Civil Engineering - Catalog.unl.edu

Civil EngineeringCIVIL ENGINEERINGDescriptionWebsite: https://cee.unl.edu/The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers a completeundergraduate program to students on the Lincoln and Omaha campusesof the University of Nebraska. Curriculum requirements are nearlyidentical on both campuses. The goal is to prepare students for entry intothe civil engineering profession immediately after graduation or to pursuegraduate-level studies.The general educational objectives of the University of Nebraska–Lincolncivil engineering undergraduate program are to prepare our graduates sothat, with a UNL BSCE degree, a few years beyond graduation, alumni will: Be employed in civil and environmental engineering or a closelyrelated field; or, graduates will be pursuing an advanced degreein civil and environmental engineering or a closely related field. Contribute to society and address societal and environmentalneeds through engagement in professional, community, orservice organizations. Agree that the civil engineering program prepared them forsuccess in their careers in terms of knowledge and skillsetsas embodied in the program and the Complete Engineer Initiative.As a professional discipline, civil engineering is closely related to thetotal human environment. In all professional endeavors, the civil engineermust consider ecological effects as well as the social, economic, andpolitical needs of people. The civil engineer designs systems to controland manage our water resources to provide electric power, agriculturalirrigation, flood control, recreation, water supplies, and wastewatertreatment systems for our urban and industrial needs.The civil engineer plans, designs, and constructs our transportationsystems—including highways, railroads, waterways, and airports—toconnect rural, urban, and industrial areas. The civil engineer also designsand constructs housing and facilities for recreational, industrial, andcommercial complexes, which comprise the urban environment. It is theresponsibility of civil engineering to minimize air, water, and land pollutionand protect the environment.Instructional emphasis is placed on fundamental engineering principlesderived from mathematics, chemistry, physics, and engineering science.These subjects provide a sound background for the subsequentintroductory courses in environmental, geotechnical, structural,transportation, and water resources engineering. Students are introducedto design concepts in the freshman year. Design is incorporatedthroughout the curriculum that culminates in two senior-level courses,CIVE 385 Professional Practice and Management in Civil Engineering andCIVE 489 Senior Design Project.Instructional laboratories in environmental engineering, hydraulics,geotechnical engineering, structures, and surveying provide eachstudent with an opportunity to learn, through individual participation, theoperation of the testing equipment used to establish engineering designcriteria and to monitor and model engineering facilities such as waterand wastewater treatment plants, river control systems, and structuralsystems.1Some students may desire to obtain a degree in constructionmanagement in addition to the degree in civil engineering. Because somecivil engineering courses require prerequisites beyond those required forsimilar construction management courses, students should obtain thecivil engineering degree first. Advising will be done by a civil engineeringfaculty member familiar with the construction management curriculum.After completing the civil engineering degree, the student will move to theconstruction management department to complete requirements for thesecond undergraduate degree in construction management.The Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecturehave a joint program awarding licensing degrees in both fields of study. Abachelors degree in civil engineering and masters degree in architectureare awarded after approximately seven years of study. The departmentswork with individual students in tailoring a joint degree program. Moreinformation can be obtained from either department office.AdmissionCriteria for Professional Admission to the CivilEngineering Degree ProgramPre-professionally admitted College of Engineering students majoringin civil engineering must have their academic records reviewed forprofessional admission to the Civil Engineering Degree Program duringthe fall, spring, or summer immediately following the term in which: At least 12 credits (one semester) have been completed afteradmission to the College of Engineering. At least 43 credits applicable to the degree have been earned. PHYS 211 General Physics I, MECH 223 Engineering Statics,MECH 325 Mechanics of Elastic Bodies, and MECH 373Engineering Dynamics have been completed.Additionally, the student can have no more than two declined professionaladmission requests to other engineering majors. It is likely a student mayneed to complete four full semesters of credits applying to the Programbefore these requirements are able to be completed.Professional admission approval to the Civil Engineering Degree Programalso requires that all of the following Departmental-specific criteria mustbe met: Earn a C letter grade or better in PHYS 211, MECH 223,MECH 325, and MECH 373. Earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.4 or greater. Earn a C letter grade or better in ALL math, science, andengineering courses required for the bachelor of science in civilengineering degree if the cumulative grade point average is lessthan 2.700.Students approved for professional admission to the Program are thenallowed to take 400-level civil engineering courses to complete theirdegree.College RequirementsCollege AdmissionCollege Entrance RequirementsStudents must have high school credit for (one unit is equal to one highschool year):1. Mathematics – 4 units: 2 of algebra, 1 of geometry, and 1 ofprecalculus and trigonometry

2Civil Engineering2. English – 4 units3. Natural sciences – 3 units that must include 1 unit of physics and1 unit of chemistry (chemistry requirement waived for students inconstruction management)4. Foreign language – 2 units of a single foreign language5. Social studies – 3 units6. Students having a composite ACT score of 28 or greater (orequivalent SAT score) will be admitted to the College of Engineeringeven if they lack any one of the following: trigonometry, chemistry, orphysics.7. Students having an ACT score of 19 or less in English (or equivalentSAT score) must take ENGL 150 Writing and Inquiry or ENGL 151Writing and Argument.A total of 16 units is required for admission.Students must have an ACT (enhanced) score of 24 or greater (orequivalent SAT). Students who lack entrance requirements may beadmitted based on ACT scores, high school rank and credits, or maybe admitted to pre-engineering status in the Exploratory and PreProfessional Advising Center. Pre-engineering students are advised withinthe Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center.Students for whom English is not their language of nurture must meet theminimum English proficiency requirements of the University.Students who lack entrance units may complete precollege training byIndependent Study through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Office ofOn-line and Distance Education, in summer courses, or as a part of theirfirst or second semester course loads while in the Exploratory and PreProfessional Advising Center or other Colleges at Nebraska.Students should consult their advisor, their department chair, orEngineering Student Services if they have questions on current policies.Other Admission RequirementsStudents who transfer to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from otheraccredited colleges or universities and wish to be admitted to the Collegeof Engineering (COE) must meet COE freshman entrance requirementsand have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and be calculus-ready.Students not meeting either of these requirements must enroll inthe Explore Center or another University college until they meet COEadmission requirements. Students transferring from UNO, UNL, or UNK tothe College of Engineering must be in good academic standing with theirinstitution.The COE accepts courses for transfer for which a C or better gradewas received. Although the University of Nebraska–Lincoln accepts Dgrades from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and at Omaha, not allmajors in the COE accept such low grades. Students must conform tothe requirements of their intended major and, in any case, are stronglyencouraged to repeat courses with a grade of C- or less.All transfer students must adopt the curricular requirements of theundergraduate catalog current at the time of transfer to the COE—notthat in use when they entered the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Uponadmission to Nebraska, students wishing to pursue degree programsin the COE will be classified and subject to the policies defined in thesubsequent section.Students who were previously admitted to COE and are returning to theCollege of Engineering must demonstrate a cumulative GPA of 2.5 inorder to be readmitted to COE.College Degree RequirementsGrade RulesGrade AppealsIn the event of a dispute involving any college policies or grades, thestudent should appeal to his/her instructor and appropriate departmentchair or school director (in that order). If a satisfactory solution is notachieved, the student may appeal his/her case through the CollegeAcademic Appeals Committee on his/her campus.Catalog RuleStudents must fulfill the requirements stated in the catalog for theacademic year in which they are first admitted at the University ofNebraska–Lincoln. In consultation with advisors, a student may chooseto follow a subsequent catalog for any academic year in which they areadmitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at Nebraska in theCollege of Engineering. Students must complete all degree requirementsfrom a single catalog year. The catalog which a student follows fordegree requirements may not be more than 10 years old at the time ofgraduation.ACE REQUIREMENTSAll students must fulfill the Achievement-Centered Education (ACE)requirements. Information about the ACE program may be viewed atace.unl.edu (https://ace.unl.edu).The minimum requirements of the civil engineering program includecourses involving ACE outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 10. Students should workwith their advisor to select courses that satisfy ACE outcomes 5, 6, 7, 8and 9.LEARNING OutcomesGraduates of the civil engineering program will have:1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineeringproblems by applying principles of engineering, science, andmathematics.2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions thatmeet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety,and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, andeconomic factors.3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities inengineering situations and make informed judgments, which mustconsider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic,environmental, and societal contexts.5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members togetherprovide 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 drawconclusions.7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, usingappropriate learning strategies.The above student outcomes have been approved by the ABETEngineering Area Delegation for use beginning with the 2019-20