Dec 11, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Academic Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Civil Engineering, B.S.


Program Director

Dr. William Gonwa, P.E.
Office: CC27A
Phone: (414) 277-7320
Fax: (414) 277-7415
Email: gonwa@msoe.edu

Overview

Civil engineers are responsible for the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the infrastructure necessary to support modern society. The design of MSOE’s civil engineering degree program was guided by the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge requirements developed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). These requirements call for civil engineers to be proficient in both technical and professional skills, including familiarity with issues of business and public administration, public policy, leadership, sustainability and teamwork.

MSOE students specialize in one of the following five civil engineering areas: Construction Management (CONM), Environmental and Water Resources Engineering (EWRE), General/Municipal Engineering (MUNI), Structural Engineering (STRE), or Transportation Engineering (TRPE).

Program Educational Objectives

Program educational objectives are “broad statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a few years after graduation and are based on the needs of the program’s constituencies.” The program objectives of the Bachelor of Science (B.S.CVE) program are as follows:

  • Graduates of the B.S.CVE program are expected to pursue and achieve registration as a professional engineer after attaining the required years of work experience stipulated by the relevant licensing board
  • Graduates of the B.S.CVE program are expected to have advanced their technical and professional skills through lifelong learning (e.g., graduated with an advanced degree, regular attendance at conferences and seminars, achieved specialty certifications)
  • Graduates of the B.S.CVE program are expected to have demonstrated a commitment to their profession and to their community by having served in a leadership role in one or more professional and/or public service organizations relevant to their expertise
  • Graduates of the B.S.CVE program are expected to have demonstrated an appreciation for sustainable design by having included aspects of sustainability in their completed projects
  • Graduates of the B.S.CVE program are expected to have demonstrated appropriate courses of action in situations involving conflicting professional and ethical interests

Student Outcomes

Student outcomes are statements that describe what students are expected to know and be able to do at the time of graduation. These student outcomes relate to the skills, knowledge, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress through the program.  The student outcomes of the Bachelor of Science (B.S.CVE) program are as follows:

  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

This program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET,  https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Civil Engineering Program Criteria.

View Annual Student Enrollment and Graduation Data

Civil Engineering, B.S. Version S1


Year One


Fall


Total: 13 lecture hours - 6 lab hours - 16 credits

Spring


Total: 14 lecture hours - 4 lab hours - 16 credits

Year Two


Fall


Total: 11 lecture hours - 8 lab hours - 15 credits

Physics / Chemistry Elective

Chose one of the following courses:

Spring


Total: 13 lecture hours - 4 lab hours - 15 credits

Year Three


Fall


Total: 12-15 lecture hours - 2-8 lab hours - 16 credits

CVE Breadth Electives

Students may choose from the following CVE Breadth courses, with the following limitations:

CONM students may take any three breadth courses

EWRE students must take CVE 3201, CVE 3701 and any third breadth course

MUNI students must take CVE 3811 and any two additional breadth courses

STRE students must take CAE 3501 and any two additional breadth courses

TRPE students must take CVE 3601, CVE 3701, and any third breadth course

Spring


Total: 16 lecture hours - 2 lab hours - 17 credits

Civil Engineering Specialty Courses (see note 4):

General Civil / Municipal (MUNI) Specialty

Choose any three specialty courses from the other specialties (must have taken the appropriate breadth elective to meet prerequisites)

Year Four


Fall


Total: 12-15 lecture hours - 2-8 lab hours - 16 credits

  • 4 credits * ♦ Raider Core: Integrate Learning
  • Elective (Economics) 3 credits8
  • Elective (Specialty) 3 credits*6,11
  • Elective (Technical) 3 credits*7,11
  • Raider Core Elective ♦ Exhibit Curiosity 3 credits1
  • Available specialty electives - CONM:

    • CON 5011 - Lean Construction and Resource Management
    • CON 5051 - Construction Project Leadership

    Available specialty electives - EWRE:

    • CVE 5211 - Air Quality
    • CVE 5241 - Solid Waste Engineering and Design
    • CVE 5721 - Hydraulics
    • CVE 5741 - Hydrology

    Available specialty electives - MUNI:

    • One additional CVE breadth elective

    Available specialty electives - STRE (must include the word “Design” in the title):

    • CAE 5521 - Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures II
    • CAE 5522 - Design of Precast Concrete Structures
    • CAE 5551 - Design of Masonry Structures
    • CAE 5561 - Design of Steel Structures II
    • CAE 5562 - Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structures
    • CAE 5571 - Design of Wood and Timber Structures

    Available specialty electives - TRPE:

    • CVE 5611 - Traffic Analysis
    • CVE 5661 - Pavement Design
    • CVE 5666 - Traffic Safety
    • CVE 5673 - Traffic Control

Spring


Total: 13 lecture hours - 6 lab hours - 16 credits

Notes:


* Courses with an asterisk are used to calculate major GPA.

1 Three Raider Core courses are required. These courses must be selected to complete the Common Learning Outcomes Embrace Diversity, Demonstrate Ethical Understanding, and Exhibit Curiosity. The noted CLO is a placeholder. They can be taken in any order as long as all are covered. See the The Raider Core  page for details on the general education program and Common Learning Outcomes (CLOs).

2 Four credits of advanced graphics are required.  Acceptable options include ARE 2851 , ARE 2852 , CVE 2851 , CVE 2852 , and TCM 2060 . Other courses may apply with approval of the Program Director or Chair.

3 Students must choose three CVE breadth courses from the available list. Students must take the required breadth course(s) in their specialty area and additional breadth electives to satisfy this requirement.

4 Students must choose one of the five CVE specialties (CONM, EWRE, MUNI, STRE, or TRPE) and shall take three required specialty courses in the spring semester of year three.

5 Consult the course descriptions in the Academic Catalog for a detailed list of requirements for entrance to the undergraduate capstone sequence.

6 Three specialty elective credits are required. Available specialty electives are listed, and other courses may apply with approval of the Program Director or Chair.

7 A minimum of five technical elective credits are required (the flowchart shows six credits - two 3-credit courses). A “technical elective” is a course that meets the following requirements: 

  1. Must be selected from the following departments and shall contain one of the course prefixes listed: Mathematics (MTH), Business (BUS), CAECM (ARE, CAE, CVE, CON), Science (BIO, CHM, PHY, SCI), HSC (TCM or UXD), EECS (CSE, CPE, CSC, ELE, BME, SWE), ME (IND or MEC), General Engineering (EGR), Undergraduate Research (UGR) 
  2. Must be 2000 level or higher 
  3. Must not be of a lower level than a course required in the curriculum or previously taken for credit 
  4. Must not be a course substantially equivalent to one already taken for credit 
  5. Prerequisites and corequisites as listed in the academic catalog must be met 
  6. Only technical electives carrying the ARE, CAE, CVE, or CON prefixes will be calculated in the student’s major GPA
  7. Any other limitations and/or stipulations as listed in the academic catalog must be met 

8 Three credits are to be taken in an economics area. Acceptable courses include CAE 4811 , IND 2700 , and BUS 3200 . Other courses may apply with approval of the Program Director or Chair.

9 Any three-credit course, 2000 level or higher, may be taken to satisfy the free elective subject to limitations in the Academic Catalog.

10 Three credits are to be taken in an area of basic science that is not physics or chemistry. The science elective should be selected from a course with a SCI or BIO prefix and  is not a course required by the student’s program. It should generally be a course at the 2000 level or above.  However, under special circumstances and with the program director’s written permission, a course at the 1000 level might be acceptable. The course must satisfy at least one of the following MSOE Common Learning Outcomes: Embrace Diversity, Demonstrate Ethical Understanding, Exhibit Curiosity, Think Critically, or Collaborate Successfully.

11 Students accepted in the early entry pathway to the M.S. Civil Engineering program have specific requirements for the specialty and technical electives. Consult the CAECM Graduate Academic Catalog for details.

Students are required to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination as a condition of graduation.  See CAECM Policy 4.2.100 for full details.