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Location: 2010 Cherry Building, Phone: (409) 880-8759

Chair: Robert Yuan

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Additional Degree Requirements: Candidates for degrees in this program are strongly encouraged to consider sitting for the National Council of Engineering Examiners Examination on “Fundamentals of Engineering” as administered by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers.

Suggested Program of Study – Total Min. Hours: 122

Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is a people-serving profession and as such is vital to the world’s economic, political, and social well being. The many areas to which civil engineers make substantial contributions include bridges, dams and levees, harbors, waterways and irrigation facilities, buildings, airports, highways, pipelines, railroads, power lines, water supply systems, and waste treatment facilities. Civil engineers engage in a wide range of activities such as research, design, development, management, and the control of engineering systems and their components. With today’s fast-paced technological changes, civil engineering provides unique and unlimited career opportunities that can only be met by professionally educated people.

The civil engineering program is designed with a broad base to prepare men and women for careers in various phases of civil engineering and to enable them to perform other managerial and technical functions that require scientific and engineering backgrounds. The curriculum embraces a sound core of humanities and social studies courses in addition to those in physics, chemistry and mathematics, which form the substructure of engineering sciences. Areas of study include geo-technical, structural, water resources, environmental, transportation, and construction engineering. Electives are available to fit the individual interest of the civil engineering student.

Because of the wide scope of activities in which the civil engineer is engaged, and the broad spectrum of student interest, civil engineering graduates may choose either to enter the profession immediately after receiving their bachelor’s degree or go directly to graduate school. No matter what the student chooses, the curriculum provides a firm foundation for today’s world.

The Civil Engineering Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET,

Mission

The mission of the Department of Civil Engineering is to provide quality education and career skills for both undergraduate and graduate students. We produce highly qualified graduates with potential to assume positions of increasing responsibility in the civil engineering field. The department will achieve its mission through: (1) employing a faculty with the professional credentials and experience to deliver quality academic programs that meet student and societal needs; (2) serving a diverse student population by offering strong and varied academic programs that will prepare graduates for the challenges of life-long learning; (3) offering contemporary curricula that combine a foundation of general education and disciplinary preparation for current practice; and (4) providing both formal and informal learning resources to support instructional and scholarly/creative activities.

Vision

Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Department of Civil Engineering strives to become recognized as a regional/national/international leader in engineering education as well as in the analysis, design, and management of civil and environmental engineering systems. To support this endeavor, the department will seek to conduct, disseminate, and apply relevant research to influence engineering practice and the advance of engineering education and knowledge. This will be accomplished through strategic efforts that allow the department to effectively adapt to the ever-changing aspects of higher education. The net effect will be that Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s civil engineering graduates will be empowered with the knowledge, skills, and innovative thinking to facilitate discovery in numerous existing and yet-to-be-discovered fields of endeavor.

Civil Engineering Program Educational Objectives

The objective of the BSCE program is to educate students for professional engineering practice in the analysis, design, and construction of civil infrastructure systems.  We expect our students to attain within a few years after graduation:

(1) Technical competence and professional development that meet the emerging and evolving demands and increasing responsibility of civil engineers;

(2) Communication and project management skills for effective problem solving;

(3) Understanding on professional ethics, public safety, cost constraints, environmental impacts, and policy implication of civil engineering projects.

Outcome Assessment

The Civil Engineering Department has developed an assessment process to demonstrate that the outcomes important to the objectives of its program are measured. This process is based on input from the department’s various constituencies: alumni, employers, industrial practitioners, CE Advisory Council members, students, and CE faculty. The process used in program educational outcomes assessment for quality assurance includes:

(1) choose outcomes for direct measurement, (2) identify performance criteria, (3) develop rubrics and standards for evaluation, (4) perform evaluation and direct measurement for 1 through 3, (5) collect data from other outcome assessment instruments, (6) collectively assess for program outcome achievement using collected data, and (7) recommend implement improvement.

The Civil Engineering Department has used a mixed mode of assessment for program educational outcomes, which includes a) rubrics and dimensions in direct measurement; b) surveys for alumni, employers, industrial practitioners, and graduating seniors for indirect measurement; and c) individual course assessment by instructor.

Civil Engineering Student Outcomes

Student outcomes are the skills that we anticipate our students to have at the time of graduation.  The student outcomes of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ BSCE program are:

a) have an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;
b) have an ability to design and conduct experiments, analyze, and interpret data;
c) have an ability to design a system, components, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability;
d) have an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams;
e) have an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;
f) have an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility;
g) have an ability to communicate effectively;
h) have the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context;
i) recognize the need for and ability to engage in life-long learning;
j) have a knowledge of contemporary civil engineering issues; and
k) have an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.