Studying Civil Engineering increases future options

Ester María Eiríksdóttir graduated with a BSc in Civil Engineering from the Department of Technology at Reykjavik University in February. Ester María was born and raised in the north, graduated from VMA in Akureyri and studied carpentry at the same time.

When it came to university studies, I was interested in many subjects, but I wanted to learn something practical, so I went into carpentry and finished VMA high school alongside. After graduation, I wanted to continue practical studies and chose Civil Engineering. The programme is challenging but at the same time immensely practical, increasing your options for the future. The student group is tight-knit, and the teachers are very accessible to the students.

This spring, Ester María received recognition from the Concrete Society of Iceland for her final project: Inspection of connections between precast support units. Her supervisors were Jóhann Albert Harðarson, Ólafur Sveinn Haraldsson and Helgi Sigursteinn Ólafsson.

My final project was a research project where I designed/calculated and built/cast two different test pieces that I then load-tested in the construction lab at RU. The project will hopefully be used to shorten the time it takes to build precast structures on site, especially precast bridges. The project was funded by the Icelandic Road Administration's Research Fund.

Ester María currently works at Stoð Consulting Engineers in Sauðárkrókur but will move to Seattle this fall to study for a master's degree in civil engineering at the University of Washington.

I recommend studying at RU, it's great to get a legally protected job title right after my BSc, and the studies prepared me well for the job market. It also opened the way into the master's programme in engineering.

Read more about studies at the Department of Applied Engineering.