What is Civil and Environmental Engineering?

Civil and Environmental Engineering is the most diverse engineering field there is. CEEs work on a huge range of projects, such as simple construction, oil platforms, piers, harbors, dams, reservoirs, pipelines, water and wastewater treatment plants, landfills, excavations, roads, bridges, highways, airports, canals, cleanup/remediation, buildings, military installations, wells, earthquake retrofits, tunnels, industrial facilities, and even space stations! CEEs also have a greater connection and impact on the public than any other engineering. This allows CEEs to see the direct benefits of their work: improving (in some cases even saving) the lives of many people. CEEs are also using state of the art technology, including Global Positioning Satellites, Geographical Information Systems (really cool and useful computer maps), computer modeling of environmental processes, and lots of other really fun toys. 

So, you may be asking yourself, should I become a CEE? Think about the following questions: 

• Do I enjoy using my creativity to design and build interesting projects?
• Do I want a career that will always be in demand and is well paying?
• Do I desire a job that lets me see the direct benefits my work will have on society, one that gives me the satisfaction of knowing I have improved the lives of other people?
• Do I want to work in a field that is highly diverse and ever changing, one in which I'll always have new and exciting challenges?

Emphases 

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is organized in five different groups: Construction Engineering and Management; Environmental Engineering; Geotechnical Engineering; Structural Engineering, Mechanics, and Materials; and Transportation Engineering. Some of these divisions are even subdivided into other groups. However, these groups exist primarily for graduate programs. All undergraduates will get the same degree: the Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering. But you can choose to emphasize your undergraduate education in one or more of these different specialties, depending on your interests and goals. Or, you can utilize the General Option for your undergraduate education.  

To help you decide which area to emphasize, we have provided for you a description of each division.  The Department has written official descriptions of each group, which have been included here (somebody spent a lot of time developing them, so we wouldn't want to let all that work go to waste). But, we've also included simpler descriptions of each emphasis that will help you decide which one to choose. Of course, it's impossible for us to include all the different topics of study and type of careers for each emphasis, so you should speak to either professors or professionals in any area in which you have some interest in which to learn more about opportunities available for study or work. Also, taking the freshman seminar courses, CE 92 (Introduction to Civil & Environmental Engineering), and / or CE 93 (Romance and Rewards of Careers in Civil and Environmental Engineering) will expose you to many of the opportunities available to CEEs.  
 
The emphases in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Departement are: 
 

• Construction Engineering and Management
• Environmental Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials
• Transportation Engineering
• General Civil and Environmental Program