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College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture

BS in Civil Engineering

At a Glance

The civil engineering program prepares you for careers in various areas such as structural, geotechnical, transportation, environmental, water resources, and construction engineering.

Full Time
Rolling Admission

Degrees Offered

Total Credits

Bachelor of Science

132

Minor

18+

Overview

Our project-based learning will help you develop the key skills necessary to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure through planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining our built environment.

Quick Links

Apply today.

Questions?
Contact Program Director Clara Fang.

Read accreditation information here.

About the Major

bs-civil-engineering

At CETA, you will work alongside our distinguished faculty members and professional practitioners to creatively discover innovative solutions to issues facing society while protecting our natural resources, and leading multidisciplinary teams to achieve a sustainable world and raise the global quality of life.

Why UHart?

Our program provides undergraduate laboratories and student-oriented collaborative spaces for research and hands-on learning opportunities. You will learn critical industry skills by exploring industry-standard equipment and machinery in revolutionary areas such as:

  • High-Bay Structural Engineering Laboratory
  • Transportation Laboratory
  • Soils Laboratory

About the Minor

The civil engineering minor is an opportunity for students to take courses within the civil engineering program to gain hands-on experience related to water resources, construction, design, and more.

Degree Requirements

For more information, and to see a complete list of degree requirements, visit the Course Catalog.

Curriculum Highlights

  • CE 320 | Water Resources Engineering
  • CE 352 | Transportation Engineering I
  • ES 320 | Thermal-Fluids Engineering
  • CE 430 | Foundation Engineering
  • CE 464 | Civil Engineering Design Project I

Construction Concentration

The construction concentration provides electives for students interested in expanding their knowledge of the design, construction, and operation of buildings and infrastructure systems that are increasingly focused on sustainability. Learn more.

Environmental Concentration

The environmental concentration provides engineering electives for those students who want to focus on optimizing the environmental, economic, and social conditions required for sustainable designs that enhance the quality of life for all of society. Learn more.

Dual-Degree Option with Architectural Design + Technology

CETA offers a five-year plan for students interested in completing two undergraduate degrees in architectural design + technology and civil engineering. Interested students should contact their academic advisor of the program they are accepted into to discuss this option.

Career Outlook

Our civil engineering program is designed to prepare you for career success.

Our graduates go on to work at companies like state Department of Transportation (DOT), Fuss & O'Neill, Tighe & Bond, Turner Construction, Bursich Associates, and Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.

Kajetan Naworol

Civil Engineering, 2025

Choosing civil engineering was a natural fit for Kajetan, driven by his desire to work outdoors and analyze the built environment. His specific interest lies in bridge inspection and design, which he considers the most challenging aspect of civil engineering. Read more.

The college focuses on a hands-on approach to learning, especially in engineering. I believe this to be essential to really understanding how each industry works, rather than just learning from theory.

Find Your Path To Success

Our industrial and local/state government partners, alumni, and faculty work closely with our career services department, to provide a strong and robust network so students can obtain paid internships during the school year and summer. Along with academic success in the classroom and involvement in extracurricular activities, these internships provide our graduates an added advantage to begin their career as a successful practicing engineer or continuing onto graduate school.

Students have the opportunity to participate in many different civil engineering clubs like the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE), Engineers Without Borders (EWB), and Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). As an added bonus, the Construction Institute which is part of the University’s rich academic environment provides meaningful opportunities for students to learn from the Institute’s members through internships, lectures, and career preparation activities.

With our emphasis on undergraduate education, there are also many opportunities for undergraduate students to earn money by assisting faculty with their funded research and opportunities to work on research funded by our industrial partners and government agencies. With the strong support of our alumni, there is a solid network available to help our students with paid internships during the school year and summer. Over $200,000 in merit and need-based engineering scholarships are awarded annually to the college’s top-performing and most engaged students.

Accreditation

The civil engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

The undergraduate civil engineering program seeks to prepare qualified students for entry-level professional practice in civil engineering and for entrance into appropriate graduate programs. During the initial phase of their careers, our alumni

  1. will be successful practicing engineers in the areas of design, analysis, and realization of design in one or more of the major areas of civil engineering, including environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources;
  2. will successfully apply the fundamentals of engineering analysis and engineering design to the formulation and solution of emerging technical problems as contributing members of multidisciplinary engineering teams.

The engineering design experience is distributed over the entire engineering curriculum. Engineering design continues through the senior capstone design project. The majority of the design work is incorporated into the junior and senior years to ensure that the students have taken sufficient preparatory engineering science courses.

Basic concepts of physics, chemistry, and mathematics are the foundation on which all engineering education is built. Basic tools of engineering, such as graphic communication and computer usage and programming, are also required knowledge. The engineering sciences, such as solid and fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, complete the introductory phase of the program.

Civil engineering is generally considered to consist of several branches:

  • Construction
  • Structures
  • Transportation
  • Environment
  • Water Resources
  • Geotechnical

All civil engineering program graduates are required to complete at least one course in each of the branches except construction. Additional elective courses are available in each of the branches. Through choice of electives, a student may become specialized in one of the branches or remain a generalist.

Extensive laboratory experience enhances the course work. There are several required laboratory courses in the sciences, materials, engineering, and natural phenomena. Written communication of laboratory results is required.

Through participation in the All-University curriculum and in additional elective courses in the humanities and/or social sciences, students are given the opportunity to broaden their perspectives and to take part in the larger learning community of the University. It is imperative that engineers understand and appreciate the special role that technology plays in our society and the interactions between and among the various components of our society.

The student learning outcomes of the civil engineering program leading to BSCE degree are aligned with the student learning outcomes of ABET EAC (1 through 7), and prepare graduates of the program to attain the program educational objectives.

Student outcomes (1) through (7) are articulated as follows:

(1) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics

(2) an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors

(3) an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences

(4) an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts

(5) an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives

(6) an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions

(7) an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

 

The civil engineering curriculum will prepare graduates to:

(PSC-a) apply knowledge of math through differential equation,

(PSC-b) apply knowledge of calculus based physics

(PSC-c) apply knowledge of chemistry

(PSC-d) apply knowledge of one additional area of basic science 

(PSC-e) apply probability and statistics to address uncertainty

(PSC-f) analyze and solve problems in at least four technical areas appropriate to civil engineering.

(PSC-g) conduct experiments in at least two technical areas of CE and analyze and interpret the    resulting data

(PSC-h) design a system, component, or process in at least two CE contexts

(PSC-i) include principles of sustainability in design

(PSC-j) explain basic concepts in project management, business public policy and leadership

(PSC-k) analyze issues in professional ethics

(PSC-l) explain the importance of professional licensure

Academic Year First-Year Sophomore Junior Senior Total Graduates
20-21 22 16 18 32 21
19-20 25 17 20 44 33
18-19 17 18 32 33 25
17-18 19 29 23 62 51
16-17 35 24 50 40 23

4+1 Program (BS + MEng degrees)

Student group completing outdoor civil engineering project

The program is designed to allow full-time engineering students to earn their Bachelor of Science (BS) and Master of Engineering (MEng) degrees in five years of study. Two graduate-level courses taken in the undergraduate program may be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Students usually commit to the program at the start of the second semester of their junior year, and juniors who are interested should contact their department chair.

In order to be accepted into the program, students must have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average at the end of the junior year (below 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis).

Contact Laurie Granstrand to learn more.

Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty

Takafumi Asaki
Assistant Dean & Program Director, Biomedical Engineering
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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Clara Fang
Chair; Civil, Environmental & Biomedical Engineering Department; Program Director, Civil Engineering
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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Ameh Fioklou
Adjunct Faculty
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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Seong Hyun Moon
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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David Jacobs
Adjunct Faculty
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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Saleh Keshawarz
Professor
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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Solaleh Miar
Assistant Professor
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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David Pines
Professor
Dean's Office for CETA
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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Ted Sussmann
Program Director, Construction Management + Technology
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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Song Wang
Assistant Professor
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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Yang Yang
PE; Associate Professor
Architecture
Civil, Environmental, and Biomedical Engineering

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