ABET Civil Engineering

Modern society relies on well-educated and dedicated civil and environmental engineers for its health and well being in relationship to the natural and built environments. The mission of the Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering programs is to:

• Prepare graduates for careers requiring leadership skills and technological innovation through curricula rooted in the fundamentals of the STEM disciplines, focused on civil and environmental engineering practice, broadened by a liberal education, and guided by faculty dedicated to engineering education and practice;
• Promote the creation, utilization, and dissemination of technical knowledge and its practical application to directly enhance the welfare of societies and their different cultures; and,
• Enhance and promote the stature of our professions, and serve the people of Arizona and beyond through leadership in professional practice and global citizenship.

Our overarching learning goals are stated as our Program Objectives;

Within three to five years of obtaining a bachelor’s degree, a graduate is expected to achieve the following:

1. Be employed in an engineering or professional field consistent with one’s career goals, or pursuing a graduate degree;
2. Participate in continuing education or professional development activities;
3. Be a registered professional engineer or be pursuing registration if consistent with one’s career goals;
4. Demonstrate a career path that shows a commitment to professional ethics and growth in leadership and professional responsibility; and
5. Engage in activities that benefit a diverse and sustainable society.

Society’s demand for essentials such as clean water, efficient transportation systems and sustainable infrastructure pose large-scale, practical problems. Civil engineers design and operate facilities such as bridges, highway systems, waterworks (water supply, storm and sanitary sewer drainage and wastewater treatment), dams/levees and foundations. Civil engineering is the oldest of the engineering disciplines. This exciting engineering field requires a solid understanding of core concepts including mathematics, physics, statics, mechanics of materials, structural analysis, surveying, and fluid hydraulics. These courses serve as a basis for advanced content in:

• Transportation (traffic signal systems, highway design)
• Structural (reinforced concrete, structural steel design)
• Water resources (hydrology and flood control, open channel flow, municipal engineering).
• Geotechnical (soil mechanics and foundations)

In addition to this content, our civil engineering curriculum will provide you with a solid foundation in design, project management and preparation for professional licensure.

Whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, or are simply interested in a minor, you will be able to enter or advance in the civil engineering profession confidently as a result of our rigorous curriculum. By the time you graduate in our ABET-accredited undergraduate program, you will have achieved the following student learning outcomes:

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.