Program Mission

The mission of the Civil Engineering Program is to prepare and motivate students from diverse backgrounds to achieve excellence through intellectual, humanistic, scientific, and technological advancement on their way to becoming practicing professional civil engineers with a sense of social responsibility.

Program Educational Objectives

Within a few years of graduation, the PUPR Civil Engineering Program graduates are expected to attain the following:

1. Establish themselves as practicing professionals in the industry and government of their communities in accordance with the standards and ethics of the profession.
2. Demonstrate professional competence by holding positions of increasing responsibility in a civil engineering field.
3. Contribute to their organizations by serving as liaisons in a bilingual (Spanish-English) environment, performing as effective leaders and as active members of a professional team.
4. Enhance their professional knowledge through a lifetime of continuing education and through active participation in professional societies.

Student Outcomes

The graduates of the Civil Engineering Program will have:

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 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.

Career Opportunities

Within a few years of graduation, the PUPR Civil Engineering Program graduates are expected to attain the following:

1. Establish themselves as practicing professionals in the industry and government of their communities in accordance with the standards and ethics of the profession.
2. Demonstrate professional competence by holding positions of increasing responsibility in a civil engineering field.
3. Contribute to their organizations by serving as liaisons in a bilingual (Spanish-English) environment, performing as effective leaders and as active members of a professional team.
4. Enhance their professional knowledge through a lifetime of continuing education and through the active participation in professional societies.

Degree Offered

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Land Surveying offers undergraduate instruction leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE). To earn the degree, the student must complete the following minimum requirements:

Minimum Graduation Requirements

15         Credit-hours in Mathematics

14         Credit-hours in Basic Sciences

21         Credit-hours in Socio-Humanistic Studies and Languages

16         Credit-hours in General Engineering

17         Credit-hours in Civil and Environmental Engineering

60         Credit-hours in Civil Engineering

6           Credit-hours in Technical Elective

149      Total Credit-hours

Developmental Studies

All students that are admitted to the Civil Engineering Program must show evidence that they have acquired the academic abilities and skills necessary to progress through this major. Those not demonstrating the complete acquisition of these abilities and skills (as reflected by the results of their GDE test results, SAT, Accuplacer, PERT, ACT, College Entrance Examination Board test, PUPR’s placement test, previous university experience, or other tests or criteria) will be required to take developmental courses. These courses are designed to help them overcome deficiencies in languages, mathematics, and science. These developmental courses are in addition to the 149 credit-hours of the Civil Engineering Program. Developmental courses are the following:

Laboratories

The Civil Engineering Curriculum requires the following laboratory courses: Principles of Chemistry Laboratory, two Physics Laboratories, Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, Algorithms, Programming, and Numerical Analysis Laboratory, Principles of Surveying for Engineers Laboratory, Structural Engineering Laboratory, two Geotechnical Engineering Laboratories, Highway and Transportation Engineering Laboratory, Environmental Engineering Laboratory, and Construction Materials Laboratory. Two additional courses (Introduction to Civil Engineering and Civil Engineering Senior Design Project I) also have laboratory experiences.

Student Organization

There are three active student chapters at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which are especially attractive to civil engineering students:

• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• American Concrete Institute (ACI)
• Associated General Contractors of America (ACG)

Students may participate in any or all student chapters. These chapters provide opportunities to get involved and participate in conferences, seminars, field trips, and other social and academic activities. These types of activities allows the development of leadership and teamwork skills and get the student more involved in academic life and extra-curricular activities. The Civil Engineering Program encourages its students to participate actively in these chapters. In addition, there are other student chapters at the University, such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, in which civil engineering students are enrolled.

Civil Engineering Curriculum

(149 Credit-Hours)

Mathematics Component
(15 Credit-Hours)

Basic Sciences Component
(14 Credit-Hours)

Socio-Humanistic Studies and Languages Component
(21 Credit-Hours)

General Engineering Component
(16 Credit-Hours)

Civil and Environmental Engineering Component
(17 Credit-Hours)

Civil Engineering Component
(60 Credit-Hours)

Technical Elective Component
(6 Credit-Hours)

(*)Technical Elective Course: any Civil Engineering (CE) elective course; or any Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) elective course; or an Environmental Engineering (ENVE) course approved by the Department Head; or a Land Surveying (SURV) course approved by the Department Head; or a Geomatic Science (GEOM) course approved by the Department Head; or any of the following General Engineering courses: ENGI 2320-Principles of Electrical Engineering, ENGI 2430-Engineering Thermodynamics, or ENGI 3510-Engineering Materials; or a technical course approved by the Department Head. Those students enrolled in the Combined Bachelor’s-Master’s Degree Program may take a graduate-level course as a Technical Elective Course with the approval of the Department Head

Civil Engineering Elective Courses

Civil and Environmental Engineering Elective Courses

Civil Engineering Program Curriculum Sequence

(149 Credit-Hours)

First Year

First Quarter

1^st Year – Second Quarter

1^st Year – Third Quarter

Second Year
First Quarter

2^nd Year – Second Quarter

2^nd Year – Third Quarter

Third Year
First Quarter

3^rd Year – Second Quarter

3^rd Year – Third Quarter

Fourth Year
First Quarter

4^th Year – Second Quarter

4^th Year – Third Quarter

Faculty