Civil and Environmental Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering is centered on two main program areas: environmental and water resources engineering and civil infrastructure systems. Incorporating elements of sustainability, each program area features adaptive design with a strong focus on the incorporation of information technology. Civil infrastructure systems, including both the natural environment and built systems to support basic human needs, serve as the very underpinning of society. Improvements in civil infrastructure result in improved human health and quality of life.

Civil Engineering is the broadest of all engineering professions, and encompasses the application of science and technology to the planning, design, analysis, construction, operation and maintenance of the infrastructure and natural environment. The U.Va. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, founded in 1836 as the “School of Civil Engineering,” focuses on two main program areas: environmental and water resources engineering and civil infrastructure systems. Incorporating elements of sustainability, each program area features adaptive design with a strong focus on the incorporation of information technology. The department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering as well as a minor in civil engineering. Graduate students pursue Master of Engineering, Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering with a concentration in either environmental and water resources or civil infrastructure systems. Within civil infrastructure systems students can specialize in transportation engineering, structural engineering and solid mechanics, or pavement engineering.

Civil engineers are the fabricators of modern society and the protectors of our environment. They deal with people and their management, materials and their use, designs and their application, and the problems of interweaving these factors to serve society. Typical civil engineering projects include environmental facilities, such as systems for water quality control, toxic and hazardous waste control and stormwater networks; structures, such as high-rise buildings, bridges, off-shore platforms, shuttle launch pads, and dams; and transportation facilities, such as Intelligent Transportation Systems, airports, highways, and railways. Civil engineering has a long history and a bright future serving the basic needs of society.

Graduates with a BS degree in civil engineering may opt for employment with high technology consulting firms; local, state, or federal governments; contractors or construction firms; public utilities; or industrial corporations. Another option is graduate school, where students pursue an area of specialty within civil engineering such as transportation engineering, structural engineering and solid mechanics, or pavement engineering with the Master of Engineering, Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering with a concentration in either environmental and water resources or civil infrastructure systems. Within civil infrastructure systems students can specialize in transportation engineering, structural engineering and solid mechanics, or pavement engineering. Such studies open up more advanced employment opportunities in government, consulting, construction, or industry, and introduce new choices, including research and teaching. A civil engineering degree also provides a good foundation for professional training in law, business administration, or planning.

Our students participate in research on a global scale through the engineering thesis and faculty laboratories as well as a variety of exciting experiential programs, such as the minor in engineering business, the Science and Technology Policy Internship Program, study abroad programs, the Engineering in Context capstone experience, and interdisciplinary study within the School of Engineering and Applied Science and throughout the University. Undergraduate students with a civil engineering major or other University major may also pursue the engineering business minor.

For more information, visit the department’s web site at http://www.cee.virginia.edu/ and learn about awards and scholarships the department awards to civil engineering undergraduates. For more details about the engineering business minor, visit http://www.sts.virginia.edu/ - the departmental website for Science, Technology and Society within SEAS.

Program Objectives

1. To provide graduates with the technical competencies and insight necessary to practice civil engineering and have an impact on the profession.
2. To provide a solid foundation for successful study at leading graduate and professional institutions.
3. To promote a breadth of abilities and knowledge, including quantitative and analytical skills, communication skills and social insight, to allow graduates to pursue careers in a diversity of fields including engineering, business, management, and information technology.
4. To prepare graduates for a lifetime of learning, for leadership, and for service to the profession and society.