Civil engineering is one of the oldest engineering disciplines, and it is a large field focusing on the construction of public works. Civil engineers must focus on making their projects safe, reliable, and usable, and collectively, the things they build are our infrastructure.
Closely related to materials engineering, structural engineering is the analysis of the forces that act on a structure. The field also incorporates the study and selection of materials to meet the requirements for specific projects.
Scientific Summary
Civil and structural engineering both rely on the analyses of forces on a structure and the need to design a structure that meets its goals for functionality, safety, and cost. The members of a bridge, for example, may be experiencing tension, compression, or lateral forces; it is the job of the engineer to calculate the failure point of this bridge and to design it to eliminate as many points of failure as possible.