Civil and Environmental Engineering

Program Description

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) offers design-oriented and student-centered undergraduate programs in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering. The degrees build upon fundamental engineering principles and provide specialization within Civil and Environmental Engineering. Graduates are positioned for a broad range of professional opportunities and are well prepared for an engineering career in a world of rapid technological change.

The Civil Engineering degree offers breadth in several civil engineering fields: Construction Engineering, Engineering Surveying, Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Water Resources. Civil students can elect to further specialize in one or more of these areas by selecting related courses to fulfill their Civil Engineering Technical Electives.

The Environmental Engineering degree introduces students to the fundamentals of environmental engineering including the scientific and regulatory basis of public health and environmental protection. The degree is designed to prepare students to investigate and analyze environmental systems and assess risks to public health and ecosystems as well as evaluate and design natural and engineered solutions to mitigate risks and enable beneficial outcomes. Topics covered include water reclamation and reuse, hazardous waste management, contaminated site remediation, environmental science, water and wastewater treatment, and regulatory processes.

The Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org/, under the commission's General Criteria and Program Criteria for Civil Engineering.

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org/, under the commission's General Criteria and Program Criteria for Environmental Engineering. 

The department also offers two minors and two ASIs. Majors are encouraged to use free elective courses to gain knowledge in another discipline and incorporate either an Area of Special Interest (ASI) or a minor. This adds to the flexibility of the program and qualifies students for a wide variety of careers.

Student Learning Outcomes

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.

Program Educational Objectives

The Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering programs contribute to the educational objectives described in the CSM Graduate Profile and the ABET accreditation criteria. Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) of these programs are as follows:

1. Graduates will uphold the standards of Mines as critical and creative innovators, motivators, collaborators, communicators, and leaders.
2. Graduates will be successfully employed in engineering, science, or other impactful careers.
3. Graduates will engage in continual learning by pursuing additional educational opportunities such as advanced degrees, professional licensure, conferences, training, networking, and society membership.
4. Graduates will be ambassadors of their field, contributing to collective knowledge in industry, research, and society.
5. Graduates will demonstrate ethical and responsible behavior in their professional endeavors, adhering to established codes of conduct and promoting the well-being of society and the environment.
6. Graduates will address emerging world challenges by adapting to rapidly evolving technology and industry trends and remaining current and relevant in their respective fields.

Curriculum

During the first two years at Colorado School of Mines, students complete a set of core courses that includes mathematics, basic sciences, and engineering sciences. Coursework in mathematics gives engineering students tools for modeling, analyzing, and predicting physical and chemical phenomena. The basic sciences of physics and chemistry provide an appropriate foundation in the physical sciences; engineering science then builds upon these basic sciences and focuses on applications.

The core curriculum also includes an introduction to engineering design principles and practices. These courses emphasize design methodology and stress the creative and synthesis aspects of the engineering profession.  The core curriculum also includes complementary courses in the humanities and social sciences which explore the links between the environment, human society, and engineering.

In the final two years, students complete discipline-specific advanced engineering courses. Civil Engineering students explore soil mechanics, structural theory, design of foundations, design of steel or concrete structures, and Civil Engineering technical electives. Environmental Engineering students explore water chemistry and water quality, air pollution, the fate and transport of chemicals in the environment (air, water, and soil), water resources, environmental policy, and Environmental Engineering technical electives. At the student’s discretion, free electives (9 credits) can be used to either satisfy his/her personal interest in a topic or the credits can be used to pursue an "area of special interest" (12 semester hours) or a minor (at least 18 semester hours). All students complete a capstone engineering design course that is focused on an in-depth, realistic, and multi-disciplinary engineering project.

Students interested in a research experience, in addition to their undergraduate curriculum, are encouraged to work on an Independent Study project with one of the Civil & Environmental Engineering faculty. These projects can offer an applied experience that is relevant to future graduate studies and a professional career.

Primary Contact

Dana Morrison
303-384-2600
danamorrison@mines.edu

Professor and Department Head

Junko Munakata Marr

Professor and Associate Department Head

D.V. Griffiths

Professor and James R. Paden Distinguished Chair

Marte Gutierrez

Professor and Grewcock Distinguished Chair

Mike A.Mooney

University Distinguished Professor

Christopher Higgins

Professors

Tzahi Cath

Linda Figueroa

Terri Hogue

Paul C. Johnson

Amy Landis

Ning Lu

John McCray

Jonathan O. Sharp

John R. Spear

Timothy Strathmann

Associate Professors

Eric Anderson

Christopher Bellona

Reza Hedayat

Shiling Pei

Assistant Professors

Yangming Shi

Lori Tunstall

Teaching Professors

Andres Guerra

Kristoph Kinzli

Susan Reynolds

Teaching Associate Professors

Jeffrey Holley

Hongyan Liu

Alexandra Wayllace

Teaching Assistant Professors

Chelsea Panos

Cara Philips

Syd Slouka

Professor of Practice

Karen Gupta

University Emeritus Professor

Bruce Honeyman

Robert L. Siegrist

Emeriti Associate Professor

Ronald R. H. Cohen

Panos Kiousis

Emeritus Teaching Professor

Joseph Crocker

Candace Sulzbach

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Degree Requirements:

* Civil Engineering Breadth Electives - Students must take a minimum of two courses from this list. These courses may count as Civil Engineering Technical Electives or Free Electives if not used to meet this requirement.

** Structural Design Elective - Students must take a minimum of one course from this list. These courses may count as Civil Engineering Technical Electives or Free Electives if not used to meet this requirement.

*** Civil Engineering Technical Electives - Students must take a minimum of four courses from this list. These courses may also count as Free Electives if not used to meet this requirement.

Major GPA

During the 2016-2017 academic year, the Undergraduate Council considered the policy concerning required major GPAs and which courses are included in each degree’s GPA.  While the GPA policy has not been officially updated, in order to provide transparency, council members agreed that publishing the courses included in each degree’s GPA is beneficial to students. 

The following list details the courses that are included in the GPA for this degree:

CEEN100 through CEEN499 inclusive

Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering Degree Requirements:

* Bio-science Elective Courses - Students must take a minimum of one course from this list. If this requirement is met with BIOL110, then CEEN460, CEEN461 and CHGN462 may count as Environmental Engineering Electives or Free Electives. BIOL110 cannot count as an Environmental Engineering Elective.

** Environmental Engineering Elective Courses - Students must take a minimum of four courses from this list. These courses may count as Free Electives if not used to meet this requirement. 

Major GPA

During the 2016-2017 Academic Year, the Undergraduate Council considered the policy concerning required major GPAs and which courses are included in each degree’s GPA.  While the GPA policy has not been officially updated, in order to provide transparency, council members agreed that publishing the courses included in each degree’s GPA is beneficial to students. 

The following list details the courses that are included in the GPA for this degree:

CEEN300 through CEEN499 inclusive

Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering Degree Requirements: 

The Mines guidelines for Minor/ASI can be found in the Undergraduate Information section of the Mines Catalog.

Civil or Environmental Engineering Minor and ASI

ASI in Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is a closely related field to many majors on campus, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, petroleum engineering, geological engineering, and mining engineering. A background in civil engineering fundamentals bolsters students' credentials for careers in the construction industry, the mining industry, the energy sector, or public policy, and service. This Area of Special Interest (ASI) has been carefully designed to introduce the fundamentals of the major subfields of civil engineering at Mines: structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, water resources and hydrology, environmental engineering, construction engineering, and surveying.

Students are encouraged to explore other courses relevant to this ASI and propose their own plan of study that would support the Area of Special Interest- Civil Engineering. For preapproval on potential course substitutions to fulfill this ASI, please contact the undergraduate program manager for Civil/Environmental Engineering.

Four courses (12 credits) are required for this ASI.

Elective List: Select two of the following four courses:

Students who are majoring in Civil Engineering cannot complete this ASI. A student majoring in Environmental Engineering can complete this ASI by completing CEEN312, CEEN314, CEEN331, and CEEN360. Courses cannot be double counted as Environmental Engineering electives. Up to three of these courses may be double counted toward the BS Environmental Engineering as free electives. This requirement ensures that there is sufficient distinction between the degree and the minor. 

ASI in Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineering is at the forefront of solving the world’s challenges related to earth, energy and environment. As such, an ability to apply environmental fundamentals to engineering practice within disciplines such as geological, mining, electrical, computational, mechanical, petroleum, and chemical processing industries as well as public policy and service bolsters students’ credentials in those fields. This Area of Special Interest (ASI) has been carefully designed to introduce the fundamentals of environmental engineering at Mines: environmental science and chemistry, hydrology and water resources, water and wastewater treatment, chemical implications, and fate and transport to enable an understanding and application of these themes to practitioners across disciplines. 

Students are encouraged to explore other courses relevant to this minor and propose their own plan of study that would support this Area of Special Interest (ASI). For preapproval on potential course substitutions to fulfill this ASI, please contact the undergraduate program manager for Civil/Environmental Engineering.

Four courses (12 credits) are required for this ASI.

Students who are majoring in Environmental Engineering cannot complete this ASI. A student majoring in Civil Engineering can only earn this ASI by completing all five of the courses (15 credits total). Of those five courses, only two may be double counted toward the major degree requirements. This additional requirement is necessary in order to ensure sufficient distinction between the degree and the ASI.

Minor in Structural Engineering

Structural engineering services are in high demand in virtually every engineering industry, spanning from construction to manufacturing to aerospace. This minor has been developed for students with an interest in the principles of solid mechanics who wish to learn how to design structures in practical applications. Topics covered in this minor include various methods and theories for structural analysis and design; finite-element methods; design with steel, concrete, timber, and masonry; and an introduction to the seismic design of structures.

Students are encouraged to explore other courses relevant to this minor and propose their own plan of study that would support the Structural minor. For preapproval on potential course substitutions to fulfill this minor, please contact the undergraduate program manager for Civil/Environmental Engineering.

Six courses (18 credits) are required for this minor.

Elective List: Select five of the following seven courses:

In order to ensure sufficient distinction between the degree and the minor, Civil Engineering students must meet additional requirements to earn this minor. Courses that are required for the degree (CEEN314 and either CEEN443 or CEEN445) may not be double counted toward the minor. Therefore, the remaining six courses on the list must be taken in order to earn the minor (CEEN406, CEEN430, CEEN442, CEEN443/CEEN445, CEEN433, CEEN449). None of the six courses may be double counted as Civil Engineering technical electives, but a maximum of three may be double counted as free electives. The remaining courses used for the minor may not be applied to the BS Civil degree.

Students may also propose the substitution of other CEEN-prefixed structural engineering courses, such as 500-level graduate courses or approved special topics courses with approval of the department.

¹The prerequisite to CEEN314, Structural Analysis, is CEEN311 Mechanics of Materials. Students who have completed MEGN 312 Introduction to Solid Mechanics are encouraged to pursue a prerequisite override.

Minor in Water Sustainability

Assuring safe and sustainable water supplies is one of the world’s most pressing challenges. Understanding the design and implementation of water systems and related infrastructure requires diverse knowledge within the water resources field but that knowledge also crosses into numerous engineering disciplines. Students who are pursuing careers in the mining industry, energy industry, manufacturing industry, chemical processing industry, and public policy sector can bolster their credentials with this minor. The Water Sustainability minor has been developed to expose students to the relevant subfields of water and environmental systems, including water chemistry, fluid mechanics, water resources and hydrology, fate and transport of chemicals in the environment, site remediation, and onsite water reclamation and reuse.

Students are encouraged to explore other courses relevant to this minor and propose their own plan of study that would support the Water Sustainability minor. For preapproval on potential course substitutions to fulfill this minor, please contact the undergraduate program manager for Civil/Environmental Engineering.

Six courses (18 credits) are required for this minor.

Elective List: Select two of the following six courses:

Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering majors may not pursue this minor, as there is too much overlap between degree requirements and the minor. The combined (BS/MS) degree program may be a suitable option for Civil or Environmental majors that wish to focus in Sustainable Water Engineering.

¹ Students who have completed a different variation of a fluid mechanics are encouraged to pursue a course substitution request so that the completed course can be double-counted for the minor.

Courses