Undergraduate Majors and Minor

​​Civil engineering is the fusion of engineering, design and aesthetics. Civil engineers call upon science and engineering principles to plan, design, construct, and maintain infrastructure such as buildings, roads, highways, tunnels, bridges, rail systems, airports, seaports, water reservoirs, as well as storm water drainage and control plants.

Civil engineers are problem solvers, meeting the challenges of community planning, water supply, structures, traffic congestion, energy needs, pollution, and infrastructure improvements. Societal needs, economic conditions, and public safety are paramount in the work accomplished by civil engineers. High-tech tools such as computer aided design (CAD), geographical information systems (GIS) and 3-D computer modeling are a necessity in all areas of the field of civil engineering.

What do Civil Engineering Majors do?

The civil engineer's job begins with the consideration of a need. It may be the need to relieve a town from increasing traffic, to provide clean water for an isolated community, or to build a bridge and provide better access. The civil engineer investigates possible sites, analyzes soil and rock samples, predicts environmental impacts, and consults the local community. The civil engineer recommends the best options to meet the need and the design process begins. Computers have become increasingly important in design, allowing the civil engineer to produce detailed drawings of projects and predictions of long term effects. On site, they are employed to oversee the work. Civil Engineers organize and supervise the workforce, plant, materials, and ensure that projects are completed as designed and planned within the promised budget and timeline.

Learn more about our undergraduate majors and minors using the links below:

• BS in Civil Engineering  |  Courses

• Minor in Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in Engineering

• Minor in Environmental Engineering

• Minor in Geosystems