The first two years of study for undergraduate students build the base needed for the civil and environmental engineering education: students take physics, math, chemistry, theoretical and applied mechanics, and some general engineering courses. Students can also take several electives at this time.
The last two years of study involve primarily civil and environmental engineering courses. Students elect a major and secondary area of study from the eight areas of concentration within the department.
For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is a profession that applies the basic principles of science in conjunction with mathematical and computational tools to solve problems associated with developing and sustaining civilized life on our planet. Civil engineering is one of the broader of the engineering disciplines both in terms of the range of problems that fall within its purview and in the range of knowledge required to solve those problems. Civil engineering works are generally one-of-a-kind projects; they are often grand in scale; and they usually require cooperation among professionals of many different disciplines. The completion of a civil engineering project involves the solution of technical problems in which uncertainty of information and myriad nontechnical factors often play a significant role. Some of the most common examples of civil engineering works include bridges, buildings, dams, airports, highways, tunnels, and water distribution systems. Civil engineers are concerned with flood control, landslides, air and water pollution, and the design of facilities to withstand earthquakes and other natural hazards.
Educational Objectives and Outcomes
The career paths available to the civil engineer are many and varied and can involve a wide range of activities, tools, situations, clients, and venues—from conceptual design of facilities that do not yet exist to forensic study of facilities that have failed to performed as expected, from advanced simulation of complex systems to the management of people and projects, and from private consulting to public service. The civil engineer must be as well prepared for a career that traverses this considerable professional breadth as for a career focused on a single professional activity. The civil engineering curriculum is designed specifically to meet this educational challenge by emphasizing fundamental knowledge, transferable skills, and lifelong learning.
The civil engineering program comprises seven main disciplines: construction engineering and management, construction materials engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental hydrology and hydraulics, structural engineering, and transportation engineering. Although each discipline has its own special body of knowledge and engineering tools, they all rely on the same fundamental core principles. Civil engineering projects often draw expertise from many of these disciplines.
The civil engineering curriculum is designed to develop engineers who have a strong background in mathematics and science, engineers who are articulate, and engineers who understand the nature of their special role in society and the impact of their work on the progress of civilization. The curriculum is designed to guarantee a certain breadth of knowledge of the civil engineering disciplines through a set of core courses and to ensure depth and focus in certain disciplines through primary and secondary areas of specialization. The curriculum develops the basic engineering tools necessary to solve problems in the field of civil engineering.
Program Review and Approval
To qualify for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, each student’s academic program plan must be reviewed by a standing committee of the faculty (the Program Review Committee) and approved by the Associate Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering in charge of undergraduate programs. This review and approval process ensures that individual programs satisfy the educational objectives and all of the requirements of the civil engineering program, that those programs do not abuse the substantial degree of flexibility that is present in the curriculum, and that the career interests of each student are cultivated and served.
Monitoring and Assessment of Educational Outcomes
The faculty advisor plays an important role in the development of a student’s program of study, in monitoring the progress of the student, and in giving general advice on the role of the program in career development. The advising system in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering helps to assure that the educational objectives of the program are met to the best of the ability of each student. The department Undergraduate Advisor and the Associate Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering in charge of undergraduate programs provide assistance and information to faculty advisors and provide additional advising support for students.
Overview of the Curriculum
The curriculum requires 133 hours and is organized into required courses, math and science electives, civil engineering technical courses, and other electives. Details of the curriculum are contained in the Civil Engineering Undergraduate Handbook. Hard copies of the current Undergraduate Handbook are available at Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory.
For more information contact:
Rebeccah Stillwell
(217) 333-3812
rborden@illinois.edu
