Civil Engineering Course

rory16 · 14-10-2009 9:11pm #1

Hi guys, I am seriously considering doing Civil Engineering when I finish my Leaving Cert in June, But I am not a big fan of Maths. I am still doing honours. I was just wondering if the course is heavily Maths based?

Cheers

miss no stars · 14-10-2009 9:21pm

I didn't like leaving cert maths at all. It was boring, mundane, didn't make sense (due to the teacher not actually fully understanding it herself) and honestly, wasn't among my favourite subjects.

Yes, civil engineering has a lot of maths in it. BUT, not neccessarily in the way you might think.
First off, lecturers tend to be better at explaining concepts than teachers which instantly makes for a better class.
Secondly, I went into a general entry course and we have no more maths lectures than any other stream (I'm in structural, civil themselves are also in the same maths class, as are mechanical, manufacturing and building services.....)
Finally, when people say that Civil/Structural is very maths intensive, it's not that you're spending hours and hours doing maths. It's more that you're applying maths to what you're doing a lot more than the other streams seem to. It's not extremely complex maths though, it's really really not. I wouldn't put it beyond the ability of any halfway decent leaving cert honours student. There is a HUGE benefit to using maths so often in other classes in that it means you become very familiar with it and maths as a subject gets quite easy. Even my maths lecturer said to us that really, we're the class that tends to do completely fine whereas other streams can end up struggling. I wouldn't put that down to my class being filled with mathematical genuises, more that we get a lot of practice.

Don't let one subject put you off. If the course content interests you; go for it.

rory16 · 14-10-2009 9:36pm

Thanks very much. You've mad me feel a lot happier about the whole thing. Cheers

pmg58 · 15-10-2009 3:19am

Yeah I'll agree with that, I never really enjoyed maths that much, but I wasn't a huge problem during my degree. Its much easier I think when you see how it applies to real world problems, plus Civil Engineering is such a broad course that there are plenty of interesting parts to it that aren't really that maths intensive at all.

budhabob · 15-10-2009 7:58am

Thats the way i see, its not so much boring leaving cert maths, as challenging maths problems. So i think getting through honours maths will have you well sorted, even a decent result in pass maths and you would probably be fine.

godtabh · 15-10-2009 9:43am

budhabob wrote: »

even a decent result in pass maths and you would probably be fine.

Is that why a lot of the dergree courses look for a min c in honours maths?

Maths in engineering is important. If you cant get a decent honours results you may find it hard to progress in the likes of Trinity and UCD.

Applied maths is also an advantage

Turbulent Bill · 15-10-2009 10:52am

kearnsr wrote: »

Is that why a lot of the dergree courses look for a min c in honours maths?

Maths in engineering is important. If you cant get a decent honours results you may find it hard to progress in the likes of Trinity and UCD.

Applied maths is also an advantage

+1, for a degree course you should have an honours maths background, even if it isn't required for course entry. Maths is essentially the language of engineering - the more you understand, the easier it is to solve problems.

Practically speaking, most college engineering problems are closer to LC physics or applied maths in that the bulk of the effort goes into understanding the problem rather than just calculating the answer.

dan_d · 15-10-2009 12:33pm

If you can meet the college requirement for the maths then you should be okay. Honestly, yes engineering is maths based. You can have good or bad lecturers, same as anywhere. You're still doing Honours maths in 6th year, and if you're getting okay results and meet the requirements you should be fine.

godtabh · 15-10-2009 1:12pm

[QUOTE=Turbulent Bill;62548125

Practically speaking, most college engineering problems are closer to LC physics or applied maths.

[/QUOTE]

Any one who wants to do engineering should do applied maths.

miss no stars · 16-10-2009 10:47pm

kearnsr wrote: »

Any one who wants to do engineering should do applied maths.

That's if you're lucky enough to be in a school offering it. I went to an all girls school and the idea of doing physics AND geography and then having the cheek to go asking about applied maths was altogether too much to handle and I got 1 out of my 3 preferences.... (physics) No no, girls should do domestic science and languages :mad:

CptMackey · 17-10-2009 10:36am

Maths is important but not essential. The later modules in most courses rely more on design problems such as reinforced concrete, steel or environmental design.

If you really have an interest in it and if you look at a cool building or major building projects and wonder how it was designed and built then it is the course for you.

Just be prepared to put a lot of work in for the 4years.

That and when you qualify there should be somebody hiring. Unlike now :mad:

rory16 · 17-10-2009 3:29pm

Thanks guys

godtabh · 17-10-2009 8:28pm

miss no stars wrote: »

That's if you're lucky enough to be in a school offering it. I went to an all girls school and the idea of doing physics AND geography and then having the cheek to go asking about applied maths was altogether too much to handle and I got 1 out of my 3 preferences.... (physics) No no, girls should do domestic science and languages :mad:

I thought myself it.

There was meant to be after school class but teacher was sick for 95% of the year. There is a very good book for it. Its a brown one. Cant think of the name of it

miss no stars · 18-10-2009 8:34pm

kearnsr wrote: »

I thought myself it.

There was meant to be after school class but teacher was sick for 95% of the year. There is a very good book for it. Its a brown one. Cant think of the name of it

I know I'm going OT here but yeah I got that book intending to teach myself it (by Oliver Murphy iirc)

What I didn't bank on was teaching myself the maths syllabus and the english syllabus as well... So applied maths never really happened...

That said, I think once you're mechanically minded at all you pick it up pretty quickly in college.

DJDC · 19-10-2009 10:34am

That's if you're lucky enough to be in a school offering it. I went to an all girls school and the idea of doing physics AND geography and then having the cheek to go asking about applied maths was altogether too much to handle and I got 1 out of my 3 preferences.... (physics) No no, girls should do domestic science and languages

If I found out my daughter could not do Applied Maths because of some Talibanesque opinion that girls should not concern themselves with technical subjects I would be seething.

Civil Engineering Course

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