Civil Engineering (BS)
To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the Learning Outcomes website!
Civil Engineering Degree
The Civil Engineering curriculum provides academic discipline in mathematics, the physical sciences, and the technical aspects of civil engineering. Upon mastering the fundamental principles of engineering mechanics, the student builds additional breadth in several of the civil engineering disciplines such as coastal and water resources, computing and systems, construction, environmental, geotechnical, materials, structural, and transportation engineering. Students learn to include principles of sustainability in civil infrastructure designs and develop skills in communication, leadership, and professional ethics.
Specific curriculum requirements are available on the Office of Undergraduate Courses and Curricula website.
Educational Objectives in Civil Engineering
Within a few years of graduation, alumni of the Civil Engineering program will:
- Function successfully in a professional environment by utilizing and enhancing their leadership, technical, critical thinking, and communication skills.
- Develop lifelong learning skills through graduate or other professional education and obtaining licensure where appropriate.
- Function in team-oriented, multidisciplinary open-ended engineering activities considering the societal, economic, public health, and environmental impacts of engineering decisions, and the professional and ethical responsibilities of civil engineers.
- Promote organizational success with consideration of cost and time management while practicing and promoting ethical behavior and stewardship of a sustainable environment.
Plan Requirements
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| E 101 | Introduction to Engineering & Problem Solving 2 | 1 |
| E 115 | Introduction to Computing Environments | 1 |
| MA 141 | Calculus I 1 | 4 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 2 | 4 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MA 241 | Calculus II 1 | 4 |
| PY 205 & PY 206 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I and Physics for Engineers and Scientists I Laboratory 1 | 4 |
| Select one of the following Economics Courses: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | ||
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Fundamentals of Economics | ||
| E 102 | Engineering in the 21st Century | 2 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CE 214 | Engineering Mechanics-Statics 2 | 3 |
| CE 250 | Introduction to Sustainable Infrastructure 2 | 3 |
| TDE 220 | Civil Engineering Graphics | 3 |
| MA 242 | Calculus III | 4 |
| CSC 111 | Introduction to Computing: Python | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CE 225 | Mechanics of Solids 2 | 3 |
| CE 282 | Hydraulics 2 | 3 |
| MA 305 or MA 341 | Introductory Linear Algebra and Matrices or Applied Differential Equations I | 3 |
| MSE 200 | Mechanical Properties of Structural Materials | 3 |
| PY 208 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II | 3 |
| PY 209 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II Laboratory | 1 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CE 332 or CE 342 | Civil Engineering Materials or Engineering Behavior of Soils and Foundations | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Transportation Engineering | ||
| Reinforced Concrete Design | ||
| Civil Engineering Systems | ||
| Hydrology and Urban Water Systems | ||
| CE Junior Elective | 3 | |
| ST 370 | Probability and Statistics for Engineers | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CE 332 or CE 342 | Civil Engineering Materials or Engineering Behavior of Soils and Foundations | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Transportation Engineering | ||
| Reinforced Concrete Design | ||
| Civil Engineering Systems | ||
| Hydrology and Urban Water Systems | ||
| CE Junior Elective | 3 | |
| Basic Science Elective | 3 | |
| Select one of the following Engineering Science Electives: | 3 | |
| Principles of Electrical Engineering | ||
| Engineering Thermodynamics I | ||
| Engineering Dynamics | ||
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CE Senior Elective | 3 | |
| CE Senior Elective | 3 | |
| Senior Elective | 3 | |
| COM 110 or ENG 331 | Public Speaking or Communication for Engineering and Technology | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CE Senior Elective | 3 | |
| CE Senior Elective | 3 | |
| CE 420 or CE 450 | Structural Engineering Project or Civil Engineering Project | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 108 | |
| 1 | A grade of C or higher is required. |
| 2 | A grade of C- or higher is required. |
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEP Courses | |||
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | ||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | ||
| GEP U.S. Diversity (verify requirement) | |||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Total Hours | 17 | ||
CE Junior Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| CE 301 | Civil Engineering Surveying and Geomatics | 3 | |
| CE 305 | Introduction to Transportation Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 325 | Structural Analysis I | 3 | |
| CE 327 | Reinforced Concrete Design | 3 | |
| CE 339 | Civil Engineering Systems | 3 | |
| CE 367 | Mechanical and Electrical Systems in Buildings | 3 | |
| CE 373 | Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 383 | Hydrology and Urban Water Systems | 3 |
Basic Science Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 | |
| FOR 260 | Forest Ecology | 4 | |
| FW 221 | Conservation of Natural Resources | 3 | |
| MEA 101 | Geology I: Physical | 3 | |
| MEA 110 | Geology I Laboratory | 1 | |
| MEA 200 | Introduction to Oceanography | 3 | |
| MEA 210 | Oceanography Lab | 1 | |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science | 3 |
CE Senior Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| CE 401 | Transportation Systems Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 402 | Traffic Operations | 3 | |
| CE 403 | Highway Design | 3 | |
| CE 405 | Railroad System Planning, Design, and Operation | 3 | |
| CE 413 | Principles of Pavement Design | 3 | |
| CE 426 | Structural Steel Design | 3 | |
| CE 435 | Engineering Geology | 3 | |
| CE 437 | Civil Engineering Computing | 3 | |
| CE 443 | Seepage, Earth Embankments and Retaining Structures | 3 | |
| CE 444 | An Introduction to Foundation Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 466 | Building Construction Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 476 | Air Pollution Control | 3 | |
| CE 477 | Principles of Solid Waste Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 478 | Energy and Climate | 3 | |
| CE 479 | Air Quality | 3 | |
| CE 484 | Water Supply and Waste Water Systems | 3 | |
| CE 487 | Introduction to Coastal and Ocean Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 488 | Water Resources Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 501 | Transportation Systems Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 502 | Traffic Operations | 3 | |
| CE 503 | Highway Design | 3 | |
| CE 505 | Railroad System Planning, Design, and Operation | 3 | |
| CE 578 | Energy and Climate | 3 | |
| CE 588 | Water Resources Engineering | 3 | |
| MEA 479 | Air Quality | 3 |
Senior Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARC 521 | Daylighting and Passive Energy Systems for Architecture | 3 | |
| ARC 522 | Building Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy | 3 | |
| ARC 523 | Building Energy Modeling and Simulation | 3 | |
| ARC 590 | Special Topics in Architecture | 1-6 | |
| CE 225 | Mechanics of Solids | 3 | |
| CE 282 | Hydraulics | 3 | |
| CE 401 | Transportation Systems Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 402 | Traffic Operations | 3 | |
| CE 403 | Highway Design | 3 | |
| CE 405 | Railroad System Planning, Design, and Operation | 3 | |
| CE 425 | Structural Analysis II | 3 | |
| CE 464 | Legal Aspects of Contracting | 3 | |
| CE 468 | Construction Engineering Laboratory | 1 | |
| CE 478 | Energy and Climate | 3 | |
| CE 488 | Water Resources Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 499 | Undergraduate Research Thesis in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering | 1-3 | |
| CE 501 | Transportation Systems Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 502 | Traffic Operations | 3 | |
| CE 503 | Highway Design | 3 | |
| CE 504 | Airport Planning and Design | 3 | |
| CE 505 | Railroad System Planning, Design, and Operation | 3 | |
| CE 506 | Transportation Engineering Data Collection and Analysis | 3 | |
| CE 507 | Sensors, Instrumentation, and Data Analytics for Transportation Networks | 3 | |
| CE 509 | Highway Safety | 3 | |
| CE 515 | Advanced Strength of Materials | 3 | |
| CE 522 | Theory and Design Of Prestressed Concrete | 3 | |
| CE 523 | Theory and Behavior Of Steel Structures | 3 | |
| CE 524 | Analysis and Design Of Masonry Structures | 3 | |
| CE 525 | Advanced Structural Analysis | 3 | |
| CE 526 | Finite Element Method in Structural Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 527 | Structural Dynamics | 3 | |
| CE 528 | Structural Design in Wood | 3 | |
| CE 529 | FRP Strengthening and Repair of Concrete Structures | 3 | |
| CE 530 | Properties of Concrete and Advanced Cement-Based Composites | 3 | |
| CE 536 | Introduction to Numerical Methods for Civil Engineers | 3 | |
| CE 537 | Computer Methods and Applications | 3 | |
| CE 538 | Information Technology and Modeling | 3 | |
| CE 548 | Engineering Properties Of Soils I | 3 | |
| CE 549 | Soil and Site Improvement | 3 | |
| CE 557 | Engineering Measurement and Data Analysis | ||
| CE 561 | Construction Project Management | 3 | |
| CE 562 | Lean Construction Concepts and Methods | 3 | |
| CE 564 | Legal Aspects of Contracting | 3 | |
| CE 565 | Construction Safety Management | 3 | |
| CE 567 | Risk and Financial Management in Construction | 3 | |
| CE 568 | Building Information Modeling in Construction | 1 | |
| CE 571 | Physical Principles of Environmental Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 573 | Biological Principles of Environmental Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 574 | Chemical Principles of Environmental Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 576 | Engineering Principles Of Air Pollution Control | 3 | |
| CE 577 | Engineering Principles Of Solid Waste Management | 3 | |
| CE 578 | Energy and Climate | 3 | |
| CE 579 | Principles of Air Quality Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 581 | Fluid Mechanics in Natural Environments | 3 | |
| CE 582 | Coastal Hydrodynamics | ||
| CE 583 | Engineering Aspects Of Coastal Processes | 3 | |
| CE 584 | Hydraulics Of Ground Water | 3 | |
| CE 585 | Principles of Surface Water Quality Modeling | 3 | |
| CE 586 | Engineering Hydrology | 3 | |
| CE 588 | Water Resources Engineering | 3 | |
| CE 590 | Special Topics In Civil Engineering | 1-6 | |
| CE 591 | Special Topics in Civil Engineering Computing | 1-6 | |
| CE 592 | Special Topics in Construction Engineering | 1-6 | |
| CE 593 | Special Topics in Geotechnical Engineering | 1-3 | |
| CE 594 | Special Topics in Structures and Mechanics | 1-6 | |
| CE 595 | Special Topics in Transportation Engineering | 1-6 | |
| CE 596 | Special Topics in Water Resource and Environmental Engineering | 1-6 | |
| FB 528 | Structural Design in Wood | 3 | |
| MAE 201 | Engineering Thermodynamics I | 3 | |
| MAE 214 | Solid Mechanics | 3 | |
| MAE 252 | Aerodynamics I | 3 | |
| MAE 253 | Experimental Aerodynamics I | 1 | |
| MAE 302 | Engineering Thermodynamics II | 3 | |
| MAE 305 | Mechanical Engineering Laboratory I | 1 | |
| MAE 306 | Mechanical Engineering Laboratory II | 1 | |
| MAE 308 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| MAE 310 | Heat Transfer Fundamentals | 3 | |
| MAE 315 | Dynamics of Machines | 3 | |
| MAE 316 | Strength of Mechanical Components | 3 | |
| MAE 351 | Aerodynamics II | 3 | |
| MAE 352 | Experimental Aerodynamics II | 1 | |
| MAE 361 | Dynamics & Controls | 3 | |
| MAE 371 | Aerospace Structures I | 3 | |
| MAE 372 | Aerospace Vehicle Structures Lab | 1 | |
| MAE 440 | Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation | 3 | |
| MEA 581 | Fluid Mechanics in Natural Environments | 3 | |
| OR 537 | Computer Methods and Applications | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| E 101 | Introduction to Engineering & Problem Solving 2 | 1 |
| E 115 | Introduction to Computing Environments | 1 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 2 | 4 |
| MA 141 | Calculus I 1 | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EC 205 | Fundamentals of Economics | 3 |
| MA 241 | Calculus II 1 | 4 |
| PY 205 & PY 206 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I and Physics for Engineers and Scientists I Laboratory 1 | 4 |
| E 102 | Engineering in the 21st Century | 2 |
| GEP Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CE 214 | Engineering Mechanics-Statics 2 | 3 |
| CE 250 | Introduction to Sustainable Infrastructure 2 | 3 |
| CSC 111 | Introduction to Computing: Python | 3 |
| TDE 220 | Civil Engineering Graphics | 3 |
| MA 242 | Calculus III | 4 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CE 225 | Mechanics of Solids 2 | 3 |
| CE 282 | Hydraulics 2 | 3 |
| PY 208 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II | 3 |
| PY 209 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II Laboratory | 1 |
| MA 341 or MA 305 | Applied Differential Equations I or Introductory Linear Algebra and Matrices | 3 |
| MSE 200 | Mechanical Properties of Structural Materials | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CE Core Course – Lab Intensive Elective I | 3-4 | |
| CE Core Course – Elective I | 3 | |
| CE Junior Elective I | 3 | |
| ST 370 | Probability and Statistics for Engineers | 3 |
| GEP Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CE Core Course – Lab Intensive Elective II | 3-4 | |
| CE Core Course – Elective II | 3 | |
| CE Junior Elective | 3 | |
| Basic Science Elective | 3 | |
| Select one of the following Engineering Science Electives: | 3 | |
| Principles of Electrical Engineering | ||
| Engineering Thermodynamics I | ||
| Engineering Dynamics | ||
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CE Senior Elective I | 3 | |
| CE Senior Elective II | 3 | |
| Senior Elective | 3 | |
| COM 110 or ENG 331 | Public Speaking or Communication for Engineering and Technology | 3 |
| GEP Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CE Senior Elective III | 3 | |
| CE Senior Elective IV | 3 | |
| Select one of the following CE Senior Design courses: | 3 | |
| Structural Engineering Project | ||
| Civil Engineering Project | ||
| GEP Requirement | 3 | |
| GEP Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 124-126 | |
| 1 | C or better grade required |
| 2 | C- or better grade required |
Career Opportunities
Society will always need constructed facilities to live, work, and sustain their lives and environment, and civil, construction, and environmental engineers will always be needed to plan, design, and construct these facilities. Civil, construction, and environmental engineering comprise such diversified fields that graduates have a wide choice in types and locations of employment. Jobs range from federal, state, or municipal agencies to a variety of manufacturing and processing industries, consulting firms or construction companies. The work may be performed partially or wholly in an office or in the field and may be located in a small community, a big city, an industrial center, or even in a foreign country. Careers in either professional practice or teaching and research are common for many graduates who complete advanced degrees.