UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027: Prelims & Mains Syllabus
Riya Sharma18 Sept, 2026
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the UPSC ESE 2027 notification along with the syllabus for Civil Engineering and other engineering branches. The UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 covers General Studies and Engineering Aptitude for Prelims along with core Civil Engineering subjects for Prelims and Mains.
The UPSC ESE 2027 examination is conducted for four engineering categories: Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. Candidates preparing for the Civil Engineering category should follow the latest syllabus while planning their preparation.
Candidates aiming to crack the UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Exam 2027 should carefully review the UPSC ESE Syllabus for the Civil Engineering branch. The syllabus outlines the topics covered in General Studies and Engineering Aptitude, Civil Engineering Paper I, and Civil Engineering Paper II.
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027
The UPSC ESE 2027 examination consists of the Preliminary Examination, Main Examination and Personality Test/Interview. For Civil Engineering candidates, the Preliminary Examination includes General Studies and Engineering Aptitude along with Civil Engineering, while the Main Examination consists of two conventional Civil Engineering papers.
The UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 includes ten topics under General Studies and Engineering Aptitude and twelve major Civil Engineering areas across the two papers. Candidates should cover the complete syllabus systematically before moving to intensive practice and revision.
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 Overview
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam | UPSC Engineering Services Examination 2027 |
| Engineering Category | Civil Engineering |
| Prelims | General Studies & Engineering Aptitude + Civil Engineering |
| Prelims Total Marks | 500 Marks |
| Mains | Two Civil Engineering Conventional Papers |
| Mains Total Marks | 600 Marks |
| Personality Test | 200 Marks |
| UPSC ESE 2027 Prelims Date | 31 January 2027 |
| UPSC ESE 2027 Mains Date | 18 June 2027 |
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus for General Studies and Engineering Aptitude
The UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 for General Studies and Engineering Aptitude covers topics related to current issues, engineering aptitude, mathematics, design, safety, quality practices, energy and environment, project management, material science, ICT and ethics.
The General Studies and Engineering Aptitude paper includes ten broad topics. Each topic may carry approximately 5% to 15% of the total marks of the paper.
The key topics of the UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 for General Studies and Engineering Aptitude are as follows:
- Current issues of national and international importance relating to social, economic, and industrial development
- Engineering Aptitude focusing on logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Engineering Mathematics and Numerical Analysis
- General Principles of Design, Drawing, and the Importance of Safety
- Standards and Quality Practices in Production, Construction, Maintenance and Services
- Basics of Energy and Environment: Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Conservation, Climate Change, and Environmental Impact Assessment
- Basics of Project Management
- Basics of Material Science and Engineering
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-based tools and their applications in engineering, such as e-government, networking, and technology-based education
- Ethics and Values in the Engineering Profession
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus for Prelims and Mains Exam
The UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Preliminary Examination consists of two papers carrying a total of 500 marks. Paper I covers General Studies and Engineering Aptitude for 200 marks, while Paper II covers the Civil Engineering discipline for 300 marks. The Main Examination consists of two conventional Civil Engineering papers carrying 300 marks each, for a total of 600 marks.
The detailed UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 for the Preliminary and Main Examinations is provided below.
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus for Paper I
The Civil Engineering syllabus for Paper I includes six major areas: Building Materials, Solid Mechanics, Structural Analysis, Design of Steel Structures, Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures, and Construction Practice, Planning and Management.
Find the detailed UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 for Paper I in the table below.
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UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 for Paper I |
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| Sl. No. | Topics | Sub-Topics |
| 1. | Building Materials | Stone, Lime, Glass, Plastics, Steel, FRP, Ceramics, Aluminium, Fly Ash, Basic Admixtures, Timber, Bricks and Aggregates: Classification, properties and selection criteria; Cement: Types, Composition, Properties, Uses, Specifications and various Tests; Lime and Cement Mortars and Concrete: Properties and various Tests; Design of Concrete Mixes: Proportioning of Aggregates and Methods of Mix Design. |
| 2. | Solid Mechanics | Elastic constants, Stress, plane stress, Strains, plane strain, Mohr’s circle of stress and strain, Elastic theories of failure, Principal Stresses, Bending, Shear and Torsion. |
| 3. | Structural Analysis | Basics of strength of materials, Types of stresses and strains, Bending moments and shear force, concept of bending and shear stresses; Analysis of determinate and indeterminate structures; Trusses, beams, and plane frames; Rolling loads, Influence Lines, Unit load methods, and other methods; Free and Forced vibrations of single degree and multi degree freedom systems; Suspended Cables; Concepts and use of Computer Aided Design. |
| 4. | Design of Steel Structures | Principles of Working Stress methods, Design of tension and compression members, Design of beams and beam column connections, built-up sections, Girders, Industrial roofs, Principles of ultimate load design. |
| 5. | Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures | Limit state design for bending, shear, axial compression and combined forces; Design of beams, Slabs, Lintels, Foundations, Retaining walls, Tanks, and staircases; Principles of pre-stressed concrete design, including materials and methods; Earthquake resistant design of structures; design of masonry structures. |
| 6. | Construction Practice, Planning and Management | Construction planning, Equipment, Site investigation and management, including Estimation with latest project management tools and network analysis for different types of works; Analysis of Rates of various types of works; Tendering Process and Contract Management, Quality Control, Productivity, Operation Cost, Land Acquisition, and Labour Safety and Welfare. |
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus for Paper II
The UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 for Paper II covers Flow of Fluids, Hydraulic Machines and Hydro Power, Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geo-technical Engineering and Foundation Engineering, Surveying and Geology, and Transportation Engineering.
Find the detailed UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 for Paper II in the table below.
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UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 for Paper II |
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| Sl. No. | Topics | Sub-Topics |
| 1. | Flow of Fluids, Hydraulic Machines and Hydro Power | (a) Fluid Mechanics, Open Channel Flow, and Pipe Flow: Fluid Properties; Dimensional Analysis and Modeling; Fluid Dynamics, including flow kinematics and measurements; Flow Net; viscosity; boundary layer and control; drag and lift; principles in open channel flow; flow controls. Hydraulic jump; surges; pipe networks. (b) Hydraulic Machines and Hydro Power: Various pumps, air vessels, hydraulic turbines—types, classifications and performance parameters; power house—classification and layout; storage; pondage; control of supply. |
| 2. | Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering | Hydrological cycle, ground water hydrology, well hydrology and related data analysis; streams and their gauging; river morphology; floods, drought and their management and capacity of reservoirs. Water Resources Engineering: Multipurpose Uses of Water, River basins and Their Potential; Irrigation systems; water demand assessment; resources—storage and their yields; Water logging, canal and drainage design, gravity dams, falls, weirs, energy dissipators, barrage distribution works, cross-drainage works and head-works and their design; Concepts in canal design, construction and maintenance; river training; measurement and analysis of rainfall. |
| 3. | Environmental Engineering | (a) Water Supply Engineering: Sources, estimation, quality standards and testing of water and its treatment; Rural, Institutional and industrial water supply; Physical, chemical and biological characteristics and sources of water; Pollutants in water and their effects; Estimation of water demand; drinking water standards; water treatment plants; and water distribution networks. (b) Waste Water Engineering: Planning and design of domestic waste water, sewage collection and disposal, and plumbing systems; components and layout of the sewerage system; planning and design of domestic waste water disposal systems; sludge management, including treatment, disposal and re-use of treated effluents; industrial waste waters and effluent treatment plants, including institutional and industrial sewage management. (c) Solid Waste Management: Sources and classification of solid wastes, along with the planning and design of its management system, disposal system, beneficial aspects of waste, and utilization by civil engineers. (d) Air, Noise Pollution and Ecology: Concepts and General Methodology. |
| 4. | Geo-technical Engineering and Foundation Engineering | (a) Geo-technical Engineering: Soil exploration: planning and methods; properties of soil; classification; various tests and interrelationships; permeability and seepage; compressibility; consolidation and shearing resistance; earth pressure theories; and stress distribution in soil; Properties and uses of geosynthetics. (b) Foundation Engineering: Types of foundations and selection criteria; bearing capacity; settlement analysis; design and testing of shallow and deep foundations; slope stability analysis; earthen embankments; dams and earth retaining structures: types, analysis and design; principles of ground modifications. |
| 5. | Surveying and Geology | (a) Surveying: Classification of surveys, various methodologies, instruments and analysis of measurement of distances, elevation and directions; field astronomy; global positioning system; Map preparation; photogrammetry; remote sensing concepts; Survey layout for culverts, canals, bridges, road/railway alignment and buildings; setting out of curves. (b) Geology: Basic knowledge of engineering geology and its application in projects. |
| 6. | Transportation Engineering | (a) Highways: Planning and construction methodology, alignment, and geometric design; traffic surveys and controls; principles of flexible and rigid pavement design. (b) Tunneling: Alignment, methods of construction, disposal of muck, drainage, lighting, and ventilation. (c) Railway Systems: Terminology, Planning, Designs, and Maintenance Practices; Track Modernization. (d) Harbors: Terminology, layouts, and planning; airports layout, planning and design. |
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 PDF
Candidates can refer to the official UPSC ESE 2027 notification for the detailed Civil Engineering syllabus. The official notification contains the syllabus for General Studies and Engineering Aptitude as well as the Civil Engineering discipline papers.
UPSC ESE 2027 Notification PDF Download
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Exam Pattern 2027
Candidates should also understand the UPSC ESE Exam Pattern 2027 to understand the marks, duration and structure of the Preliminary and Main Examinations.
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UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Exam Pattern 2027 |
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| Mode of Examination | Offline |
| Stage I: Preliminary Examination | |
| Paper I: General Studies and Engineering Aptitude | |
| Total Marks | 200 Marks |
| Duration of Exam | 2 Hours |
| Paper II: Civil Engineering Discipline Specific Paper | |
| Total Marks | 300 Marks |
| Duration of Exam | 3 Hours |
| Total Marks for Stage I | 500 Marks |
| Total Time Duration for Stage I | 5 Hours |
| Stage II: Mains Examination | |
| Paper I: Civil Engineering Discipline Specific Paper I | |
| Total Marks | 300 Marks |
| Duration of Exam | 3 Hours |
| Paper II: Civil Engineering Discipline Specific Paper II | |
| Total Marks | 300 Marks |
| Duration of Exam | 3 Hours |
| Total Marks for Stage II | 600 Marks |
| Total Time Duration for Stage II | 6 Hours |
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 - Preparation Tips
The UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 covers both General Studies and Engineering Aptitude and core Civil Engineering subjects. Candidates should divide the syllabus into manageable sections and follow a structured preparation strategy.
- Understand the UPSC ESE Civil Syllabus - Start preparation by going through the complete UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027. Divide the syllabus into subjects and topics to create a structured study plan.
- Create a Focused Study Plan - Develop a timetable that covers General Studies and Engineering Aptitude along with all Civil Engineering subjects. Allocate sufficient time for revision and practice.
- Take Regular Tests - Include regular mock tests and previous year question papers in the preparation routine. Analyse performance to identify strong and weak areas and improve time management.
Excel your UPSC ESE 2027 preparation journey with PW’s UPSC ESE Online Coaching. Physics Wallah offers structured study material, mock tests, e-books, and other resources to support aspirants in their preparation.
UPSC ESE Civil Engineering Syllabus 2027 FAQs
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