Careers › Engineering

How to become a Civil Engineer

Designs and builds roads, bridges, dams, water systems and buildings.

What does a Civil Engineer actually do?

More about this career

Day to day it’s technical drawings, site visits, structural calculations and managing budgets and contractors – less “inventing”, more making sure what gets built actually stands up and meets code. Civil engineers specialise into structures, water, transport, geotechnical or construction management, and most register as a Professional Engineer with ECSA a few years after graduating.

Where this degree can take you

  • Structural Engineer
  • Construction Project Manager
  • Transportation Engineer
  • Water/Environmental Engineer

This is our general description of the role and related jobs, not from an official source – it’s here to give you a fuller picture, not as a careers-counselling guarantee.

Not from an official source

Subjects that usually help

  • Mathematics
  • Physical Sciences
  • Engineering Graphics & Design (helpful)

This is our general guidance about which school subjects suit this career. It is not an admission requirement and not from an official source – the real requirements are on the degrees below.

Not from an official source

Where to check this yourself

What the degrees we’ve captured actually ask for

  • Mathematics – asked for by 9 of 9 degrees
  • Physical Sciences – asked for by 9 of 9 degrees
  • Technical Mathematics – asked for by 1 of 9 degrees

Counted from the requirements below (an “or” alternative counts for each subject named). Each degree links to the page it came from.

Degrees that lead here

9 degrees at 7 universities. More are added as we verify them.

North-West University

Not fully verified

BEng (all disciplines)

Engineering

NWU APS 34 points out of 48

  • Mathematics: 70%
  • Physical Sciences: 70%
  • Language of tuition – Your language of tuition at 60%.

The NWU pages carry no intake year and do not state the duration. NWU adds your six best subjects (excluding Life Orientation) on an 8-point scale, for a total out of 48 - read from NWU’s own APS calculator. The requirement shown is what NWU publishes. Also see https://engineering.nwu.ac.za/engineering/applications

Source: View the official page (engineering.nwu.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Stellenbosch University

Selection programme

BEng Civil Engineering

Engineering · 4 years

Stellenbosch aggregate 70 %

  • Mathematics: 70%
  • Physical Sciences: 60%
  • English: 50% if it is your Home Language, 60% if it is your First Additional Language

Every Stellenbosch programme is a selection programme. The figures shown are the published minimum requirements - the actual selection threshold is usually higher. The Engineering selection score is Maths% + Physical Sciences% + (6 x your average), out of 800. SU says 600 or more gave a good chance for some programmes and 620 or more for others - that is a historical guide, not a fixed cut-off. An extended (ECP) 5-year route exists. Afrikaans language combinations are also accepted. NBTs are not required for 2027 entry at SU, except for Law programmes, the School for Tomorrow, AHSD and online-school applicants.

Source: View the official page (files.su.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of Cape Town

BSc (Eng) Civil Engineering

Engineering & the Built Environment · 4 years

UCT Faculty Points Score 500 out of 600 (band a)

  • Mathematics: 80%
  • Physical Sciences: 70%

Band A (guaranteed offer) is an FPS of 500. Band B (likely offer) is a WPS of 480 - the WPS adds a 0-10% disadvantage factor that we cannot work out from your marks, so we only check you against Band A. Band C (420) applies to redress categories only. Mathematical Literacy and Technical Mathematics do not count as Mathematics, and Technical Sciences does not count as Physical Sciences. All students start on the 4-year curriculum and may move to the 5-year extended (ASPECT) curriculum. NBT Maths, AL and QL must be written but UCT states they are not taken into account for EBE admission.

Source: View the official page (uct.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of Johannesburg

Partly verified

BEng Civil Engineering

Engineering & the Built Environment · 4 years

UJ APS 32 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more) OR Technical Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 5 (60% or more)

Captured from the UJ BEng Civil Engineering page; UJ lists the same requirements on the matching Electrical & Electronic and Mechanical Engineering pages. This figure was read from the search-engine index of the official UJ programme page rather than from the full page, and UJ’s 2027 prospectus PDF could not be fetched. Confirm it on the UJ page before you rely on it.

Source: View the official page (uj.ac.za) (opens the official page)

University of KwaZulu-Natal

From an older document

BSc Eng Civil Engineering

Agriculture, Engineering & Science · 4 years

UKZN APS 33 points out of 48

  • Mathematics: 65%
  • Physical Sciences: 65%
  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Orientation: level 4 (50% or more)

The published APS range is 48-33. This comes from the Study@UKZN 2026 brochure, the most recent official source we could find. UKZN had not published a 2027 table when we checked, so treat these as 2026 figures pending a 2027 update. Applications go through the CAO.

Source: View the official page (studyatukzn.ukzn.ac.za) (opens the official page)

From an older document

BSc Engineering Access Programme

Agriculture, Engineering & Science · 3 years

No points cut-off published for this one – see the note below.

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Orientation: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

No APS is published for the Access Programme. This comes from the Study@UKZN 2026 brochure, the most recent official source we could find. UKZN had not published a 2027 table when we checked, so treat these as 2026 figures pending a 2027 update. Applications go through the CAO.

Source: View the official page (studyatukzn.ukzn.ac.za) (opens the official page)

University of Pretoria

BEng Civil Engineering

Engineering, Built Environment & IT · 4 years

UP APS 35 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 6 (70% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 6 (70% or more)

Most UP closing dates are 30 June; Veterinary Science closes 31 May. Grade 12 applicants apply with their final Grade 11 results. A 5-year extended BEng route (previously ENGAGE) exists at APS 33 with English, Mathematics and Physical Sciences at 65%.

Source: View the official page (drupalwebprod-files.up.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

BEng 5-year programme (previously ENGAGE)

Engineering, Built Environment & IT · 5 years

UP APS 33 points

  • English: 65% if it is your Home Language, 65% if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: 65%
  • Physical Sciences: 65%

An extended route into any BEng discipline for students who meet these requirements but not the 4-year entry level. Most UP closing dates are 30 June; Veterinary Science closes 31 May. Grade 12 applicants apply with their final Grade 11 results.

Source: View the official page (drupalwebprod-files.up.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of the Witwatersrand

From an older document

BSc (Eng) Civil Engineering

Engineering & the Built Environment · 4 years

Wits APS 42 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 5 (60% or more)

Wits notes that level 5 across the board means you are likely to be wait-listed; level 6 is advised. This figure comes from the Wits schools-liaison Grade 12 guide, which is headed for 2026 entry. We have not yet found a 2027 course-finder page confirming it, so treat it as the most recent official figure rather than a confirmed 2027 one.

Source: View the official page (wits.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Are your marks enough?

Put your subjects in once and we’ll check them against every degree above – scored each university’s own way.

What do I qualify for?