Dec 11, 2024  
Undergraduate Record 2009-2010 
    
Undergraduate Record 2009-2010 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Civil and Environmental Engineering


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: School of Engineering and Applied Science

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.

Minor in Civil Engineering


Completion of five Civil Engineering courses, with no more than two at the 2000 level.

Civil Engineering Curriculum (128 Credits)


Minimum required for graduation:  128 credits, four Civil Engineering proficiency areas, and one design elective.

Civil Engineering Proficiency Areas and Design Electives

The undergraduate civil engineering program supports the following proficiency areas: Civil Engineering Materials; Structural Engineering; Water Resources Engineering; Transportation Engineering; Environmental Engineering; and Infrastructure Engineering and Management. To complete a proficiency area, at least two courses must be completed within that area. All students will satisfy the first three proficiency areas through required courses. One of the last three areas must also be completed. Each student must complete at least one design elective. [See footnote below]

Second Semester Credits: 17


  • Science elective I Credits: 3
    (see footnote 1 below)
  • HSS elective Credits: 3
    (see footnote 2 below)

Third Semester Credits: 16


  • HSS elective Credits: 3
    (see footnote 2 below)

Fifth Semester Credits: 16


  • Unrestricted electives Credits: 3
    (See footnote 6 below)

Sixth Semester Credits: 16


  • CE 3712 - Geotechnical Engineering Lab
  • HSS elective Credits: 3
    (see footnote 2 below)
  • Science/Eng elective Credits: 3
    (See footnote 3 below)

Seventh Semester Credits: 16


  • Civil Eng elective Credits: 3
    (See footnote 4 below)
  • Civil Eng elective Credits: 3
    (See footnote 4 below)
  • Unrestricted elective Credits: 3
    (See footnote 6 below)

Eighth Semester Credits: 15


  • Civil Eng elective Credits: 3
    (See footnote 4 below)
  • Civil Eng elective Credits: 3
    (See footnote 4 below)
  • Engineering elective Credits: 3
    (See footnote 3 below)
  • Unrestricted elective Credits: 3
    (See footnote 6 below)

Footnotes


(1) Science I elective: Chosen from: BIOL 2010, 2020; CHE 2202; CHEM 1620; ECE 2066; MSE 2090: and PHYS 2620. [see also footnote (3) below]
(2) Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS) elective: Chosen from the approved list available in Thornton A122.
(3) Science/Engineering elective - chosen from the Science II list. However if your Science I elective was BIOL 2010, 2020, or MSE 2090, a student may also select one of the following: CHEM 1620, 2620; PHYS 2620; all 2000-level SEAS courses (with the exception of STS courses) and any course meeting the requirements of the Engineering Elective [see also footnotes (5) and (7) below].
(4) Civil engineering elective – chosen from all 3000-and 4000-level Civil Engineering courses.
(5) Engineering Elective – chosen from all 3000- and 4000-level SEAS courses (with the exception of STS courses) plus other approved technical courses. [see also footnote (5) below]
(6) Unrestricted electives - chosen from any graded course in the University except mathematics courses below MATH 1310 and courses that substantially duplicate any others offered for the degree, including PHYS 2010, 2020; CS 1010, 1020; or any introductory programming course. Students in doubt as to what is acceptable to satisfy a degree requirement should get the approval of their advisor and the dean’s office, located in Thornton Hall, Room A122. APMA 1090 counts as a three-credit unrestricted elective.
(7) For the Science II list, approved technical electives, a complete list of courses within each proficiency area and for courses designated as Design Electives visit www.cee.virginia.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-curriculum.htm

Courses


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: School of Engineering and Applied Science