction and maintenance on the other.  The work will vary considerably according to the field of employment, but in both fields the technician will provide in-depth support, sometimes of a highly specialised nature, to the engineering team.

Construction and maintenance projects include bridges, dams, railways, roads, harbours, sewers, pipelines, and other structures.  In the planning and design field, the graduate will be engaged in survey, design, costing, estimating, draughting, traffic studies, materials investigation, and testing.

Surveying as a career

A surveyor will collect spatial data (natural and man-made features on the earth) in order to design and maintain spatial reference systems and databases for planning and land development.  A surveyor may also control the construction of engineering works and land developments, and design and perform precise monitoring surveys of structures.

GISc as a career

Geographical Information Science (GISc) is the science of capturing, processing, analysing and mapping spatial data (information about the earth).  Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology is used to explore, visualise and analyse data. Computer-based systems bring advanced information management techniques to science, business and governments across the globe.