An engineer in a yellow hard hat, a bright safety vest and red work gloves points across a hillside building site.
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Engineering & Tech

Civil Engineer

Civil engineers design and build roads, bridges, buildings, drains and water systems, and keep them safe.

At a glance

Pay

No reliable figure yet

Years of study

At UWI Mona the BSc in Engineering is three years. If you start with the one-year Preliminary Engineering programme, it takes four.

The University of the West Indies, Mona, Faculty of Engineering: About, checked Oct 2026

Jobs

High: the government says Jamaica is going to need a lot more engineers

Jamaica Information Service, Local Engineers Urged to Take Lead in Bolstering Professionals (JIS News, 17 September 2024), checked Oct 2026

The path

  1. Your CSEC subjects and where to study

    BSc Civil Engineering (three years, after CAPE)

    The University of the West Indies, Mona

    You need: 5 CSEC passes, including English A, Mathematics and Physics and CAPE Mathematics Units 1 and 2 and CAPE Physics Units 1 and 2

    The University of the West Indies, Mona, Civil Engineering (programme page), checked Oct 2026

    BSc Civil Engineering (four years, starting with the Preliminary Engineering year)

    The University of the West Indies, Mona

    You need: 5 CSEC passes, including Mathematics and English A and (CSEC Physics or CSEC Electrical and Electronic Technology)

    The University of the West Indies, Mona, Civil Engineering (programme page), checked Oct 2026

    Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering

    University of Technology, Jamaica

    You need: 5 CSEC passes, including English A, Mathematics and Physics and CAPE Physics Units 1 and 2 and CAPE Mathematics Units 1 and 2 and Two other related CAPE units

    University of Technology, Jamaica, Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (course of study), checked Oct 2026

  2. Your licence

    After you graduate, you work for at least two years under a registered professional engineer, with at least one of those years in Jamaica or another CARICOM state. Then you can apply to the Professional Engineers Registration Board (PERB) to register as a professional engineer.

    Professional Engineers Registration Board, Registration Process & Fees, checked Oct 2026

  3. Your first job

    UTech's BEng is planned so graduates can go straight into a job, as the first step towards a licence as a Professional Engineer.

    University of Technology, Jamaica, Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (course of study), checked Oct 2026

    A civil engineering degree leads to work in civil, geotechnical (soils), structural, environmental and foundation engineering, and in construction project management.

    University of Technology, Jamaica, Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (course of study), checked Oct 2026

    The Diploma in Structural Engineering leads to jobs such as structural or civil engineering technician, laboratory and testing specialist, assistant project manager and inspector.

    University of Technology, Jamaica, Diploma in Structural Engineering (course of study), checked Oct 2026

    In Jamaica, a person who is not registered under the Professional Engineers Registration Act may not practise engineering or use a title saying they may.

    Professional Engineers Registration Board, Frequently Asked Questions, checked Oct 2026

Sources for these sections

No AI writes these facts. Each one comes from the source named under it and is checked again every year.