Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024
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Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Science (534P, 534)


Program Coordinator

Jason C. Wilson, jason.wilson@wku.edu, (270) 745-2322

Civil engineers design a better world in which to live. They design, build, and maintain our nation’s infrastructure including: roads and bridges; buildings and foundations; water supply and waste-water facilities; stormwater management systems; and environmental protection facilities.

The mission of the civil engineering program is to prepare students for professional engineering and management positions in all phases of civil engineering projects. The program provides a broad educational background with a foundation in basic engineering and business principles. These basic skills are complemented by advanced topics in engineering design, management, finance, computer applications, and real world civil engineering experiences throughout the baccalaureate degree program. The civil engineering program at WKU focuses on construction, geotechnical engineering, construction materials, structures, surveying, and hydrology.

The teaching philosophy of this program focuses on project-based learning. This is achieved by placing competent, practicing engineers in the classroom as professors, engaging students in the practice of civil engineering through hands-on class projects, and involving students in faculty consulting and applied research activities. Real engineering projects often serve as class projects. Project sites and professional engineering and construction management firm offices often serve as classrooms.

The curriculum requires a minimum of 62-63 technical specialty hours, completion of pre-major courses, additional 32 semester hours of math and science requirements, and completion of Colonnade general education hours.

The WKU Civil Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

Civil Engineering Program Educational Objectives

The program achieves its mission by focusing on specific educational objectives. A few years after graduation, WKU CE graduates are expected to have the following characteristics:

Objective 1: Graduates attain positions of Engineer in Responsible Charge on projects in both the public and private sectors and successfully execute projects using technical and managerial skills while demonstrating professional and ethical behavior.
Objective 2: Graduates attain Engineering licensure and other professional certifications as appropriate to their career.
Objective 3: Graduates continue to pursue life-long learning opportunities through advanced degrees and various continuing education endeavors.
Objective 4: Graduates become leaders within their companies, the profession, and other activities.

The CE student outcomes are listed on the program website at https://www.wku.edu/seas/.

Admission Requirements

Academic Standards for the WKU Civil Engineering Program

Students are admitted as a pre-major in civil engineering. To transition from pre-major to major and to graduate with a degree in civil engineering, students must complete each of the following courses and labs with a grade of “C” or better:

ENG 100Introduction to College Writing3
COMM 145Fundamentals of Public Speaking and Communication 13
MATH 136
MATH 137
Calculus I
and Calculus II
8
PHYS 255
PHYS 256
University Physics I
and University Physics I Lab
5
EM 222Statics3
GEOL 111The Earth3
1

COMM 145 will be replaced with a Human Communications (OC Course).

Students must also complete the following courses with a grade of “C” or better: all pre-major courses, and all major courses except for one.  In addition, each student is required to have a 2-course sequence in four (4) different civil engineering areas. The curriculum already includes a 2-course sequence in structures, geotechnical engineering, and construction. Therefore, each student must select one of the technical electives to cover an additional area such as surveying, materials, environmental engineering, hydrology, or transportation. 

Program Requirements (62-63 hours)

A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.

Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.

Students must take the following 68 technical specialty credit hours required for the major:
Select one of the following: 11-2
Civil Engineering Freshman Design
Mechanical Engineering Freshman Design
Electrical Engineering Design I
Freshmen Experience I
and Freshmen Experience II
CE 160
CE 161
Principles of Surveying
and Principles of Surveying Lab
4
CE 303Construction Management3
CE 316Equipment & Methods3
CE 332Transportation Engineering3
CE 342Fluid Thermal Science3
CE 352Introduction to Environmental Engineering3
or EM 313 Dynamics
CE 370
CE 371
Materials of Construction
and Construction Materials Laboratory
3
CE 382Structural Analysis3
CE 383Structural Steel Design3
or CE 384 Reinforced Concrete Design
CE 410
CE 411
Soil Mechanics
and Soil Mechanics Lab
4
CE 412Foundation Engineering3
CE 461Hydrology3
or CE 462 Hydraulic Engineering Systems
ENGR 490Senior Project 12
ENGR 491Senior Project II3
AS 163Architectural Drafting3
EM 222Statics3
EM 303Mechanics of Deformable Solids3
Select 9 hours of the following technical electives (six hours must have the prefix CE):9
Floodplain Management
Route Surveying
and Route Surveying Lab
Boundary Surveying
and Boundary Surveying Lab
Structural Steel Design
Reinforced Concrete Design
Advanced Construction Materials
Traffic Engineering
Masonry Design and Construction
Bridge Engineering
Hydraulic Engineering Systems
Hydrology
Civil Engineering Design Project
Selected Topics in Civil Engineering
Dynamics
Introduction to Environmental Engineering
Construction Estimating and Bidding
Building Codes
Survey of Building Systems
Principles of Systems Engineering
Global Hydrology
Applied Environmental Geology
Geographic Information Systems I
Geographic Information Systems II
Advanced Engineering Mathematics
Engineering Thermodynamics I
Total Hours62-63
1

Students must also complete the following courses with a grade of “C” or better in all in all major courses except for one.  In addition, each student is required to have a 2-course sequence in four (4) different civil engineering areas. The curriculum already includes a 2-course sequence in structures, geotechnical engineering, and construction. Therefore, each student must select one of the technical electives to cover an additional area such as surveying, materials, environmental engineering, hydrology, or transportation.

Additional Math and Science Requirements

MATH 237Multivariable Calculus4
MATH 331Differential Equations3
GEOL 113The Earth Laboratory1
CHEM 120
CHEM 121
College Chemistry I
and College Chemistry I Laboratory
5
STAT 301Introductory Probability and Applied Statistics3
or CE 305 Risk Analysis

Finish in Four Plan

First Year
FallHoursSpringHours
CE 1761COMM 1453
AS 1633CE 1603
MATH 1364CE 1611
GEOL 1113MATH 1374
GEOL 1131PHYS 2554
ENG 1003PHYS 2561
 15 16
Second Year
FallHoursSpringHours
CE 3033CE 3163
ENG 2003EM 3033
MATH 2374MATH 3313
EM 2223CE 3053
Colonnade: Arts & Humanities3CE 3323
 16 15
Third Year
FallHoursSpringHours
CE 3823CE Tech Elective3
Colonnade: Social and Behavioral Elective3CHEM 1203
CE 3423CHEM 1212
CE 3702HIST 101 or HIST 1023
CE 3711CE 3843
ENG 3003CE 4613
 15 17
Fourth Year
FallHoursSpringHours
CE 4103Colonnade - Social & Cultural3
CE 4111CE Tech Elective3
CE Tech Elective3ENGR 4913
ENGR 4902Colonnade - Local to Global3
CE 3523CE 4123
Colonnade - Systems3 
 15 15
Total Hours 124