Civil Engineering

The Architectural Engineering Concentration within the Civil Engineering program is designed to equip students with specialized knowledge and skills at the intersection of civil engineering and architecture.

Students will be prepared for professional work in the design, construction, and operation of the buildings of the future—whether it’s residential, commercial, or industrial. Topics include construction materials, structural systems, aesthetic and functional aspects of design, acoustic properties of materials and room shapes, HVAC design, and renewable systems. Students have the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art equipment in our new concrete/structures, transportation, environmental/water resources, and soil mechanics laboratories on campus.

The WNE College of Engineering (COE) is committed to providing an excellent and relevant education that builds on existing COE strengths, which will be highly desirable to architectural employers both locally and worldwide.

What Will You Study?

The goals of the architectural engineering concentration are:

• To equip students with a comprehensive understanding of architectural principles and their application in civil engineering projects
• To enhance students’ design and technical skills through hands-on studio courses and practical applications
• To foster collaboration between civil engineering and architecture disciplines

Required courses: All students must complete the following courses.

• Architect Studio 1 and 2
• Structural Analysis
• Steel and Reinforced Concrete

Concentration electives: Students must complete two of the following courses.

• Architectural Engineering
• Construction Materials
• Green & Sustainable Civil Engineering
• Computer Application and Building Systems
• Structural Art
• Acoustical, Electrical, and Illumination System

Total credits: 18
Note: Some courses have additional prerequisites that students must fulfill.

Educational Objectives

Within a few years after graduation, Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Civil Engineering (BSECE) program graduates will have:

• Led, planned, designed, and managed civil engineering projects (PEO 1).
• Demonstrated technical expertise by obtaining professional licensure (PEO 2).
• Actively engaged in professional societies, community service, and continuous education (PEO 3).

Student Outcomes

The program has documented student outcomes that support the program's educational objectives. Attainment of these outcomes prepares graduates to enter the professional practice of engineering. Student outcomes are listed below:

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 and inclusive 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.

Civil engineers work in both the private and public sectors of the industry as well as the military. Private sector employers range from small consulting firms and large international engineering companies. Public sector jobs include working in state and local governments, as well as the federal government. Civil engineers also work in the military as commissioned officers or civilian engineers. Furthermore, students graduating from our Civil Engineering program have options to work in or pursue graduate degrees in environmental-related fields, as well as petroleum-related or railway-related fields.

Recent graduates have been hired at companies such as Advanced Civil Design, Barr & Barr, Barton and Loguidice, Cimarex Energy, Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Connecticut Water, Consigli Construction, Fabbrica, Fuss & O'Neill, General Dynamics, General Electric, Geosyntec, L.K. McLean Associates, Maine Department of Transportation, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Metro-North Railroad, Mott MacDonald, O'Reilly, Talbot & Okun, Pare Corporation, The Dennis Group, Tishman Construction, and Turner Construction.

Internships

Students are encouraged to take on internships to apply their classroom knowledge to the real-world industry.

Engineering Abroad

Students have many opportunities to study abroad, including a four-week summer trip to China that offers accelerated engineering courses. Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture and visit major landmarks, including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

Our students participate in research projects with faculty and collaborate on projects within their majors and beyond. They also have opportunities to travel regionally and nationally to present their design projects and research papers at professional conferences.

There are several student competitions each year that allow students to present their hard work and go head-to-head with students from other schools. Our students have the opportunity to participate in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge competitions.

Our students have participated in two Solar Decathlon competitions sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The first Solar Decathlon competition was the 2015 U.S. competition held in Irvine, CA, with Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP) and Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana of Honduras (UNITEC) as partner universities. The second Solar Decathlon competition was the inaugural Solar Decathlon Latin America & Caribbean competition held in Cali, Colombia, with UTP as the partner university. In 2018, our students collaborated with faculty and students from Xi’an Jiaotong University to compete in the 2018 Solar Decathlon China competition. 

Most recently, the Western New England team reunited with UTP for the Design Challenge Weekend in Colorado.

Civil Engineering students have access to multiple state-of-the-art labs with the most relevant equipment and tools. The Transportation Lab includes industry-grade software for designing and precise drawing of transportation projects. The Geotechnical Engineering Lab is equipped with professional instruments that evaluate soil and rocks for use in foundations, embankments, and earth retaining structures. The Structural/Concrete Lab is equipped with a state-of-the-art Universal Testing Machine, as well as a concrete compression machine and other testing apparatuses. The Environmental/Water Resources Lab is equipped with various educational fluid benches and instruments to analyze water quality.

Civil Engineering students may have interests in: the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the FIRST® Robotics Club, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Many of our students also participate in varsity and intramural sports, special interest groups, and student government.

Clubs and Organizations

Our faculty hold PhD degrees from top engineering schools such as University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Cornell University, University of Maryland, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. They will become your mentors, co-learners, career advisors, and project managers. Not only will they facilitate your learning in and out of the classroom, but they will also collaborate on research projects with you.

Faculty