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B.S. in Civil Engineering

Civil engineers innovate, create, and design buildings, bridges, dams, and complex systems like transportation and water networks. They develop water and wastewater treatment systems and hazardous waste remediation projects to protect the environment, and even design structures for entertainment events.

Format

In-Person

Page Contents

Note: This page provides a general overview. For complete and accurate information, please refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook and consult with your advisor. For current course offerings and information, refer to the Cornell University Registrar: Courses of Study.

Eligibility and Academic Standards

Affiliation Eligibility Requirements

Cornell Engineering undergraduates who meet the eligibility requirements can affiliate with the Civil Engineering major. Preparation for affiliation should be done thoughtfully and intentionally in advance with guidance from and coordination with the student’s academic advisor.

  • Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0
  • Have a GPA of at least 2.0 in all engineering and science courses
  • Receive a grade of at least C in ENGRD 2020
Academic Standards

Good standing requirements for civil and environmental engineering:

  • Minimum of 12 credits per semester completed with passing grades. No course with a grade lower than C- may be used to satisfy a prerequisite for a subsequent civil and environmental engineering course.
  • Semester GPA > 2.0
  • Cumulative GPA > 2.0
  • No grade below C- in any core or concentration course required for graduation. Only one course below a C- within major required courses is allowed for graduation.
  • No failing grades

Required Engineering Distributions

  • ENGRD 2020

    Mechanics of Solids

Recommended Distributions

  • ENGRD 2110

    Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures (recommended for students interested in transportation systems engineering)

  • ENGRD 2210

    Thermodynamics (recommended for students interested in fluid mechanics and hydraulics/hydrology)

  • ENGRD 2510

    Engineering Processes for Environmental Sustainability (recommended for students interested in environmental engineering)

  • ENGRD 2610

    Mechanical Properties of Materials: From Nanodevices to Superstructures (recommended for students interested in structural and geotechnical engineering)

  • ENGRD 3200

    Engineering Computation (recommended for all students)

Required Major Courses

  • BEE/ENGRD 2510

    Engineering Processes for Environmental Sustainability

  • CEE 4780 or MAE 2030

    Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, or Dynamics

  • ENGRD 3200

    Engineering Computation

  • CEE 3040

    Uncertainty Analysis in Engineering

  • CEE 3230

    Engineering Economics and Management

  • CEE 3310

    Fluid Mechanics

  • CEE 3410

    Geotechnical Engineering for Energy, Environment and Civil Infrastructure

  • CEE 3610

    Introduction to Transportation Engineering

  • CEE 3710

    Structural Modeling and Behavior

Elective Requirements

  • Engineering Communications Requirement

  • One CEE Capstone Design Elective

  • Two CEE Design Electives

  • Two Major-approved Electives

  • Two Advisor-approved Electives

  • One additional science course

Capstone Design Courses

  • CEE 4210/6210

    Renewable Energy Systems (Fall)

  • CEE 4760

    Behavior and Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures (Fall)

  • CEE 4565

    Wastewater Processes and Resources Recovery (Spring)

  • CEE 4740

    Introduction to the Behavior of Metal Structures (Spring)

Design Courses

Students must address two distinct engineering contexts within their three required design courses.

  • BEE 4730

    Watershed Engineering (Fall)

  • CEE 4640/6648

    Sustainable Transportation Systems Design (Fall)

  • CEE 4745/5746

    Sustainability and Automation (Fall)

  • CEE 4800

    Engineering Smart Cities (Fall)

  • CEE 5740

    Intermediate Behavior of Metal Structure (Fall)

  • MAE 4021

    Wind Power (Fall)

  • BEE 4510

    Sustainable Water Resources System Design (Spring)

  • CEE 4200

    Managing Water Resources in a Changing World (Fall)

  • CEE 4350

    Coastal Engineering (Spring 2025, alternating years)

  • CEE 4665

    Modeling and Optimization for Smart Infrastructure Systems (Fall)

  • CEE/ BEE 4880

    Applied Modeling and Simulation for Renewable Energy Systems (Spring)

  • CEE 4795

    Sensors for the Built and Natural Environments (Spring)

  • CEE 5710

    Timber Behavior and Design (Spring)

  • MSE 5150

    Structures and Materials for Sustainable Energy Systems

Major Approved Electives

  • BEE 4750

    Environmental System Analysis (Fall)

  • CEE 4510

    Microbiology for Environmental Engineering (Fall)

  • CEE 4520

    Sustainable Recovery of Critical Metals (Fall)

  • CEE 4555/6560

    Physical/Chemical Process (Fall)

  • CEE 4570/6570

    Biological Processes (Fall)

  • CEE 4620/6620

    Analysis and Control of Transportation Systems and Networks (Spring)

  • CEE 4725/6725

    Intermediate Solid Mechanics (Fall)

  • CEE 4930/5930

    Data Analytics (Fall)

  • CEE 5200

    Economics of the Energy Transition (Fall)

  • CEE 5240

    Model Based Systems Engineering (Fall)

  • CEE 5735

    Mathematical Modeling of Natural and Engineered Systems (Fall)

  • CEE 5950

    Construction Planning and Operations (Fall)

  • CEE 5980

    Decision Framing and Analytics (Fall)

  • CEE 6300

    Spectral Methods for Incompressible Fluid Flows (Fall)

  • CEE 6530

    Water Chemistry for Environmental Engineering (Fall)

  • CEE 6640

    Microeconometrics of Discrete Choice (Fall)

  • CEE 6735

    Characterization of Structural Materials Across Length Scales (Fall)

  • CEE 6790

    Time Series Data Analysis for Civil, Mechanical and Geophysical Applications (Fall)

  • CEE 6930

    Public Systems Modeling (Fall)

  • EAS 4570

    Atmospheric Air Pollution (Fall)

  • EAS/MAE 6480

    Air Quality and Atmospheric Chemistry (Fall)

  • CEE/ENMGT 5900

    Project Management (Fall)

  • MAE 3270

    Mechanics of Engineering Materials (Fall)

  • MAE 4020

    Wind Power (no design component) (Fall)

  • MAE 4700

    Finite Element Analysis for Mechanical & Aerospace Design (Fall)

  • ORIE 4330

    Discrete Models (Fall)

  • CEE 4330

    Physical Hydrology in the Built and Natural Environments (Spring)

  • CEE 4370

    Experimental Methods in Fluid Dynamics (Spring)

  • CEE 4530

    Laboratory Research in Environmental Engineering (Spring)

  • CEE 4780

    Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (Spring)

  • CEE 5745/6745

    Inverse Problems: Theory and Applications (Spring)

  • CEE/ENMGT 5900

    Project Management (Spring)

  • CEE/ENMGT 5970

    Risk Analysis and Management (Spring)

  • CEE 6200

    Water-Resources Systems Engineering (Spring)

  • CEE 6550

    Transport, Mixing, and Transformation in the Environment (Spring)

  • CEE 6570

    Biological Processes (Spring)

  • CEE 6590

    Environmental Organic Chemistry (Spring)

  • CHEME 6610

    Air Pollution Control (Spring)