Civil Engineers design and build Ethiopia's infrastructure. Civil Engineers must understand and apply basic principles from mathematics, physics, chemistry, economics, and business. Clients include private industries, municipal government, regional and federal government agencies, and multinational conglomerates.
At the local level, Civil Engineers help communities plan for future development by designing and building residential areas, business centers, commercial districts, industrial parks, sports complexes, and high-tech manufacturing facilities. On a grander scale, Civil Engineers design, build, restore and maintain national landmarks such as the Martyr’s Tower, the Abay and Baro Bridge, and Gilgel Gibe dam. Working on multi-disciplinary projects that touch upon the lives of the general public is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a career in Civil Engineering.
At AAU, undergraduate study in Civil Engineering includes six specialty areas:
Construction Engineering Specialty
- Manage construction of engineered projects (dams, bridges, building, etc)
- Advise owners and designers on construction alternatives during project design
Environmental Engineering Specialty
- Invent new technologies to minimize pollution to air, land and water courses
- Develop an understanding of processes affecting global climate, oil spills, acid rain
Geotechnical Engineering Specialty
- Design flexible pavements , foundations, rock tunnels, earthen embankments, landfill liners
- Specify migration cutoff systems to collect leachate from hazardous waste sites.
Structural Engineering Specialty
- Plan and design complex structural systems using traditional and new synthetic materials
- Create bridges, towers, coliseums, skyscrapers, and space stations.
Transportation Engineering Specialty
- Build, operate, restore and maintain highways and roads
- Apply advanced technologies to make highways safer and more efficient
Water Resources Engineering Specialty
- Optimize the design and operation of dams for water supply, flood control, and hydropower
- Model fate of pollutants transported in ground water aquifers and water distribution systems.