Sep 30, 2024  
Rensselaer Catalog 2024-2025 
    
Rensselaer Catalog 2024-2025

Civil Engineering, B.S.


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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 127 credit hours is required for this curriculum.

First Year


Fall (17 credits)


  • HASS Elective Credit Hours: 4

Spring (17 credits)


  • HASS Elective Credit Hours: 4 
  • Basic Science Elective Credit Hours: 4 2

     

Second Year


Third Year


Please note: The third year of the program varies depending upon which semester the student chooses to take away following The Arch Summer Semester classes. Please note the following differences in curriculum:

  • If students are going to be away during the Fall semester of their junior year, they should take the listed courses for each term and any courses under the Fall Away Track for year three of their program.
     
  • If students are going to be away during the Spring semester of their junior year, they should take the listed courses for each term and any courses under the Spring Away Track for year three of their program.

The Arch Summer Semester* (15 credits)


*For more information on the ARCH process, please click here: The Arch 

Fall OR Spring* (16 credits)


*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 7
  • CE Technical Elective Credit Hours: 3 7
  • Free Elective Credit Hours: 4

Fall or Spring


Fourth Year


Fall (14 credits)


  • CE Design Elective Credit Hours: 3 7
  • CE Technical Elective Credit Hours: 3 7
  • Free Elective Credit Hours: 4
  • HASS Elective Credit Hours: 4 

Spring (15 credits)


A minimum of 127 credit hours is required for this curriculum.


Additional Requirements


Non-engineering courses graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory are not included within this 127-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 Focus Areas


At least two civil engineering design electives are required in one of the following focus areas: structural, geotechnical, transportation,  or water resources. These must be selected from the list below to fulfill the prerequisite requirements for CIVL 4920 .  Students should note that design electives are only offered once a year.  Students interested in taking the Environmental Engineering capstone design course ENVE 4180  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. Any 4-credit course in the School of Science with a prefix of ASTR, BIOL or ERTH. 
  3. CIVL 1100 may be replaced with ENGR 1300 , ENGR 1400 , or ENGR 1700 
  4. CIVL 2050 may be replaced with ENGR 2250 , MANE 2720 , or CHME 4010 
  5. CIVL 1300 may be replaced with CSCI 1100 , MANE 2110 , or CHME 2050 .

  6. 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.

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

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

  9. ADMN 1030  is a zero-credit course that may be taken in the second-year fall or spring term (or possibly first year for ACCEL students); satisfactory completion is a graduation requirement.  Another graduation requirement is satisfactory completion of an ILEA 4400 , usually in fall or spring third year.

Civil Engineering Technical Elective


Civil Engineering Technical Electives

Students must take a minimum of 6 credit hours of CE technical electives.

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. In addition, any CIVL or ENVE course at the 2000-level or above can be taken to satisfy the CE Technical Elective requirement.

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.

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