Overview

Person looking down at backlit table to examine particle samples.
Jes Parker, working in the lab of Professor Steve Glaser, researches fault mechanics at the nanoscale. (Credit: Adam Lau)

 

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at UC Berkeley is a worldwide leader in developing engineering solutions to societal-scale challenges. Berkeley CEE conducts cutting-edge research in evolving and vital areas that address societal needs for well-designed and well-operated buildings, energy, transportation, and water systems. These critical systems must be reliable and resilient in the face of hazards such as earthquakes and flooding. Extensive efforts will be needed to adapt civil infrastructure to withstand adverse changes in weather and climate. Our research and teaching serve the needs of a growing and increasingly urban world population that requires sustainable improvements in standards of living.

Berkeley CEE research establishes and advances the intellectual foundations of new fields of study. We develop theory and improve understanding, and provide tools and techniques for solving important new problems. The educational activities of Berkeley CEE focus on developing future leaders in the engineering profession, in academia, and in the broader societal context. Through individual and collective efforts, Berkeley CEE serves the needs of our College and University and provides technical expertise and service to other public, private, and professional entities.

Berkeley CEE is a place of intellectual vitality and diversity in which all students, faculty, and staff have the opportunity and the impetus to achieve their highest potential. Signs of this vitality and diversity are seen in innovative research conducted by students and faculty; creative, flexible, adaptable, and forward-looking curricula; outstanding classroom teaching; attentive academic mentoring; and a shared sense of a community that is inclusive and respectful of all members. We are proud of our contributions to the public mission of the University of California, as demonstrated, for example, by our role in providing access to higher education for students from low and middle-income families.

National Ranking

Berkeley CEE is widely acknowledged to be a national and international leader. In its latest national rankings, US News and World Report ranked CEE's graduate program in civil engineering and environmental engineering in the top 2, and CEE's undergraduate program as #1