Civil Engineering
The curricula in civil engineering within the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering have been designed to qualify students for entry-level positions in professional practice in the areas of civil and environmental engineering. These broad area designations may be separated into the subdisciplines of construction engineering and management; environmental engineering; geotechnical engineering; mechanical systems; structural engineering and structural mechanics; and water resource engineering and management. Alternatively, undergraduates are prepared to begin graduate study in any of the subdisciplines listed above, improving their qualifications and permitting them to enter professional practice at a higher level or to progress to higher levels more rapidly after entry at the beginning level.
The overall objectives of the bachelor of science program are to:
- enable students to apply basic knowledge in mathematics, basic science, and engineering fundamentals to solving problems and making effective designs in areas encompassing a breadth of civil engineering professional practice in contemporary society;
- allow students sufficient specialization to prepare them for professional careers and/or graduate study in subdisciplines of civil engineering: construction, environmental, geotechnical, structural, and water resources engineering;
- enable students to enhance technical contributions to the public infrastructure with understanding of nontechnical concepts, especially those that bear on civil engineering projects such as cost, public safety, and health;
- expose students to the unique responsibility of civil engineers to uphold ethical relationships with both their clients and with the public at large;
- teach students how to extend their knowledge and skills in order to meet new technical challenges and continuously innovate in their chosen professional careers; and
- give students a broad education in humanities and social sciences and encourage them to participate fully in a democratic society.
Students in civil and environmental engineering gain experience with or exposure to a capstone experience in environmental engineering, structural or foundation design; civil engineering systems; construction; engineering geology; engineering materials, geotechnical, or water quality laboratory; environmental engineering; fluid mechanics; geotechnical engineering; manual and computer-aided engineering drawing; mechanics; personal computers and engineering workstation usage; a seminar in professional practice and ethics; structural analysis and design; surveying; transportation systems; and technical electives in the area of emphasis.
Bachelor's Degree Requirements +
This curriculum requires students to obtain a background in the humanities, a broad knowledge of the basic engineering sciences of chemistry, mathematics (including differential equations), physics, mechanics (including fluid mechanics and soil mechanics), electrical engineering, and thermodynamics. Social-humanistic hours may be devoted to the social sciences, the humanities, or to approved communication courses, with not more than 12 hours from any one of the three areas.
Advanced technical courses are selected in the senior year. Random selection is not allowed, the objective being to permit a graduate to enter the engineering profession with a firm groundwork in fundamental engineering science and adequate knowledge in specialized fields. Students should consult with their advisors.
Curriculum for BS (CE) +
| Required Courses | Semester Hours |
| Freshman Year | |
| Fall Semester | |
| APPM 1350 Calculus 1 for Engineers | 4 |
| CHEM 1221 General Chemistry Laboratory for Engineers | 2 |
| CHEN 1211 General Chemistry for Engineers | 3 |
| CVEN 1317 Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering | 1 |
| GEEN 1400 Basic Engineering Projects | 3 |
| Humanities or social science elective | 3 |
| Spring Semester | |
| APPM 1360 Calculus 2 for Engineers | 4 |
| AREN 1017 Engineering Drawing | 2 |
| CVEN 2012 Introduction to Geomatics | 3 |
| PHYS 1110 General Physics 1 | 4 |
| Humanities or social science elective | 3 |
| Sophomore Year | |
| Fall Semester | |
| APPM 2350 Calculus 3 for Engineers | 4 |
| AREN 2110 Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CVEN 2121 Analytical Mechanics 1 | 3 |
| PHYS 1120 General Physics 2 | 4 |
| PHYS 1140 Experimental Physics | 1 |
| Humanities or social science elective | 3 |
| Spring Semester | |
| APPM 2360 Introduction to Differential Equations with Linear Algebra | 4 |
| AREN 2300 Engineering Computing | 3 |
| CVEN 3161 Mechanics of Materials 1 | 3 |
| CVEN 3313 Theoretical Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| CVEN 3698 Engineering Geology | 3 |
| Junior Year | |
| Fall Semester | |
| CVEN 3246 Introduction to Construction | 3 |
| CVEN 3323 Hydraulic Engineering | 3 |
| CVEN 3414 Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering | 3 |
| CVEN 3525 Structural Analysis | 3 |
| CVEN 3708 Geotechnical Engineering 1 | 3 |
| Spring Semester | |
| CVEN 3111 Analytical Methods II | 3 |
| CVEN 3227 Probability, Statistics, and Decision for Engineers | 3 |
| CVEN Proficiency I | 3 |
| CVEN Proficiency II | 3 |
| WRTG 3030 Writing on Science and Society | 3 |
| Senior Year | |
| Fall Semester | |
| CVEN Proficiency III | 3 |
| CVEN Proficiency IV | 3 |
| CVEN 3602 Transportation Engineering | 3 |
| Concentration I | 3 |
| Humanities or social science elective (3000-level or above) | 3 |
| Spring Semester | |
| CVEN 4830 Senior Design Project | 4 |
| Concentration II | 3 |
| Technical electives | 7 |
| Humanities or social science elective (3000- level or above) | 3 |
| Minimum hours for degree | 128 |
Curriculum Notes
1. Not more than 6 hours of technical electives may be taken outside the department, and then only for defensible reasons.
2. The capstone course requirement is satisfied by CVEN 4830 Civil and Environmental Engineering Design Project, taken in spring semester of graduation.
Double Degree with Business +
Students interested in pursuing a BS degree in business in addition to the BS degree in civil engineering should be prepared to spend at least three additional semesters in school. A faculty advisor should be consulted in the student's freshman year so that social sciences and humanities courses required of business students can be taken.
Academically qualified students may want to consider working toward the master of business administration degree upon completion of the baccalaureate in engineering as an alternative to a BS in business.
Graduate Degree Programs +
A pamphlet on the requirements for graduate study in civil engineering is available from the departmental office. The Graduate Record Examination, consisting of the aptitude tests and advanced test in engineering, is used in the evaluation of candidates and competition for university and other fellowships. Therefore, students who wish to be considered for fellowships are advised to take this examination prior to their arrival on campus. There is no other qualifying examination required by the department for the master of science degree.
The department offers the master of science, master of engineering, and doctor of philosophy degrees with study emphasis in seven major areas: building energy systems, construction engineering and management, environmental engineering, life cycle engineering, geotechnical engineering, geoenvironmental, structural engineering and structural mechanics, and water resources engineering. A major in transportation and planning is available through the Denver campus.
Master of Science Degree +
Requirements for this master's degree can be fulfilled in two ways. Under Plan I, the candidate presents 30 semester hours of course work including thesis, and under Plan II, 30 credit hours of course work are required.
Master of Engineering Degree +
Requirements for this professionally oriented degree are available from the dean's office.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree +
This degree requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate-level work (5000 level or above), the last 15 of which must be taken at this university. The doctoral dissertation likewise requires 30 semester hours. The applicant for this degree normally has completed a master's degree in civil engineering or a closely related field and must demonstrate the capability for both rigorous academic accomplishments and independent research.
Research Interests and Facilities +
The department has a wide variety of research facilities, including a 15g-ton centrifuge for geotechnical and structural model studies and a large 440g-ton geotechnical centrifuge for use in model testing. Also available is an instructional computing facility, the Bechtel Laboratory, equipped with 40 SUN workstations, and the M.Y. Leung Computational Laboratory for Soils and Structures. In addition, extensive structural engineering, engineering mechanics, and geotechnical capabilities exist such as a one-million-pound universal testing machine and several cubical cells for multi-axial testing of materials. A 40 ft. by 80 ft. structural strong floor with associated equipment permits the testing of a wide variety of structural configurations under controlled conditions, both static and quasi-static. The hydraulics and water resources research laboratories include excellent facilities in water quality and environmental engineering. A unique workstation laboratory for advanced decision support systems is available. Programs in construction management and building energy are well supported. A state-of-the-art HVAC laboratory is capable of testing full-scale, commercial building HVAC systems and their controls using a one-of-a-kind data acquisition and experimental control system.
The Center for Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES) is an interdisciplinary center of excellence, housed within the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering. CADSWES focuses on applying advanced computing techniques to provide decision makers with decision support systems (DSSs) to help them more effectively manage water and environmental systems.
Current research covers such topics as water and wastewater treatment, surface and subsurface contaminant transport, decision support systems, hydraulic research, land treatment, rapid infiltration, and activated sludge processes. Cost prediction in construction, construction management, energy conservation in buildings, solar applications, and lighting systems are included. Also, offshore structures, centrifugal modeling, excavations, and rock and soil mechanics are being studied. In structures, research focuses include stability and fracture, finite element techniques, reinforced concrete, earthquake behavior, reinforced masonry structures, and prestressed concrete.
