UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus

Civil Engineering paper is one of the 48 optional papers offered in UPSC exam and can be selected by the candidates according to their interest. The optional paper in the UPSC exam carries a total of 500 marks and is categorized into two papers carrying 250 marks each. In this article, the syllabus for the Civil Engineering paper (both paper I and paper II) has been provided. It is advised that the candidates check the complete details of the syllabus before they start preparing for the exam.

Civil Engineering Syllabus for UPSC exam 2023

Candidates who wish to choose Civil Engineering as their UPSC optional paper can see the details of the syllabus here. Syllabus for both paper I and paper II of Civil Engineering paper is given in this post below. Gaining familiarity with the syllabus can help candidates in scoring good marks.

Syllabus for Paper I

1. Engineering Mechanics, Strength of Materials and Structural Analysis

• Engineering Mechanics: SI Units, Vectors, Units and Dimensions, Concept of Force, Concept of particle and rigid body, First and Second Moment of area, Mass moment of Inertia, motion under gravity, Kinetics of particle, Concurrent, Non- Concurrent and parallel forces in a plane, moment of force, free body diagram, Momentum and Energy principles, collision of elastic bodies, rotation of rigid bodies, etc
• Strength of Materials: Simple Stress and Strain, Torsion of Shafts, Elastic stability of columns, Shear force and bending moment, theory of simple bending, Shear Stress distribution across cross sections, Deflection of beams, Macaulay’s method, Mohr’s Moment area method, Conjugate method, unit load method, Euler’s, Rankine’s and Secant formulae, etc
• Structural Analysis: Slope-deflection, moment distribution, Rolling loads and Influences lines, Criteria for maximum shear force and bending, Influences lines for simply supported plane pin jointed trusses, Force method and displacement method of analysis of indeterminate beams and rigid frames, Plastic Analysis of beams and frames, Theory of plastic bending, bending, Castiglione’s theorems I and II, unit load method of consistent deformation applied to beams and pin jointed trusses, Moment of inertia, product of inertia, etc

2. Design of Structures: Steel, Concrete and Masonry Structures

• Structural Steel Design: Structural steel, Factors of safety and load factors, Riveted, bolted and welded joints and connections, Design of tension and compression members, beams of built up section, riveted and welded plate girders, gantry girders, stanchions with battens and lacings
• Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures: Concept of mix design, Working Stress and Limit State method of design, Recommendations of IS, codes, Design of one way and two way slabs, stair-case slabs, simple and continuous beams of rectangular, T and L sections, Compression members under direct load with or without eccentricity, etc

3. Fluid Mechanics, Open Channel Flow and Hydraulic Machines:

• Fluid Mechanics: Fluid properties and their role in fluid motion, fluid statics including forces acting on plane and curve surfaces, Kinematics and Dynamics of Fluid flow, stream lines, equation of continuity, Continuity, momentum, energy equation, Navier-Stokes equation, Euler’s equation to motion, Dimensional Analysis and Similitude, Buckingham’s Pi-theorem, Laminar flow between parallel, stationary and moving plates, flow through tube Boundary layer: Laminar and turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate, laminar sub-layer, smooth and rough boundaries, drag and lift, Turbulent flow through pipes: Characteristics of turbulent flow, etc
• Open Channel Flow: momentum and energy correction factors, specific energy and specific force, Uniform and non-uniform flows, critical depth, rapidly varied flow, hydraulic jump, etc
• Hydraulic Machines and Hydropower: Hydraulic turbines, types classification, Choice of turbines performance parameters, controls, characteristics, specific speed, Principles of hydropower development

4. Geotechnical Engineering:

Water in soil, capillary and structural, filed and laboratory determination of permeability, Seepage pressure, Soil Type and Structure, gradation and particle size distribution, consistency limits, quick sand conditions, Shear strength, determination, Mohr Coulomb concept, Compaction of soil, Compressibility and consolidation concept, consolidation settlement analysis, Earth pressure theory and analysis for retaining walls, Application for sheet piles and Braced excavation, Bearing capacity of soil, settlement analysis, stability of slope of earth walk, Sub-surface exploration of soils, methods, Foundation, Type and selection criteria for foundation of structures, Design criteria for foundation, etc

Syllabus for Paper II

1. Construction Technology, Equipment, Planning and Management

• Construction Technology: Engineering Materials, Stones, Bricks and Tiles, Lime, Cement, different types of Mortars and Concrete, Specific use of ferrocement, fiber reinforced CC, High strength concrete, Timber, Properties defects, common preservation treatments, etc
• Construction: Types of plastering, pointing, flooring, roofing and construction features, Masonry principles using Brick, stone, Blocks, construction detailing and strength characteristics, Common repairs in buildings, etc
• Construction Planning and Management: Quality assurance principles, Use Basic principle of network, analysis in form of CPM and PERT, their use in construction monitoring, Construction activity, schedules, organization for construction industry, Cost optimization and resource allocation, Basic principles of Economic analysis and methods, Project profitability, etc

2. Surveying and Transportation Engineering

• Surveying: Common methods and instruments for distance and angle measurement for CE work, their use in plane table, traverse survey, leveling work, triangulation contouring and topographical map, Basic principles of photogrammetric and remote sensing
• Railways Engineering: Permanent way, components, types and their function-Functions and Design constituents of turn and crossing, Necessity of geometric design of track, Design of station and yards
• Highway Engineering: Principles of Highway alignments, Design principles and methodology of pavements, classification and geometrical design elements and standards for Roads, Pavement structure for flexible and rigid pavements, Bituminous works and CC roads, Surface and sub-surface drainage arrangements for roads, Traffic surveys and their application in traffic planning, Typical design features for channelized, intersection rotary, signal designs, standard Traffic signs and markings, etc

3. Hydrology, Water Resources and Engineering:

• Hydrology: Hydrological cycle, precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, infiltration, overland flow, hydrograph, flood frequency analyses, flood routing through a reservoir, channel flow routing, Muskingum method
• Ground Water flow: Specific yield, storage coefficient, coefficient of permeability, confined and unconfined aquifers, aquifers, aquitards, radial flow into a well under confined and unconfined conditions
• Water Resources Engineering: Ground and surface water resources, single and multipurpose projects, storage capacity of reservoirs, reservoir losses, reservoir sedimentation
• Irrigation Engineering: Water requirements of crops, consumptive use, duty and delta, irrigation methods and their efficiencies, most efficient section, bed load, Water logging, causes and control, salinity, Canal structures, Design of head regulators, canal falls, aqueducts, metering flumes and canal outlets, Diversion head work, Types of dams, design, principles of rigid gravity stability analysis, Spillway types, energy dissipation, Objectives & methods of river training, etc

4. Environmental Engineering

• Water Supply: Predicting demand for water, impurities of water and their significance, physical, chemical and bacteriological analysis, waterborne diseases, standards for potable water
• Intake of Water: Water treatment: principles of coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation, slow-, rapid-, pressure-, filters, chlorination, softening, removal of taste, odor and salinity
• Sewerage Systems: Domestic and industrial wastes, store sewage, separate and combined systems, flow through sewers, design of sewers
• Sewage Characterization: BOD, COD, solids, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen and TOC, Standards of disposal in normal water course and on land
• Sewage Treatment: Working principles, units, chambers, sedimentation tank, trickling filters, oxidation ponds, activated sludge process, septic tank, disposal of sludge, recycling of waste water
• Solid waste: Collection and disposal in rural and urban contexts, management of long-term ill-effects

5. Environmental pollution

Sustainable development, Radioactive wastes & disposal, Environmental impact assessment for thermal power plants, mines, river valley projects, Air pollution and Pollution control acts

UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus Download PDF

UPSC Syllabus