Civil Engineering, BSCE

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Description

Civil Engineers are stewards of the built infrastructure. They are responsible for the design, construction and subsequent improvements in infrastructure such as roads, bridges, airports, dams and buildings. The Civil Engineering profession includes structural engineers, environmental engineers, transportation engineers, geotechnical engineers, and water resources engineers.

What careers can this major prepare you for?

Companies and organizations that employ civil engineers include consulting/design firms, construction firms, local, state or federal government, laboratories or research/development firms, law firms, insurance firms, and colleges/universities.

What skills are developed within this major?

Students learn how to apply principles of mathematics and science in a variety of contexts that impact the fabric of society. You will evolve problem solving skills that require communication abilities and the capacity to collaborate within a team framework. Students learn how to utilize building codes, regulations, and best practices to ensure the safety of the public they will serve. Your education includes learning to design and conduct relevant experiments as well as the ability to analyze and interpret data from these experiments. This requires acquiring a knowledge base in the use of modern computational and graphical/communication skills.

Admission to Major

Admission to the Washkewicz College of Engineering includes the following:

Hours Required for Degree

Minimum hours required for degree: 129-130 (this does not include hours earned in the Engineering Cooperative Education Program Career Orientation classes)

College Requirements

See college page for college requirements.

Major Requirements

Grade restrictions: Civil Engineering students are limited to a total of two D grades in ESC 201 , ESC 211 , Civil Engineering courses and Civil Engineering technical electives.

Mathematics Required Courses (3 courses)

English, Ethics Required Courses (2 courses)

Science Required Courses (6 courses)

Co-Op Courses

Engineering Science Required Courses (9-10 courses)

INQ 170 - Engineering Launch *
ESC 102 - Technical Writing and Professional Communication
ESC 201 - Statics
ESC 202 - Dynamics
ESC 211 - Strength Of Materials
ESC 250 - Differential Equations for Engineers
ESC 282 - Engineering Economy
ESC 310 - Engineering Statistics and Probability or STA 323 - Statistical Methods
ESC 151 - C Programming or ESC 152 - Programming with MATLAB
*INQ 170 is required for all engineering, technology, and computer science majors, and meets the Core Curriculum requirement for Inquiry Launch. ESC 120 is required in place of INQ 170 in the following cases: (a) transfer students; however, those who have had co-op experience in engineering/computer science and/or have transferred 12 credits of engineering/computer science courses can petition to waive ESC 120 ; (b) students who, as freshmen at CSU, started in another major and completed an Inquiry Launch course different from INQ 170 ; (c) Honors students who take the Honors Inquiry Launch course. Neither INQ 170 nor ESC 120 is required for transfer students with an Associates of Applied Science degree.

Civil Engineering Required Courses (18 courses)

Civil Engineering Capstone Requirement (2 courses)

Civil Engineering Elective Courses

Choose 2 courses from the 400-level Civil Engineering courses listed below.

Honors Program Requirements

Honors students who are majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering are required to take a minimum of 8 credit hours of upper division (300, 400, and 500 level) honors courses in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. General guidelines for these credit hours are given below. However, the specific courses that each student takes will be agreed upon by the student, the student’s department undergraduate advisor, and the student’s honors advisor. The honor student’s department undergraduate advisor is responsible for finding an honors advisor for the student who is mutually agreeable to the undergraduate advisor, the honors advisor, and the honors student.

Honors Courses

The honors credits (8 hours minimum) will be taken from the following:

Honors Thesis (required) (CVE 499H , 3 credit hours) Each honors student conducts research and writes a thesis under the supervision of a CVE faculty member.
The following honors courses are optional:
- Honors Research (CVE 495H, credit as arranged). This is research conducted jointly with a CVE faculty, similar to an independent study. This can be repeated for credit. Note that CVE 495 is already an approved course that “may be substituted for a regularly required departmental course” but the CVE Department will create a new course with the number CVE 495H for honors students only.
- Graduate Course Any 500 level CVE or EVE graduate course for which the student has the prerequisites.
- Junior Honors, Senior Honors Any 300 level or 400 level CVE course can be modified to become an honors course. This is referred to in the Honors Proposal as a “contract course.” This is done with the collaboration of the undergraduate advisor, the honors advisor, and the course instructor. The 300 level contract courses will all be numbered CVE 392H, and the 400 level contract courses will all be numbered CVE 492H.
- Typically, students will take both electives at the 500 level plus CVE 499H - Honors Thesis

University Scholars Requirements

Scholars students who are majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering are required to take a minimum of 9 credit hours of 500 level courses in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. These will include CVE 546 in place of CVE 446 , as well as taking both CVE and EVE electives as 500 level courses. However, the specific courses that each student takes will be agreed upon by the student’s department undergraduate advisor, and the student’s Scholars program advisor. The courses taken to satisfy the Scholars program requirements may also be used to satisfy either BCE or combined BCE/MSCE requirements.

General Business Minor

For Engineering undergraduate students who want to minor in General Business, course substitutions are available. Civil Engineering students can substitute 6 credit hours from the CVE curriculum and complete the minor in General Business with an additional 12 credit hours from the College of Business. Please see the General Business Minor page in the catalog for more information.

Accelerated Master’s Program

See the following page for an in-depth discussion regarding the Civil Engineering Accelerated Masters Program:

Civil Engineering, with Specializations, Accelerated Masters BSCE/MSCE

Cooperative Education

The Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Program at CSU’s WCE is a structured program that integrates classroom studies with paid, productive, real-life work experiences. College students receive career training working with professionals in their major field of study. Many employers use Co-Op as a recruiting tool and fill their new hire vacancies with graduates from their pool of Co-Op students, whenever possible, since they already know the capabilities and work habits of the Co-Op students they have trained. Civil Engineering students who participate in the Cooperative Education Program at CSU must:

Complete all courses through their sophomore year.
Apply to the Co-Op education program by meeting with the Engineering Co-Op Manager.
Be in good academic standing (not on probation) with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 or better for application and for continuing participation, maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.20 and not be on probation.
Complete ESC 130 (Engineering Co-Op Orientation) prior to their first Co-Op assignment.
Prepare a resume and have it reviewed and approved by the WCE Co-op Offices.
Register for ESC 400 (Co-op Field Experience) during each Co-Op assignment.
Complete all required reports and paperwork on time. A “Cooperative Education Experience Summary Paper” is due for each Co-Op assignment.

Students contact the Fenn Co-Op office for more information or when an internship or Co-Op is obtained. Students register on CSU’s internet-based job search system, “HandShake,” for Co-Op opportunities. If a student is interested in working for a particular company, they can research that company and involve the Engineering Fenn Co-op Staff in order to attempt to secure a Co-Op at that company.

Participation in a Co-Op will not affect financial aid that requires a minimum of 6 credits if a student registers for ESC 300 for a Co-Op period during the academic year. A summer Co-Op assignment generally does not affect financial aid.