Civil engineers plan, design, and manage the infrastructure that supports society. Our Civil Engineering curriculum at NYUAD is built on a strong foundation of mathematics, the physical sciences, and engineering fundamentals, supported by general education courses that enhance communication, critical thinking, and ethical responsibility in a global professional context. Students engage in the full civil engineering design process, from identifying project needs and evaluating conceptual alternatives to developing and presenting design solutions that reflect current professional standards and practices.
In addition to rigorous technical preparation, the curriculum emphasizes sustainability, resilience, and environmental awareness, along with cultural, economic, regulatory, and public safety considerations that are essential to planning, designing, and implementing responsible and forward-thinking civil engineering projects. The program provides focused preparation in:
Environmental Engineering: Sustainable water and environmental systems, resilience planning within regulatory and public policy frameworks.
Geotechnical Engineering: Evaluation of soil and rock conditions and design of foundations and earth structures.
Structural Engineering: Design of buildings, bridges, advanced materials, and smart infrastructure.
Transportation Systems: Design of transportation networks and smart cities with emphasis on safety and sustainability.
NYU Abu Dhabi offers six engineering degree programs: General Engineering, Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.
Each program is designed to create technological leaders with a global perspective, a broad education, and the capacity to think creatively. The uniqueness of the program lies in the integration of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship into all phases of study. Students enjoy a learning environment conducive to creativity, which is at the heart of tomorrow’s technological innovations and enterprises.
Study Away
The study away pathway can be found on the NYUAD Student Portal at students.nyuad.nyu.edu/pathways. Students with questions should contact the Office of Global Education.
Accreditation
The Civil Engineering program at NYU Abu Dhabi is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, and the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA). Graduates receive a Bachelor of Science degree.
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.
Program Requirements
As part of the undergraduate degree requirements, all Engineering majors must complete Foundations of Science courses and Engineering Common courses (including Capstone sequence).
This major requires a minimum of 63 credits (including designated science and math courses, and discipline required and elective courses)
Upon graduation, NYU Abu Dhabi Civil Engineering students will possess:
An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
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
An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
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
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
An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Policies
Program Policies
Foundations of Science Grading Policy
While each level of Foundations of Science is an integrated course, separate grades are provided for various components as a means to allow students to document their completion of the specific disciplinary and laboratory content that makes up these courses. Consistent with this integrated approach, students must earn an average grade of C for the components of each level of Foundations of Science to continue into the next level or to use the course to satisfy the prerequisites for other courses outside of Foundations of Science. Additionally, students majoring in biology, chemistry, or physics, must have grades of at least C in all Foundations of Science components in their specific, respective major fields. Finally, although continuation into other courses is based on the average performance in each level of Foundations of Science, students earn academic credits only for those graded components they pass or, for students subject to the transcript policy (see Academic Policies), only for those components with grades of at least C−. The number of earned credits for Foundations of Science components is particularly important for all engineering majors who must earn at least 16 credits in science.