Civil Engineering Orientation Module 2.2.

Educational and Institutional History

Civil has been as aspect of life since the beginnings of human existence. It is difficult to
determine the history of emergence and beginning of civil engineering, however, that
the history of civil engineering is a mirror of the history of human beings on this earth.
Intended Learning Outcomes:
1. At the end of the session, the students should be able to learn the educational
and institutional history of civil engineering.
Education
• In the 18th century, the term ‘civil engineering’ was coined to incorporate all
things civilian as opposed to military engineering.
• The first engineering, The National School of Bridges and Highways (École
Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées) in France, was opened 1747.

• The first self-proclaimed civil engineer was John Smeaton who constructed the
Eddystone Lighthouse.

- John Smeaton was an English engineer and a physicist, famously known as the
‘Father of Civil Engineering’. He designed the new Eddystone Lighthouse,

Civil Engineering Orientation Module 2.2.2

Civil Engineering Orientation Module 2.2.2

also known as Smeaton’s Tower, off the coast of Plymouth, after it was
destroyed by a fire in December 1755. He gained most of his training and
scientific knowledge through reading and attending the meetings of Royal
Society of London. He constructed bridges, canals and harbors in addition to his
works of mechanical engineering. Through his dedication and genuine efforts, his
every project emerged as a masterpiece, a passionate work of art. He
transformed the work of engineering, which was considered as a handicraft work,
to a scientific process of experimenting and devising mechanisms in architectural
work.
• The first private college to teach Civil Engineering in the United States was in
Norwich University founded 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge.

INSTITUTION
• In 1818, the world’s first engineering society, the Institution of Civil Engineers
(ICE) was founded in London.

• In 1820 the eminent engineer Thomas Telford became ICE's first president. The
institution received a Royal Charter in 1828, formally recognizing civil
engineering as a profession. Its charter defined civil engineering as: “Civil

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Civil Engineering Orientation Module 2.2.2

engineering is the application of physical and scientific principles, and its history
is intricately linked to advances in understanding of physics and mathematics
throughout history. Because civil engineering is a wide ranging profession,
including several separate specialized sub-disciplines, its history is linked to
knowledge of structures, material science, geography, geology, soil, hydrology,
environment, mechanics and other fields.”