Civil Engineering is one of the classical engineering sciences and one of the oldest professions. People have been building for thousands of years. A civil engineer deals with a wide variety of structures such as skyscrapers, bridges, tunnels, roads, sewage treatment plants, wind turbines, etc. The focus of civil engineering is on planning, dimensioning, designing, building and operating these structures.

With infrastructure projects such as the road and rail network as well as industrial and building construction projects, civil engineers ensure economic progress. They are used in many ways and shape our environment. They contribute to solving global problems of our time, such as those named in the AGENDA 2030 as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations:

• Climate change (SDG 13): minimising CO₂ emissions, among other things, through the energy-efficient refurbishment of residential and office buildings as well as in plant construction.
• Drinking water supply and wastewater disposal (SDG 6): Production, treatment and distribution of drinking water as well as drainage and treatment of wastewater.
• Environmental protection (SDG 12): Dealing with waste, contaminated sites and their recycling or disposal, and sustainable construction.
• Renewable energies (SDG 7): safe and low-CO₂ energy production and distribution, e.g. from offshore wind farms, geothermal energy, solar or biomass power plants.
• Coastal and flood protection (SDG 14): protection against the forces of nature through dykes and dams or near-natural watercourse development.
• Urbanisation (SDG 11): Shaping the consequences of demographic change in our society, e.g. in urban restructuring and redevelopment and in new forms of mobility.

Why study civil engineering in Rostock?

The special regional conditions, the profile of the University of Rostock and the integration of the study programme into the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences determine the contents of the training. The focus on the special features of rural areas and the coastal region distinguishes the Rostock degree programme from other degree programmes in the field of civil engineering.

With the "Concept for a cross-location engineering education in the fields of construction, landscape and environment (BLU) in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" (25.01. 2019) , supported by the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Council of Engineers, all professional associations in the construction industry and the chambers of industry and commerce, we are pursuing a holistic approach to engineering studies in the subject areas of construction, landscape and the environment and are relying on cross-location networking between the three university locations of Neubrandenburg, Rostock and Wismar, so that there are opportunities to change courses and places of study.

The lack of well-trained civil engineers available in sufficient numbers has led to serious problems in the construction industry for years, not only in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Both in the private sector and in public institutions, vacancies cannot be filled or can only be filled with considerable difficulty. Smaller engineering firms have had to close down all or some of their specialist departments due to a lack of junior staff, or they have formed planning consortia with others who are also affected. The insufficient personnel base in this area is already having an impact on the performance of the economy in the state. Infrastructure projects (roads, railways, bridges, ports, schools, hospitals) are delayed in realisation. The demand for industrial, commercial and residential buildings cannot be met. Construction is becoming much more expensive and less sustainable.

Thus, the job prospects are excellent.