There are seven cross-cutting areas of study available to undergraduates and graduates, and which constitute faculty research areas. Three additional areas include our interdisciplinary programs that give students a broad, systems-level perspective on the complex civil and environmental challenges facing the world today.
Areas of Study and Research
Construction Engineering Management
Construction engineers manage and direct construction operations. They analyze the labor, materials, and equipment for each job to determine the proper quantity of each and ensure availability at the appropriate time and place.
Civil engineers are often responsible for specifying, designing and manufacturing the materials with which they build their structures. Studies in construction materials are intended to make structural, transportation and foundation engineers aware of the fundamental properties of the materials they use.
Energy-Water-Environment Sustainability
Interdisciplinary program
The program in Energy-Water-Environment Sustainability (EWES) is a cross-cutting program focused on providing and supporting sustainable solutions for the exploration, production, delivery and use of energy, and their intersection with water and the natural and built environment. The program focuses on integrating scientific principles, engineered processes, and systems analyses to address diverse challenges related to society's growing energy needs and their nexus with water and the environment.
Environmental Engineering and Science
Environmental engineers help solve problems of air, land and water contamination. They design, construct and operate systems that purify water for drinking, industrial use and recreation. They develop and implement air-purification devices and protocols for solid and hazardous waste management.
Geotechnical engineers use soil, rock and geosynthetics as engineering materials. They design earth- and rock-filled dams, tunnels, landfills and foundations for structures of all types.
Societal Risk and Hazard Mitigation
Interdisciplinary program
The Societal Risk Management (SRHM) program is a cross-disciplinary program that focuses on the development of a secure and safe society. The program concentrates on risk determination, risk evaluation and risk management for natural and human-made hazards, and disaster response and recovery.
Structural engineers design economical structures that resist forces induced by wind, earthquakes, blasts and heavy traffic. The tools of the structural engineer include physical testing, mathematical modeling and computer simulation.
Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems
Interdisciplinary program
The interdisciplinary program Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems (SRIS) addresses emerging approaches to infrastructure systems focusing on resiliency and sustainability of inter-connected infrastructure, for example, structural, geotechnical, and water interactions in urban environments. The program aims to prepare new generations of civil engineers who are ready to address pressing societal issues while developing needed infrastructure.
Transportation engineers use technological and scientific principles to improve movement of people, goods and services by land, air and water. They plan, design, build, operate and maintain railway, highway, airport, marine, pedestrian and industrial facilities for safety, efficiency, economy, resilience and sustainability.
Water Resources Engineering and Science
Water resource engineers help solve complex water challenges, including providing society with safe and reliable water supplies, managing impacts of floods and drought, and enhancing environmental quality. They plan, design, manage and operate surface water and groundwater systems that are sustainable and adaptable to changing climate and human activity.
Special Degree Programs and Options
- Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Option
- MArch + MS-CEE (structures)
- MArch + MS-CEE (construction management)
For further assistance or to arrange a visit, please contact Katia Trubitsyna, katia@illinois.edu.
See What's Happening
See selected publications, presentations and research from the department.
Research Centers and Facilities
The spaces and resources that you need to make your research happen.