Department of Civil Engineering
Dr. J. Torey Nalbone, Chair
Civil Engineering, one of the largest engineering branches, is a creative, demanding and rewarding profession. From the pyramids of Egypt to the exploration of space, civil engineers have always faced the challenges of the future – advancing civilization and improving the quality of life. Civil engineers design and manage the building of the world’s infrastructure and thus affect the everyday life of every member of society. It would be difficult to imagine life without the many contributions of civil engineers to the public’s health, safety, and standard of living. Civil engineering’s contributions to daily life include modern transportation, clean water, and power generation.
Civil engineering involves the use of complex technology and a strong scientific, mathematical, and engineering knowledge base to creatively solve society’s problems. Civil engineers then go beyond the science, math, engineering, technology, and problem solving to make the world a better place by serving in communities and by participating in the public policy process.
Today, civil engineers are designing complex systems for highway exchanges, major bridges, modern hospitals, water purification, theme parks, airports, and launch pads. In the future, civil engineers will be designing special rail beds for magnetic levitation trains and will be making Mars a hospitable habitat for humans. Civil engineering is also about community service, development, and improvement. It involves the conception, planning, design, construction, and operation of facilities essential to modern life, ranging from transit systems to offshore structures to space satellites. Civil engineers are problem solvers, meeting the challenges of pollution, traffic congestion, drinking water, energy needs, urban redevelopment, and community planning.
The Department of Civil Engineering offers programs leading to the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and the Master of Science in Civil Engineering. The baccalaureate degree program can be completed through study in Tyler or at the Houston Engineering Center in Houston, TX.
The Civil Engineering baccalaureate program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET http://www.abet.org.