Civil Engineering (BS)

College of Engineering

Program Website

Program Description

The Civil Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The field of civil engineering is a people-serving profession. Civil engineers plan, design, construct, and operate facilities that are used every day – buildings, bridges, space stations, water purification and distribution systems, highways, tunnels, airports, rapid transit systems, dams and electrical generating stations, and other constructed facilities. They analyze land, water, air, and pollution problems; develop designs for pollution and hazardous waste control facilities; and oversee the construction and operation of those facilities. They participate in city planning, in efforts to overcome infrastructure deterioration, in the development of water resource systems, and in the design and operation of other systems fundamental to the quality of life and the preservation of the quality of the environment. A personal reward for civil engineers is the satisfaction gained from creating enduring constructed facilities that provide communities with places to live, work, and play. Civil engineers are also concerned with sensing and interpreting the environment using satellite and aircraft imaging. As a profession, civil engineers must help meet the basic needs of society through economical, safe, aesthetically appealing, sustainable, and environmentally sound solutions.

While it is not a requirement, students may choose a focus in environmental engineering, fluid mechanics, hydrology, and water resources, smart cities, structural engineering, or transportation and systems.

Students must complete a minimum of 125 total credit hours to graduate.

Academic Standards

Academic Standing

Majors in Civil Engineering are expected to meet the following standards:

  • Semester GPA ≥ 2.0
  • Cumulative GPA ≥ 2.0
  • Semester GPA ≥ 2.0 in core courses, design courses, major-approved electives, and engineering distribution courses1
  • No failing grades.
  • 12 credit hours each semester
  • At most, one passing grade below a C- in required core courses, design courses, major approved electives, and engineering distribution courses can count towards completion of undergraduate major.
1

Grade(s) below C- in these courses beyond the first will require that the course(s) so graded be repeated.  (The College of Engineering also requires that each course in the required mathematics sequence - 1910, 1920, 2930, 2940 - be passed with a grade of C- or better.)

Honors Program

The B.S. degree with honors is granted to engineering students who satisfy the requirements given on the "Undergraduate Study and Graduation Requirements " page as well as the following requirements.

The 9 credits beyond the B.S. degree requirements shall be drawn from the following components (with no fewer than 2 credits in any selected component):

  • A significant research experience or honors project under the direct supervision of a CEE faculty member using CEE 4000 Senior Honors Thesis (1–6 credits per semester). A significant written report or senior honors thesis must be submitted as part of this component. Letter grades only.
  • A significant teaching experience under the direct supervision of a faculty member or as part of a regularly recognized course in the College of Engineering, i.e., CEE 4010 Undergraduate Engineering Teaching in CEE (1–3 credits per semester).
  • Advanced or graduate courses at the 5000 level or above.

Procedures

Students must apply no later than the beginning of the first semester of their senior year but are encouraged to apply as early as the first semester of their junior year.  All honors program students must be in the program for at least two semesters before graduation.  Students must enter with and maintain a cumulative GPA equal or greater than 3.50. Each applicant to the CEE Honors Program must have a faculty advisor or faculty member to supervise the student's individual program. (This need not be the student's faculty advisor.) Applications can be obtained from the CEE Undergraduate Coordinator. Each program must be approved by the CEE Curriculum Committee, although the committee may delegate approval authority to the associate director for all but unusual proposals.

Admission Requirements

Students planning to affiliate with this major must complete ENGRD 2020 Statics and Mechanics of Solids with at least a grade of C. It is strongly recommended that ENGRD 2020 be taken as an engineering distribution during the first semester of the sophomore year.