civil engineering problem solving

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

College of engineering, problems we solve.

The work of civil and environmental engineers is everything you see around you—and quite a bit that you don’t. Civil and environmental engineers have a hand in all of the systems and structures that make our lives possible, like buildings, highways, parks, waterways, the electrical grid, cell phone towers, and more. They also play a major role in tackling some of the world’s grand challenges. If you want to become an engineer and help make the world a better place, then CEE is for you. Below are some of the ways that civil and environmental engineers are making an impact:

Disaster Recovery and Resilience

The most devastating tsunami in recorded history swept away entire communities and killed more than 250,000 people in Sumatra, Indonesia. Hurricane Katrina inundated New Orleans and caused more than $100 billion in damage across the Gulf Coast. Haiti is still recovering from a 2010 earthquake that wrecked the island nation. Civil and environmental engineers are among the first to respond to these kinds of disasters, measuring their impact and collecting vital data to help strengthen communities and make them more resilient against future devastation. They work to build better levies, reinforce vulnerable buildings, recycle concrete into stronger structures, protect utility and communications systems, restore services more quickly, and ultimately, to protect lives.

Fixing Our Nation's Failing Infrastructure

Civil and environmental engineers are in demand to meet the needs of our nation's aging infrastructure: crumbling roads and bridges; inadequate transportation, garbage and sewer systems; and vulnerable dams, ports and airports. Across the globe, the challenges are just as significant. And for growing countries, all of that infrastructure must be built from the ground up. Civil and environmental engineers are designing replacements for outdated infrastructure and creating new approaches to those systems. We’re also creating new technology to monitor infrastructure and help engineers and policy makers prioritize needs and prevent catastrophic failures.

Population Growth and Urban Density

The global population is projected to exceed 9 billion people in the coming decades. Most of that growth will be in emerging economies, where the lack of modern infrastructure leads to a variety of health concerns: poor access to water or poor water quality, air pollution, and inadequate systems for the collection or treatment of waste. Civil and environmental engineers will create those systems to protect lives and create healthier communities. We’re also assembling knowledge to build the cities where two-thirds of the Earth’s population will live by 2050 as well as the systems — water, electricity, sewer, transportation, communication — that density will require. We are modeling future scenarios for city and regional development so we know how and where we should grow as well as what will be required to meet the needs of future generations.

Traffic and Transit

Roads are clogged. Transit options work extremely well in some areas and are virtually non-existent in others. Some cities’ bicycle infrastructure allows residents to skip cars, buses and trains altogether while in other communities, cyclists must fight for space on roads. How we fix the transportation issues we have and plan for mobility of the future falls to civil and environmental engineers. We’re studying the relationships between the built environment and our transportation systems so we can improve community designs to foster mobility, encourage healthy living, and balance economic opportunities with personal well-being. Our engineers also study how people use transportation so we can make better decisions about how we get from place to place and what infrastructure we’ll need to do it.

Safe Drinking Water and Clean Air

Clouds of pollution hang over major metropolitan areas like Beijing, London, and Los Angeles. Polluted air discolors landmarks like the Taj Mahal and leads to thousands of premature deaths every year. Inadequate sanitation systems contaminate water supplies in developing countries, causing outbreaks of disease and spreading dangerous pathogens. That happens, too, in places like rural Alabama. In Flint, Michigan, corrosive water pulled lead from pipes and resulted in a public health crisis. We’re studying the effects of air quality on people’s health, identifying the key sources of pollution, and designing systems to limit airborne toxins and pathogens. Our engineers are developing new water-testing methods that make it easy for communities to ensure their water is safe. They’re designing systems that protect water supplies and manage waste. And they’re creating new genetic techniques to identify microbes that contaminate water and track them to their sources.

Safeguarding Our Water Resources

As the world’s population grows, the demand for water for drinking, power production, agriculture, and even recreation will continue to grow. Without big changes, our water needs likely will outstrip the supply. It’s not always clear how to best manage water so that everyone gets what they need — everyone has their own ideas about which uses are most important. That’s led to fights in Africa over use of the Nile River and a prolonged court battle among Alabama, Florida and Georgia over water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin. Civil and environmental engineers are responsible for finding new ways to safely deliver and allocate the water we have — like new water-based systems and infrastructure that work in concert with one another, instead of independently, or new ways to use water more than once. We’re designing new technology but also developing new connections among engineers, scientists, policymakers and stakeholders to protect our water future.

Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy

The ramifications of growing population and burgeoning economies in the developing world also means we’re using more energy resources. Traditional sources of fuel, like coal, supply much of that energy, but with a cost: tons of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change and pollution. Our researchers are deep into work to help change our energy mix, finding new ways to use alternative sources like wind, solar and natural gas. Transportation of people and goods accounts for more than a quarter of all energy use in the United States. We’re working to plan our communities and our transportation systems to encourage energy-efficient mobility, and we’re studying the financial implications of alternative energy sources. We’re also developing new technologies that will help us store energy underground and tap into new sources like methane hydrate.

Sustainability

All of our work is infused with the demands of making society more sustainable to protect the world’s resources while meeting people’s needs. We’re working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from infrastructure and transportation, develop new uses for coal fly ash to keep it out of landfills, find ways to make concrete using more sustainable ingredients and techniques, understand how microbes help clean up oil on beaches after oil spills, reduce the environmental impacts of manufacturing, and make our economy more sustainable by understanding how economic activity and energy use interact. We’re also designing adaptations that will help our communities become more resilient in the face of a changing climate.

Collection of Solved Examples for Civil Engineers

We have provided illustrated solved examples on different topics of civil engineering on this page which will be helpful in the teaching and learning of civil engineering at undergraduate level. These solved examples are developed with an objective of strengthening the fundamental principles. It is expected that after going through these solved examples the students will improve their cognitive skills.

Select from the following links of solved examples

click on the following links to go to more solved examples on other topics

More Examples >> 1 2 3 4 5 6

Favourite links.

Stress Transformation Calculator Calculate Principal Stress, Maximum shear stress and the their planes

Calculator for Moving Load Analysis To determine Absolute Max. B.M. due to moving loads.

Shear Stress Calculator Calculate Transverse shear stress for beam sections

Bending Moment Calculator Calculate bending moment & shear force for simply supported beam

Moment of Inertia Calculator Calculate moment of inertia of plane sections

Reinforced Concrete Calculator Calculate the strength of Reinforced concrete beam

Moment Distribution Calculator Solving indeterminate beams

Deflection & Slope Calculator Calculate deflection and slope of simply supported beam for many load cases

Fixed Beam Calculator Calculation tool for beanding moment and shear force for Fixed Beam for many load cases

BM & SF Calculator for Cantilever Calculate SF & BM for Cantilever

Deflection & Slope Calculator for Cantilever For many load cases of Cantilever

Overhanging beam calculator For SF & BM of many load cases of overhanging beam

Civil Engineering Quiz Test your knowledge on different topics of Civil Engineering

Research Papers Research Papers, Thesis and Dissertation

List of skyscrapers of the world Contining Tall building worldwide

Forthcoming conferences Containing List of civil engineering conferences, seminar and workshops

Profile of Civil Engineers Get to know about distinguished Civil Engineers

Professional Societies Worldwide Civil Engineers Professional Societies

Keep visiting for getting updated or Join our mailing list

Search our website for more...

Please Tell your Friends about us if you find our website useful

Other Useful Links

Canadian Society of Civil Engineering Annual Conference

CSCE 2021: Proceedings of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering Annual Conference 2021 pp 85–95 Cite as

Problem-Based Learning for Undergraduate Civil Engineering Education in South Africa- a Methodological Approach

• D. Das 15  
• Conference paper
• First Online: 01 June 2022

667 Accesses

3 Citations

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering ((LNCE,volume 239))

Civil engineering graduates need to be competent to solve socio-economic and environmental as well as engineering problems. The universities are responsible for offering a pedagogical method that enables students to learn deeply and become competent. Arguments have emerged that Problem Based Learning (PBL) in engineering education in general and particularly in civil engineering could make the students engage in learning effectively and become competent. However, PBL in engineering or civil engineering education in South Africa is not prevalent. No benchmark of the way it should be delivered is available. Therefore, the study aimed to develop a methodological approach so that PBL can be effectively practised and offered in undergraduate civil engineering education in the universities of South Africa. The study relied on the action learning research framework and perceptions of different stakeholders who participated in the PBL programmes. Findings suggest that five sequential stages involving sequential steps in each stage can assist in the effective and successful implementation of the PBL and attainment of learning outcomes. Also, certain steps that include the selection of problems in alignment with learning outcomes, formation and preparation of heterogenous teams to work on a complex problem, identification sub-problems, finalisation of the design brief, generation of ideas and engineering concepts, transformation of ideas to alternate solutions (design or products), evaluation of the alternate solutions, design of sustainable engineering solutions or creation of the sustainable products and showcasing the design or product for evaluation are of significance and can be treated milestones in delivering the PBL.

• Civil engineering education
• Complex problems
• Problem Based Learning
• Outcomes-Based Education

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution .

Buying options

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Barrows HS (1988) The tutorial process. Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, ILL

Google Scholar  

Derry SJ (1996) Cognitive schema theory in the constructivist debate. Educ Psychol 31(3 & 4):163–174

Article   Google Scholar  

Dochy F, Segers M, Van den Bossche P, Gijbels D (2003) Effects of problem-based learning: a meta-analysis. Learn Instr 13(5):533–568

Dolmans D, De Grave W, Wolfhagen I, van der Vleuten CPM (2005) Problem-based learning: future challenges for educational practice and research. Med Educ 39(7):732–741

Elaine HJ, Yewa KG (2016) Problem-based learning: an overview of its process and impact on learning. Health Prof Educ 2:275–279

Fogarty R (1997) Problem-based learning and other curriculum models for the multiple intelligences classroom. IRI/SkyLight Training and Publishing

Glaser R, Bassok M (1989) Learning theory and the study of instruction. Ann Rev Psychol 40:631–666

Mayer RE (1996) Learners as information processors: legacies and limitations of educational psychology’s second metaphor. Educ Psychol 31(3 & 4):151–161

Mubuuke AG, Louw AJN, Van Schalkwyk S (2017) Cognitive and social factors influencing students’ response and utilization of facilitator feedback in a problem based learning context. Health Professions Education 3:85–98

Özbıçakçı Ş, Bilik Ö, İntepeler ŞS (2012) Assessment of goals in problem-based learning. Nurse Educ Today 32:e79–e82

Palincsar AS (1998) Social constructivist perspectives on teaching and learning. Ann Rev Psychol 49:345–375

Kazemi F, Ghoraishi M (2012) Comparison of problem-based learning approach and traditional teaching on attitude, misconceptions and mathematics performance of university students. Proc Soc Behav Sci 46:3852–3856

Savery J, Duffy T (1995) Problem-based learning: an instructional model and its constructivist framework. Educ Technol 35(5):35

Schmidt HG (1993) Foundations of problem-based learning—some explanatory notes. Med Educ 27(5):422–432

Schmidt HG (1998) Problem-based learning: does it prepare medical students to become better doctors? Med J Aust 168:429–430

Schmidt HG, Moust JHC (2000) Factors affecting small-group tutorial learning: a view of research. In: Evensen DH, Hmelo-Silver CE (eds), Problem-based learning: a research perspective on learning interactions. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, pp 19–52

Vygotsky LS (1978) Mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

Yeung E, Au-Yeung S, Chiu T et al. (2003) Problem design in problem-based learning: evaluating student’s learning and self-directed learning practice. Innov Educ Teach Int 40(3):237–244

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Discipline of Civil Engineering, Sustainable Transport Research Group, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Das .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

Scott Walbridge

Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Mazdak Nik-Bakht

University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada

Kelvin Tsun Wai Ng

Matrix Solutions Inc., Edmonton, AB, Canada

Manas Shome

University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC, Canada

M. Shahria Alam

University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

Ashraf el Damatty

Gordon Lovegrove

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

About this paper

Cite this paper.

Das, D. (2023). Problem-Based Learning for Undergraduate Civil Engineering Education in South Africa- a Methodological Approach. In: Walbridge, S., et al. Proceedings of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering Annual Conference 2021 . CSCE 2021. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 239. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0503-2_8

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0503-2_8

Published : 01 June 2022

Publisher Name : Springer, Singapore

Print ISBN : 978-981-19-0502-5

Online ISBN : 978-981-19-0503-2

eBook Packages : Engineering Engineering (R0)

Share this paper

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

(Stanford users can avoid this Captcha by logging in.)

• Send to text email RefWorks EndNote printer

101 solved civil engineering problems

Available online, at the library.

SAL3 (off-campus storage)

More options.

• Find it at other libraries via WorldCat
• Contributors

Description

Creators/contributors, contents/summary, bibliographic information, browse related items.

• Stanford Home
• Maps & Directions
• Search Stanford
• Emergency Info
• Terms of Use
• Non-Discrimination
• Accessibility

© Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 .

Browse Course Material

Course info, instructors.

• Dr. George Kocur
• Dr. Christopher Cassa
• Prof. Marta C. Gonzalez

Departments

• Civil and Environmental Engineering

As Taught In

• Programming Languages
• Software Design and Engineering
• Computational Science and Engineering

Learning Resource Types

Introduction to computers and engineering problem solving, course description.

This course presents the fundamentals of object-oriented software design and development, computational methods and sensing for engineering, and scientific and managerial applications. It cover topics, including design of classes, inheritance, graphical user interfaces, numerical methods, streams, threads, sensors, and …

This course presents the fundamentals of object-oriented software design and development, computational methods and sensing for engineering, and scientific and managerial applications. It cover topics, including design of classes, inheritance, graphical user interfaces, numerical methods, streams, threads, sensors, and data structures. Students use Java ® programming language to complete weekly software assignments.

How is 1.00 different from other intro programming courses offered at MIT?

1.00 is a first course in programming. It assumes no prior experience, and it focuses on the use of computation to solve problems in engineering, science and management. The audience for 1.00 is non-computer science majors. 1.00 does not focus on writing compilers or parsers or computing tools where the computer is the system; it focuses on engineering problems where the computer is part of the system, or is used to model a physical or logical system.

1.00 teaches the Java programming language, and it focuses on the design and development of object-oriented software for technical problems. 1.00 is taught in an active learning style. Lecture segments alternating with laboratory exercises are used in every class to allow students to put concepts into practice immediately; this teaching style generates questions and feedback, and allows the teaching staff and students to interact when concepts are first introduced to ensure that core ideas are understood. Like many MIT classes, 1.00 has weekly assignments, which are programs based on actual engineering, science or management applications. The weekly assignments build on the class material from the previous week, and require students to put the concepts taught in the small in-class labs into a larger program that uses multiple elements of Java together.

You are leaving MIT OpenCourseWare

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Engineering Management Institute

TECC 244: Practical Problem-Solving Skills for Engineers

April 13, 2021 By EMI

document.createElement('audio'); https://media.blubrry.com/engineeringcareercoach/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/engineeringcareercoach/TECC244.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

In this episode, I talk to Andrew Sario, an intelligent transport systems engineer and OT cyber specialist, creator of Engineering IRL, and engineering book author, about problem-solving skills for engineers. Andrew provides some great tips that will help you to master these skills and become the best engineer you could be. Be sure to listen to the end of this episode for a special offer from guest Andrew Sario.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Practical Problem-Solving Skills for Engineers:

• When working on many different projects, work on each one cyclically. It will make it easier to transition from one to the other and know what you need to do next. Breaking up each project into smaller chunks helps you not feel overwhelmed by the entire project.
• The book, “10+1 Steps to Problem Solving: An Engineer’s Guide,” is born from Andrew’s practical experiences. If you encounter similar problems repetitively, you begin to learn how to solve them quicker and easier. Many problems are solved by taking the same steps as used with other problems. Use this book in conjunction with the problem-solving techniques that you already have. It is a tool to help you think about the problem you have and solve it.
• Engineering problem-solving consists of breaking down big problems into smaller, solvable, individual parts and then putting them back together to solve the bigger problem. Many engineering problems are bigger than what one person can solve. Using a team to solve this problem is beneficial. Engineers capture the best practices over time to solve problems more safely and efficiently than before.
• If a problem has a known solution, then use it. Sometimes you need to use tools that give you a different perspective of the problem to solve the problem.
• Whatever tasks are given to you, no matter how small or trivial, do them well.
• Look for solutions to the problems that are standing in the way of your team moving forward. It will give people the mentality to see you as a problem-solver. When doing this, remember to keep step 1 in context.
• To get better at solving problems, you need to practice solving problems. Be happy if you fail in solving some of the problems you face. It adds to your practicing, and you learn what not to do next time.

The 10+1 Steps to Problem-Solving for Engineers Are:

• Are you asking the correct question? – Make sure you are asking the correct question from the beginning of your problem-solving techniques.
• The obvious. – Try the known solutions. If they do not work the first time, try them again, and they might work.
• Eyes. – Ensure you have all the correct tools in place to give you clues about the problem.
• Check yourself. – Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Make sure that all the basics are in place before getting too technical about solving the problem.
• Google it. – You do not have to know everything already, so Google for solutions to your problem. If you have a specific problem, there are online forums that you can consult about it.
• The R.T.F.M. protocol. – Read the manual. You could be surprised by the information you find in it.
• Strip . – Strip down the complexities of the problem and look for something basic to solve first. Prove you know something about the problem.
• What about the environment? – Look for things outside of your problem that could be influencing or impacting it.
• Phone a friend. – Ask someone who might know of a solution.
• Pray – Talk about your problem aloud to yourself. Find an inanimate object and tell it the problem you have and what is needed to solve it. It can get your subconscious working and help you get clarity on what is needed to solve it.
• You can find this step in the book – “ 10+1 Steps to Problem Solving: An Engineer’s Guide .”

More in This Episode…

In the Take Action Today segment of the show, Andrew talks about one tip for engineers to be better at problem-solving.

About Andrew Sario

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” ~ Albert Einstein

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

10+1 Steps to Problem Solving: An Engineer’s Guide

Resources and Links Mentioned in This Session Include:

Engineering in Real Life Cloudmate Networks Cisco Meraki Technology Connect with Andrew Sario on LinkedIn Send Andrew Sario an email

We would love to hear any questions you might have or stories you can share on practical problem-solving skills for engineers.

Please leave your comments, feedback, or questions in the section below.

• If you enjoyed this post, please consider downloading our free list of 33 Productivity Routines of Top Engineering Executives. Click the button below to download. Download the Productivity Routines

To your success,

Jeff Perry, MBA Host of The Engineering Career Coach Podcast

Related Posts

• TECC 224: People Skills for Engineers: Making a Good First Impression
• TECC 200: How to Develop Business Thinking Skills for Engineers and Techies
• TECC 169: Strategies Engineers can Take to Immediately Improve their Technical Writing Skills
• TECC 88: The Peak Performance Equation for Engineers
• TECC 192: Why Engineers Quit Managers Not Companies

ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

We can help you:.

• Build solutions to attract talented professionals.
• Develop your staff’s people skills.
• Create career roadmaps for your staff.
• Provide PM training for your professionals.
• Build custom development programs.
• Scale sustainably.

50 E. Ridgewood Avenue #129

Ridgewood NJ, 07450

800-920-4007

SPECIAL DOWNLOAD

33 Productivity Routines of Top Engineering Executives

2022-2023 Undergraduate Bulletin > Courses > CE - Civil Engineering Course Descriptions

• A Message from the President
• Academic Calendar
• Undergraduate Degree and Certificate Programs
• Degree Maps
• AES - Architectural Environmental Studies Course Descriptions
• ANTH - Anthropology Course Descriptions
• ARAB - Arabic Course Descriptions
• ARCH - Architecture Course Descriptions
• URB - Urban Studies Course Descriptions
• ART - Art Course Descriptions
• ASIA - Asian Studies Course Descriptions
• ASTR - Physics Course Descriptions
• BENG - Bengali Course Descriptions
• BIO - Biology Course Descriptions
• BLST - Black Studies Course Descriptions
• BME - Biomedical Engineering Course Descriptions
• CHE - Chemical Engineering Course Descriptions
• CHEM - Chemistry Course Descriptions
• CHIN - Chinese Course Descriptions
• CL - Comparative Literature Course Descriptions
• CLSS - Classical Culture Course Descriptions
• CSC - Computer Science Course Descriptions
• EAS - Earth and Atmospheric Science Course Descriptions
• ECO - Economics Course Descriptions
• EDCE - Childhood Education Course Descriptions
• EDSE - Secondary Education Course Descriptions
• EDUC - Education Course Descriptions
• SPED - Special Education Course Descriptions
• EE - Electrical Engineering Course Descriptions
• ENGL - English Course Descriptions
• ENGR - Engineering Course Descriptions
• ESL - English as a Second Language Course Descriptions
• FIQWS - Pathways Course Descriptions
• FQUAN - Pathways Course Descriptions
• FREN - French Course Descriptions
• GERM - German Course Descriptions
• HEB - Hebrew Course Descriptions
• HIST - History Course Descriptions
• HNDI - Hindi Course Descriptions
• IAS - Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Course Descriptions
• INTL - International Studies Course Descriptions
• ITAL - Italian Course Descriptions
• JAP - Japanese Course Descriptions
• JWST - Jewish Studies Course Descriptions
• KOR - Korean Course Descriptions
• LALS - Latin American and Latino Studies Course Descriptions
• LAT - Latin Course Descriptions
• LIB - Library Course Descriptions
• MATH - Mathematics Course Descriptions
• MCA - Media and Communications Arts Course Descriptions
• MED - Biomedical Education Course Descriptions
• ME - Mechanical Engineering Course Descriptions
• MHC - Macaulay Honors College Course Descriptions
• MSCI - Military Science Course Descriptions
• MUS - Music Course Descriptions
• NSS - SEEK Counseling and Student Support Services Course Descriptions
• PA - Physician Assistant Course Descriptions
• PHIL - Philosophy Course Descriptions
• PHYS - Physics Course Descriptions
• PORT - Portuguese Course Descriptions
• PSC - Political Science Course Descriptions
• PSY - Psychology Course Descriptions
• SCI - Secondary Education Course Descriptions
• SCIE - Science Education Course Descriptions
• SOC - Sociology Course Descriptions
• SPAN - Spanish Course Descriptions
• SPCH - Speech Course Descriptions
• SSC - Social Science Course Descriptions
• THTR - Theatre Course Descriptions
• USSO - History Course Descriptions
• WCIV - Pathways Course Descriptions
• WHUM - Pathways Course Descriptions
• WS - Women’s Studies Course Descriptions
• YID - Yiddish Course Descriptions
• Policies on Non-Discrimination and Sexual Harassment
• Important Notice of Possible Changes
• About The City College
• Accelerated Master's Degrees
• The Office of the Registrar
• Tuition and Fees
• Financial Aid
• Honors Programs
• The Division of Student Affairs
• The College of Liberal Arts and Science
• The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture
• The School of Education
• The Grove School of Engineering
• The CUNY School of Medicine
• Military Science - Army Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
• General Education Requirements (Pathways)
• Gateway Courses into Majors (Pathways)
• Department of SEEK Counseling and Student Support Services/The Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program
• Student Support Services Program
• Academic Advisement
• Tutoring Services
• Academic Requirements and Policies
• Institutional Policies
• Directions to the City College Campus
• Shuttle Bus Service
• Catalog Home
• All Catalogs

CE - Civil Engineering Course Descriptions

Ce 10000 fundamentals of civil engineering problem solving, prerequisites, contact hours, ce 10100 introduction to civil engineering, corequisites, ce 20900 structural and site plans.

Graphical methods of conveying ideas and information related to civil engineering projects. Functional planning. Structural plans and details in wood, masonry, steel and concrete. Topographic mapping and site plans. AutoCAD.

CE 26400 Civil Engineering Data Analysis

Role of statistics and probability in civil engineering. Measurability and variability. Data collection. Descriptive analysis. Presentation of data in the context of civil engineering. Numerical descriptive statistics. Probability distributions and their application to civil engineering. Introduction to inferential statistics. Applications of civil engineering quality control. Linear correlation and regression analysis.

CE 23100 Statics

Laws of motion and equilibrium. Elements of vector algebra. Equilibrium of rigid bodies. Constraints, and reactions. Equilibrium of machines and hinged frames. Internal forces in trusses and beams. Shear and bending moment diagrams. Analysis of cable systems. Friction. Centroid and centers of gravity. Moments of inertia. Work and virtual work. Stability of equilibrium.

CE 31500 Computational Methods in Civil Engineering

Ce 31600 civil engineering decision and systems analysis.

Civil Engineering systems analysis. Modeling and optimization of large scale CE systems, including structural, hydraulic, environmental and transportation systems, and construction projects. Economic evaluation of engineering projects. Decisions under uncertainty. Design as multi-dimensional resource allocation. Scheduling models. Applications to management and planning. Computer applications.

CE 32600 Transportation Planning

Introduction to transportation planning concepts and methods. Travel demand forecasting. Transportation economics. Quantitative techniques in transportation planning: discrete choice models, regression methods and optimization techniques. Societal impacts including environmental, land use, safety and quality of life issues. Project evaluation.

CE 32700 Transportation Systems Engineering

Principles and practice of transportation engineering. Introduction to traffic engineering concepts including traffic flow theory, multimodal level of service analysis, and traffic control. Fundamentals of geometric and pavement design. Influence of modern technologies on transportation systems.

CE 33200 Mechanics of Deformable Bodies

Stresses and strains in elastic and inelastic materials subjected to axial, torsional, and flexural loads and combinations of loads for statically determinate and indeterminate configurations. Deformations and deflections due to loads and temperature. Combined stresses. Mohr circles and principal stresses. Introduction to energy methods. Castigliano's theorem. Stability of columns and critical loads. Testing of engineering materials. Stress-strain characteristics, including creep, shrinkage and hysteresis effects. Effects of temperature and impact loading on material properties.

Algorithmic formulation of the solution to civil engineering problems. Flowcharts. Solutions to algebraic and differential equations common to civil engineering. Matrix problems. Differentiation and integration. Optimization problems. Students will primarily use microcomputers and a programming language, spreadsheets and "macros" and symbolic calculations software.

CE 34000 Structural Analysis

Loading systems. Structural determinacy, indeterminacy and stability. Analysis of two and three dimensional trusses and frames. Influence lines. Structural deflections. Methods of solving statically indeterminate structures. Introduction to structural safety and redundancy. Computer applications.

CE 34500 Soil Mechanics

Introduction to geotechnical engineering. Index properties and classification of soils. Compaction. Mohr circles and failure theories of soils. Permeability, seepage and effective stresses. Consolidation. Drained and undrained shear strength. Stresses due to surface loads. Bearing capacity of footings. Lateral earth pressure. Introduction to slope stability. Testing of soils.

CE 35000 Fluid Mechanics

Study of behavior of viscous and non-viscous fluids at rest and in motion through development and application of the principles of fluid statics, continuity, energy, momentum, similitude, and dimensional analysis. Applications include flow in open and closed conduits, the boundary layer, dynamics of drag and measurement of velocity and discharge.

CE 36500 Hydraulic Engineering

Conservation of mass, energy, and momentum in hydraulic systems. Pipe networks and reservoir systems. Pumps and turbines. Uniform and non-uniform flow principles. Hydraulic jump. Introduction to hydrology, hydrograph, peak discharges, and runoff computation and design. Computer applications in hydraulics and hydrology.

CE 37200 Environmental Impact Assessment

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the impact assessment of engineering projects on human and environmental health. Structure of the natural environment and pollutants typically released by engineering projects to the atmosphere, soil, and surface and ground water. Federal regulations. Modeling of the transport and transformation of pollutants in the environment using material balances, equilibrium chemistry and specialized models.

CE 40100 Review of Civil Engineering Fundamentals

Review of core and general requirements including engineering mathematics, probability and statistics, computational tools, ethics, professional practice, engineering economics, statics, dynamics, mechanics and materials, fluid mechanics, hydrologic systems, structural analysis, structural design, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering, environmental engineering, construction and surveying. Testing of student competence in all these topics. This pass/fail course will be offered as a self-study course with weekly assessment. Students who pass the actual Fundamentals of Engineering exam will be given credit for the course.

CE 40500 Civil Engineering Management

Introduction to civil engineering management. Development of a project team for effective delivery; project delivery roles. Roles, rights and obligations of civil engineers. Ethical and professional responsibilities of civil engineers. Project life cycle analysis. Project costs and financing. Project administration; change orders, claims and dispute resolution. Group project.

CE 43500 Dynamics of Civil Engineering Systems

Kinematics and kinetics of particles. Work-energy and impulse momentum principles. Systems of particles. Kinematics of rigid bodies. Plane motion of rigid bodies. Energy and momentum methods for rigid bodies. Dynamical behavior of simple civil engineering structures: Free and forced vibration, undamped and damped motion. Response to harmonic loading, earthquake response spectra.

CE 44000 Finite Element Analysis of Structures

Review of basic concepts of structural analysis. Energy methods. Stiffness & flexibility methods. Fundamentals of Finite Element Method. Uniaxial and beam elements. Analysis of trusses and frames. Plane stress and plane strain elements. Computer applications.

CE 44100 Reinforced Concrete

Principles of reinforced concrete design. Proportioning concrete mixes. Safety factors as influenced by uncertainties in the design and construction processes and as they relate to public safety. Design of singly and doubly reinforced beams, T-beams, and one-way slabs. Cracking, deflection and serviceability criteria. Design of columns subjected to combined axial load and bending.

CE 44200 Structural Design

Analysis and design of beams, girders, tension and compression members, and other components of structural frames. Rational basis of safety factors and specifications and their public safety ramifications. Load and Resistance Factor Design.

CE 45100 Environmental Water Resources

Water and water pollution in the natural world. The hydrologic cycle. Atmospheric, surface and subsurface water. Hydrographs, unit hydrographs and flow routing. Mechanisms of contaminant transport. Sources and remediation of water pollution. Pollution in surface and groundwater. Design problems.

CE 47400 Environmental Engineering

Physical, chemical and microbiological characterization of water, wastewater, air pollution and solid waste. Remediation objectives and regulatory constraints. Conventional unit operations and processes for potable water, domestic wastewater and air pollution control and solid waste management. Handling of process sidestreams.

CE 48000 Cryptography

An introduction to the principles and practices of computer security in various computing environments. Conventional encryption systems and classical cryptography. Confidentiality using conventional encryption. Public key cryptography and protocols for authentication and digital signatures. Recent cryptanalytic attacks on conventional and public key systems. Intruders, worms, viruses and trusted systems. Firewalls and internetwork security. A survey of applications and problems arising in contemporary computer security.

CE 48200 Water and Wastewater Treatment Design

Determination of design parameters and preliminary design of conventional water and wastewater treatment operations and processes using bench-scale experiments and commercially available computer software. The topics include aeration, sedimentation (flocculant and hindered), disinfection chemistry and kinetics, activated carbon adsorption for removal of soluble organics, precipitation and ion-exchange for hardness removal of domestic wastewaters.

CE 50900 Senior Design Project

Major culminating design experience emphasizing multi- and interdisciplinary collaboration, and incorporating engineering standards and realistic constraints that include the following considerations: economic, financial, environmental, sustainability, constructability, ethical, health and safety, social and political.

CE 51001 Independent Study

The student will pursue a program of independent study under the direction of a full-time faculty member of the department with the approval of the undergraduate advisor. The program may consist of an extensive design project, an experimental investigation, or an analytical study. A final engineering report describing the work done and the outcomes must be submitted to the Department at the end of the study. Subject does not have to be in the area of the student’s specialization but must include a design component. 

CE 51003 Independent Study

The student will pursue a program of independent study under the direction of a full-time faculty member of the department with the approval of the undergraduate advisor. The program may consist of an extensive design project, an experimental investigation, or an analytical study. A final engineering report describing the work done and the outcomes must be submitted to the Department at the end of the study. Subject must be in the area of the student’s specialization. Faculty mentor may require additional requisites based on the specific subject under study. Only available for students specializing in structural, environmental or transportation.

CE 52000 Traffic Engineering

Traffic flow theory, including fundamental diagram, microscopic models, and macroscopic models. Analysis of traffic data, including capacity and performance assessment. Network models and simulation. Advanced technology applications for data collection, traffic control, and real-time system management. This course is crosslisted with CE H2000 Highway Engineering, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H2000.

CE 52600 Rail System Design

Design of light and heavy rail facilities for passenger and freight operations. Track structure. Alternative technologies for construction, guidance and communications. Maintenance of way. This course is crosslisted with CE H2600 Rail System Design, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H2600.

CE 53000 Advanced Strength of Materials

Introduction to elasticity including basic ideas of stress, strain, and constitutive relations. Theories of failure and fracture. Analysis of unsymmetrical bending. Shear center and shear flow. Torsion. Twisting of thin-walled sections. Buckling criteria. This course is crosslisted with CE H3000 Advanced Strength of Materials, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H3000.

CE 54000 Highway Engineering

The design of highway alignment and route location. Basic elements of highway design, including pavement type, earth¬work and drainage. Importance and conse¬quences of maintenance and engineering economics; life-cycle cost analysis. This course is crosslisted with CE H4000 Highway Engineering, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H4000.

CE 54100 Highway and Airport Construction

Overview of highway and airport engineering and construction; highways vs. airports; urban vs. rural highways. Construction planning, organization and cost estimating; construction scheduling using computer packages, e.g., Primavera; construction tracking. Construction operations: mobilization, removal, disposal, placement; management of equipment, material, labor, money; cash flow accounting. Construction specifications: quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC); investigation of environmental impacts and mitigation measures. Site investigation and project preparation. This course is crosslisted with CE H4100 Highway and Airport Construction, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H4100.

CE 54500 Urban Transportation

Historical development of urban surface transportation systems. Stakeholders, user and operating characteristics, and infrastructure elements for passenger motor vehicle, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and freight modes. Safety, environmental, and financial considerations. Regulations and technology applications. This course is crosslisted with CE H4500 Urban Transportation, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H4500.

CE 54700 Urban Freight and City Logistics

Ce 54800 transit systems: planning and operations, ce 55000 advanced reinforced concrete.

Mechanical properties of reinforced concrete materials including shrinkage, and creep. Ultimate load theory and ultimate strength design. Moment-curvature and load-deflection relationships. Columns subjected to biaxial bending. Combined shear and torsion. Design of flat plates and two-way slabs. Yield line theory. This course is crosslisted with CE H5000 Advanced Reinforced Concrete, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H5000.

CE 55500 Concrete Sustainability

Concepts, knowledge and methods for producing environmentally-friendly concrete. Concept of sustainable development. Properties of concrete. Environmental impact of cement production. Types of aggregates and their effect on durability and performance of concrete. Use of waste materials and industrial byproducts in concrete. Enhancement of short-term and long-term properties of concrete. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of concretes with alternative compositions. This course is crosslisted with H5500 Concrete Sustainability, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H5500.

CE 55600 Design of Wood Structures

Applications in buildings, large-span structures, and bridges. Wood products as sawn lumber and composite laminates and particulates. Material microstructure and orthotropic macrostructure simulation. Species and species groups. Grading of structural lumber, design values and adjustment factors (NDS). Design of solid wood beams, columns, and beam-columns. Design of Glued-Laminated Timber (Glulam) continuous beams, bilateral and axial loads, tapered and curved members, arches, bridge girders, and panelized construction for large-scale floor and roof systems. Structural panels for sheathing and diaphragms with plywood and Oriented-Strand Board (OSB) products. Wood connections with bolts, lag-bolts, split-rings, shear plates, and specialized assemblies. This course is cross-listed with CE H5600 Design of Wood Structures, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H5600.

CE 56600 Engineering Hydrology

Elements of hydrometeorology including climate tele-connections. Analysis of precipitation and use of statistical methods. Design storm determination. Basin characteristics, runoffs and losses. Stream flow data, extension of data, overland flow, and design floods. Routing and unit hydrograph method. Sediments, their transport and deposition. Application of hydrologic design. Estimating evaporation. Groundwater flow modeling. This course is crosslisted with CE H6600 Engineering Hydrology, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H6600.

CE 57100 Water Quality Analysis

Acid-base titration curves and acid-base indicators, alkalinity and the carbonate system, buffer intensity and design, optical methods of analysis, the spectrophotometer and Beer’s law, colorimetric analysis of phosphate, colorimetric analysis of ammonia, chelation analysis of iron, calcium carbonate equilibria, solubility product determination, Chemical Oxygen Demand, determination of forms of aqueous chlorine, reactions of aqueous chlorine with ammonia, adsorption on activated carbon, kinetics of ferrous iron oxidation. This course is crosslisted with CE H7100 Water Quality Analysis, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H7100.

CE 58300 Air Pollution and Control

The effects of air pollution on humans and on the environment. The Clean Air Act and its Amendments. Mobile and industrial sources of air pollution and emission inventories of pollutants across the US and in NY. Pollution prevention vs. pollution control. Air pollution control from industrial, mobile and area sources, to meet needed removal efficiency, with an emphasis on control of gaseous and particulate air pollution from industrial sources. This course is crosslisted with CE H8300 Air Pollution and Control, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H8300.

CE 58400 Solid Waste Management

Physical, chemical and biological characterization of municipal solid waste streams. Generation, transport (collection and distribution), handling and disposal of municipal solid waste streams. Technologies used in source and field separation of solid wastes. Disposal of source separated and commingled solid wastes. Terminal disposal of solid wastes – planning, design and operation of landfills and thermal conversion facilities. Generation and treatment of landfill leachates. Recycling of municipal solid wastes. Characterization and disposal of hazardous wastes. Required field trip. This course is crosslisted with CE H8400 Solid Waste Management, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H8400.

CE 59000 Foundation Engineering

Soil exploration and sampling. Engineering properties of soils. Bearing capacity and settlement of foundations. Beams on elastic foundation. Design of footings and mats. Bearing capacity and settlement of piles and pile groups. Analysis of pile-raft foundations. Design of retaining structures. Slope stability. This course is crosslisted with CE H9000 Foundation Engineering, and therefore is not available to students who have already completed CE H9000.

CE 59800 Topics in Civil Engineering

Topics chosen for their particular or current interest to undergraduate students. Various courses designated CE 59800 and CE 59900 will be offered whenever there is sufficient student demand as evidenced by pre-registration forms or petitions.

CE 59900 Topics in Civil Engineering Design

Up one level.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Current Students
• Online Only Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Parents & Family
• Alumni & Friends
• Community & Business
• Student Life
• Overview and Mission
• Industry Advisory Board
• Shared Governance
• Faculty and Staff
• Accreditation
• BS Civil Engineering
• BS Environmental Engineering
• Double Owl Pathways
• MS Civil Engineering
• Environmental Engineering Minor
• Interdisciplinary Engineering Ph.D.
• Regents’ Engineering Pathway Program
• Dual Degree Articulations
• Technical College System of Georgia
• Course Transfer Search Engine Guide

Engineering Standing

• Instructional Labs
• Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCVE)

Course schedules, helpful resources.

• Civil Engineering Flowchart

Civil engineering involves the planning, design, and construction of facilities essential to modern life. It requires education in basic engineering principles along with the development of skills in the areas of planning and management of construction projects and the associated systems and resources. Civil engineering graduates are required to master technical content and to demonstrate particular competence in the areas of communication, fiscal management and project control. The broad-based background is tailored to develop professionals who are able to move between technical and managerial aspects of civil engineering projects.

Program educational objectives are benchmarks for career and professional accomplishments that the degree program prepares graduates to achieve during the first few years following graduation. Graduates of the Civil Engineering program will be able to:

• Meet the requirements to pursue and attain registration as a professional engineer in the State of Georgia and other states in the nation.
• Demonstrate success and/or leadership in their engineering professions.
• Successfully engage in graduate studies and professional development in Civil engineering and other related professional fields.

Student outcomes describe the knowledge and skills acquired by students who complete the program. Students completing the program will have:

• an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
• 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
• an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
• 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
• 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
• an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
• an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Prior to enrolling in upper-level courses, students must meet the requirements needed for the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. View engineering standing requirements .

BS in Civil Engineering Curriculum

General education (42 credit hours).

See listing of requirements in the  KSU Catalog .

• MATH 1190 - Calculus I
• MATH 2202 - Calculus II
• PHYS 2211 - Principles of Physics I
• PHYS 2211L - Principles of Physics Laboratory I
• PHYS 2212 - Principles of Physics II
• PHYS 2212L - Principles of Physics Laboratory II

Lower Division Major Requirements

• ENGR 2214 - Engineering Mechanics - Statics
• SURV 2221 - Surveying I
• SURV 2221L - Surveying I Lab
• CHEM 1211 - General Chemistry I
• CHEM 1211L - General Chemistry I Laboratory
• CHEM 1212 - General Chemistry II
• CHEM 1212L - General Chemistry II Laboratory
• One Credit Hour from Area A
• Two Credit Hours from Area D

Upper Division Major Requirements

• MATH 2306 - Ordinary Differential Equations
• ENVS 2202 - Introduction to Environmental Science (eCore)* or
• BIOL 1107 - Biological Principles I
• EDG 2160 - Civil Graphics and Computer Aided Drafting
• ENGR 3131 - Strength of Materials
• ENGR 3132 - Strength of Materials Lab
• ENGR 3305 - Data Collection and Analysis in Engineering
• ENGR 3324 - Project Cost Analysis
• ENGR 3343 - Fluid Mechanics
• ENGR 3345 - Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
• CE 1000 - Orientation to Engineering and Surveying Professions
• CE 2003 - Engineering Problem Solving
• CE 3201 - Structural Analysis
• CE 3202 - Design of Concrete Structures
• CE 3501 - Materials for Civil & Construction Engineering
• CE 3502 - Materials for Civil & Construction Engineering Lab
• CE 3701 - Geotechnical Engineering
• CE 3708 - Geotechnical Engineering Lab
• CE 3702 - Introduction to Environmental Engineering
• CE 3704 - Introduction to Environmental Engineering Laboratory
• CE 4177 - Transportation Engineering
• CE 4179 - Transportation Engineering Lab
• CE 4703 - Engineering Hydrology
• CE 4800 - Senior Project
• SURV 4470 - Land Development Design

Upper Division Elective Courses (12 Credit Hours)

Select two courses from Civil Engineering Discipline Groups (CEDG) 1 to 3, but not more than one from each CEDG 1 to 3. The remaining two courses may be selected from ANY CEDG 1 to 4.

• CE 3703 - Environmental Engineering Design
• CE 4343 - Solid Waste Engineering
• CE 4353 - Air Pollution Control
• CE 4708 - Hazardous Waste Engineering
• CE 4105 - Foundation Design
• CE 4705 - Advanced Soil Mechanics
• CE 4178 - Highway Design and Construction
• CE 4706 - Pavement Engineering
• CE 3398 : Internship in Civil Engineering
• CE 4103 : Design of Steel Structures
• CE 4704 : Engineering Hydraulic Analysis and Design
• CE 4707 : Design of Wood Structures
• CM 3040 : Building Information Modeling I Any Upper-Division (3000's and 4000's) Surveying & Mapping courses

Program Total (130 Credit Hours)

Contact Info

Kennesaw Campus 1000 Chastain Road Kennesaw, GA 30144

Marietta Campus 1100 South Marietta Pkwy Marietta, GA 30060

Campus Maps

Phone 470-KSU-INFO (470-578-4636)

kennesaw.edu/info

Media Resources

Resources For

Related Links

• Financial Aid
• Degrees, Majors & Programs
• Job Opportunities
• Campus Security
• Global Education
• Sustainability
• Accessibility

470-KSU-INFO (470-578-4636)

© 2024 Kennesaw State University. All Rights Reserved.

• Privacy Statement
• Emergency Information
• Reporting Hotline
• Open Records
• Human Trafficking Notice