Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) has a rich tradition of producing quality graduates for industry and graduate school and includes two programs: the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (ABET-accredited) and the Bachelor of Science in Construction Management. The Civil Engineering program provides an education that balances theory and practice with emphasis on the traditional areas of structural, transportation, geotechnical, environmental, and construction engineering. The Construction Management program is aimed at students who enjoy the management, budgeting, and scheduling aspects of infrastructure construction but who are not as interested in the math, science, and design aspects of such projects.
Civil & Environmental Engineering Program Highlights
- Technical electives help you customize your education. Courses in Traffic Engineering, Environmental Site Assessment, Open Channel Hydraulics, Construction Management, Advanced Structural Engineering, Advanced Geotechnical Engineering, and many more are available.
- A Capstone Experience challenges students to apply what they have learned in a comprehensive design project often done in conjunction with an internship and a professional engineering practitioner. This two-semester experience requires students to engage in a complete design cycle from concept development through analysis, design, report writing, and presentation.
- Our American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter provides students with opportunities to enhance leadership skills, build relationships with peers and alumni, and network with business leaders through conferences and seminars.
- At the ASCE Mid-South Symposium, students compete with over 13 civil engineering programs in the Mid-South region. Designing, building, and testing a concrete canoe & steel bridge gives students the opportunity to apply practical application of the engineering principles learned in the classroom, along with important team and project management skills they will need in their careers. Competitions in surveying, technical paper writing and presentation, and mystery events help students develop skills in oral presentation, written communication, and real-time problem solving.
- Paid internships are a large part of the civil engineering student’s experience, connecting classroom principles in a “real-world” environment. The majority of our students have a paid internship in their junior and senior year that often leads to a full-time position within the company.
Civil Engineering Careers
There’s an almost unlimited demand for civil engineering graduates because the current workforce is aging (according to the American Society of Civil Engineers). And, the world’s infrastructure is continually being re-built.
Government agencies, consulting firms, and large corporations hire civil engineers. The degree is also a good preparation for medical school, law school, and advanced degrees in civil engineering.
As a civil engineer, you have many subspecialty areas to choose from:
- Structural engineers design and analyze buildings, bridges, and other infrastructures.
- Transportation engineers design highways, railroad systems, traffic signal systems, and airports.
- Geotechnical engineers explore the subsurface conditions of a site to determine what types of foundations should be used.
- Environmental engineers design systems to minimize pollution caused by wastewater, stormwater, hazardous materials, and noise.
- Water resource engineers design dams and channels to prevent erosion and flooding.
- Construction engineers use technology to minimize the cost of building and maintaining infrastructures.
Construction Management Careers
As a construction manager, you can find a career in:
- Project Management
- Construction Estimation
- Project Scheduling
- Construction Inspecting
