Students and faculty working a concrete pout for testing

Civil Engineering

Overview

Civil engineering, the oldest and broadest of the divisions of engineering, implements a range of public and private projects for improving society’s physical infrastructure and the environment. The civil engineer integrates scientific principles with engineering experience to plan, design, and construct networks of highways and railroads, airports, bridges and dams, environmental pollution control systems, industrial structures, water purification and distribution systems, and urban transportation systems that maintain, protect, and enhance the quality of life. Civil engineers are trained to consider the social effects as well as the physical and environmental factors that constrain the planning, design, construction, and operation of their projects. Environmental engineering, a technical specialization with its origins in civil engineering, is a growing discipline dedicated to the protection of the environment. 

Mission

Graduates who pursue a career in Civil Engineering will be successfully engaged in professional engineering practice or graduate study in the analysis, design, construction, and operation of public and private infrastructure systems.

Students working on the concrete canoe

Undergraduate Curriculum

Students take required courses and select electives that best fulfill their personal goals from the following general areas of study. A total of 128 credit hours is required for graduation.

Curriculum Guide

Research Information

The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering prides itself on its outstanding research history and current efforts. Faculty members in the department as well as students take on a wide variety of research topics, many of which are cross-disciplinary in nature. The department is involved with the KU Transportation Research Center, the Infrastructure Research Institute, and the KU Center for Research, among others. The department's faculty and students are creating new boundaries for technological capabilities as they provide solutions for the world.

Research Centers and Labs

Students and faculty in hard hats in a research facility