Dec 26, 2024  
Rensselaer Catalog 2023-2024 
    
Rensselaer Catalog 2023-2024 [Archived Catalog]

Civil Engineering


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Departments

The baccalaureate program in civil engineering leads to a B.S. degree and, for qualified students, a professional program of advanced study is available, leading to both the M.Eng. degree and B.S. degree. The civil engineering curriculum for the B.S. degree is shown below followed by a list of electives for each area of concentration. Concentrations include environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources engineering. A minimum of 128 credit hours is required for this curriculum.

First Year


Fall


  • HASS Elective Credit Hours: 4

Spring


  • HASS Elective Credit Hours: 4 

Second Year


Third Year


The Arch Summer Semester*


*For students who have applied for and been granted an exception, the Arch Summer courses would be taken during the fall semester. For information on the exception process, go to:  http://info.rpi.edu/arch/students/#ExceptionProcess.

  • HASS Elective Credit Hours: 4 

Fall OR Spring*


*If following the B.S. in Civil Engineering curriculum, students must select the spring term as their “on-campus” semester.

  • CE Design Elective Credit Hours: 3 
    (See footnote 6 below)
  • Free Elective Credit Hours: 4

Fourth Year


Fall


  • CE Design Elective Credit Hours: 3
    (See footnote 6 below)
  • CE Technical Elective Credit Hours: 3
    (See footnote 6 below)
  • Free Elective Credit Hours: 4
  • Math and Science Elective Credit Hours: 4
    (See footnote 7 below)
  • HASS Elective Credit Hours: 4 

Spring


  • Basic Science Elective Credit Hours: 4
    (See footnote 8 below)
  • HASS Elective Credit Hours: 4
  • Free Elective Credit Hours: 4

A minimum of 128 credit hours is required for this curriculum.


Additional Requirements


Non-engineering courses graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory are not included within this 128-credit-hour requirement. The Pass/No Credit option can be used only for free electives with something other than a CIVL or ENVE code and the humanities, arts, and social sciences electives. All other courses used to satisfy the degree requirements must be taken on a graded basis.

Civil Engineering Design Electives and Concentrations


At least two civil engineering design electives are required in one of the following concentrations: structural, geotechnical, transportation, environmental, or water resources. These must be selected from the list below to fulflll the prerequisite requirements for CIVL 4920  (Civil Engineering Capstone Design).  Students should note that design electives are only offered once a year.  Students interested in taking the Environmental Engineering capstone design course (ENVE 4180  Environmental Process Design) should consult with their adviser.

List of Design Electives

 

Structural Engineering


Geotechnical Engineering


Students must take:

  • CIVL 4010  Foundation Engineering Credit Hours: 3

And must choose a second course from the following:

Transportation Engineering


Students must choose two of the following courses:

Water Resources Engineering


Students must choose two of the following courses:

Footnotes


  1. CIVL 1200  may be replaced with ENGR 1200 .
  2. CIVL 1100  may be replaced with ENGR 1300 .

  3. CIVL 2050  may be replaced with ENGR 2250 , MANE 2720 , or CHME 4010 .

  4. CIVL 1300  may be replaced with CSCI 1100 , MANE 2110  or CHME 2050 .

  5. For a list of courses that satisfy the Professional Development 2 – Technical Issues & Solutions requirement refer to the section “Professional Development 2 Courses” on the Registrar’s “Academic Planning” web page. This course should be completed before the capstone design course.

  6. Allowable courses are listed under Design Electives and Technical Electives.

  7. Any 4-credit course in the School of Science with a prefix of ASTR, BCBP, BIOL, CHEM, ERTH, MATH or PHYS.

  8. Any 4-credit course in the School of Science with a prefix of ASTR, BIOL or ERTH.

Civil Engineering Technical Elective


Any of the design electives listed above can be taken as a CE Technical Elective, provided it has not already been used to fulfill the design elective requirements. Technical electives may also be an engineering or science course 2000 level or above, selected in consultation with the student’s adviser.

Humanities, Arts, or Social Sciences Electives


In this area, the electives are based on the Institute and School of Engineering requirements. Students are urged to select humanities, arts, and social science sequences through which they will obtain adequate breadth and depth in subject areas. Students desiring minors in Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences must consult the school or department in which the courses are offered to obtain further information and specific requirements.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Departments