Program Overview

Civil engineers use mathematics and the pure sciences of biology, chemistry and physics to solve environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation and water resources problems. Civil engineers are involved in both the design and construction of facilities that affect all aspects of human life.

Why Choose Civil Engineering?
From the ancient roads of the Roman Empire to New York City’s tallest skyscrapers, civil engineering is woven into the fabric of society as we know it, finding its roots in the construction of our world’s most revered structures. The field has evolved over the years, but its principles remain the same: civil engineers design and construct the public works that define much of what we now see as modern towns and cities and provide the quality of life that citizens of a modern society take for granted.

What Will You Learn?
The curriculum for the first year is common to all branches of engineering and focuses on broad mathematics and engineering science principles. During your sophomore year, you will take introductory civil engineering courses. In your junior and senior years, you will take required and elective classes specializing in the following disciplines:

• Structural engineering: the analysis, design and construction of buildings, bridges, ships, aircraft and structures of all types
• Environmental engineering: the study of how different systems (artificial or natural) affect the environment and the process of designing sustainable systems to protect the population and environment from harmful effects
• Geotechnical engineering: the study of the behavior of soils and rocks with the goal of designing and constructing structures above and below the ground
• Construction management: the planning, execution, and oversight of infrastructure construction, ensuring economy, efficiency, safety, and sustainability
• Transportation engineering: the planning, design, and construction of highways, airports, railways, ports, and other transportation systems, including their feasibility and sustainability.
• Water resources engineering: the study of water supply sources (precipitation, surface water and groundwater), including design and implementation of sustainable improvements to water resources infrastructure

What Will You Do?
A civil engineering degree will prepare you to work in design, construction, business, management and the environment, as well as in several other sectors. Many of our prominent civil engineers have also gone to law school, from which they have built careers addressing the legal components of technological developments and construction endeavors.