Civil Engineering (BS)
Program Description
Civil Engineering was the first of the formal engineering disciplines. The Department of Civil and Urban Engineering develops engineering graduates capable of contributing to and advancing the practice of civil engineering and its subdisciplines. Through its research programs, the department strives to be at the forefront in selected areas in the development of new knowledge and applications in civil engineering. Through its educational programs, graduates will be well rounded in state-of-the-art techniques and will develop the skills needed in a complex profession. Among these skills are the abilities to communicate effectively and to understand the context of civil engineering projects in a complex society.
Accreditation
The BS in Civil Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
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
The program requires the completion of 129 credits, comprised of the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| Mathematics | ||
| MA-UY 1024 | Calculus I for Engineers 1 | 4 |
| MA-UY 1124 | Calculus II for Engineers 1 | 4 |
| MA-UY 2034 | Linear Algebra and Differential Equations 1 | 4 |
| MA-UY 2224 | Data Analysis 1 | 4 |
| Sciences | ||
| CM-UY 1003 | General Chemistry for Engineers | 3 |
| CM-UY 1001 | General Chemistry for Engineers Laboratory | 1 |
| PH-UY 1013 | MECHANICS | 3 |
| PH-UY 2121 | General Physics Laboratory I | 1 |
| PH-UY 2023 | ELECTRICITY, MAGNETISM, & FLUIDS | 3 |
| PH-UY 2033 | WAVES, OPTICS, & THERMODYNAMICS | 3 |
| Science Elective 2 | 3 | |
| General Engineering, Computer Science | ||
| CS-UY 1113 | PROBLEM SOLVING AND PROGRAMMING I | 3 |
| EG-UY 1004 | Introduction to Engineering and Design | 4 |
| Humanities and Social Science | ||
| EXPOS-UA 1 | Writing as Inquiry | 4 |
| EXPOS-UA 22 | Advanced Writing for Engineers | 4 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences Electives 3 | 16 | |
| Civil Engineering | ||
| CE-UY 1002 | Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering | 2 |
| CE-UY 2112 | Structural Statics | 2 |
| CE-UY 2122 | Strength of Materials (offered starting January 2025) | 2 |
| CE-UY 2143 | ANALYSIS OF DETERMINATE STRUCTURES | 3 |
| CE-UY 2213 | FLUID MECHANICS AND HYDRAULICS | 3 |
| CE-UY 2343 | Transportation Engineering | 3 |
| CE-UY 2533 | CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| CE-UY 3013 | COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING | 3 |
| CE-UY 3153 | Geotechnical Engineering | 3 |
| CE-UY 3163 | Materials for the Built Environment | 3 |
| CE-UY 3183 | STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING | 3 |
| CE-UY 3223 | FUNDAMENTALS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING | 3 |
| CE-UY 3243 | WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING | 3 |
| CE-UY 4092 | Leadership, Business Principles, Policy and Ethics in Civil Engineering | 2 |
| CE-UY 4803 | Civil Engineering Capstone | 3 |
| CE-UY 48X3 | Civil Engineering Concentration Capstone 4 | 3 |
| CE-UY 4990 | Fundamentals of Engineering Exam Registration for CUE | 0 |
| Civil Engineering Electives | 9 | |
| Electives | ||
| Free Electives 5 | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 129 | |
- 1
Placement in math classes is based on AP credit and/or placement exams administered by the Mathematics Department.
- 2
To fulfill ABET requirements, students must select a computer science (not computer programming), data science, or additional basic science elective in consultation with the civil engineering undergraduate program adviser.
- 3
Students must take sixteen credits (four courses) of elective courses in the humanities and social sciences. Consult the Technology, Culture and Society portion of the bulletin for details. At least one course must be a course in ethics and technological and/or scientific practice. At least one course must be a Tandon Advanced Seminar, identifiable by course number 4504 in one of the following areas: STS-UY 4504 Advanced Seminar in Science and Technology, CAM-UY 4504 Advanced Seminar in Culture, Arts and Media, URB-UY 4504 Advanced Seminar in Urban Studies or TCS-UY 4504 Advanced Seminar in Technology, Culture, and Society.
- 4
A capstone design course associated with an area of concentration (structural engineering, transportation engineering, environmental engineering, or construction management) is required.
- 5
A free elective is any course in any department of the University for which the student has the prerequisites.
Program Details
After a student completes four semesters or 64 credits at NYU (whichever is earlier), the student must have a combined GPA of at least 2.333 in the following seven required CE courses, all of which must be completed by this point: CE-UY 1002 Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering, CE-UY 2112 Structural Statics, CE-UY 2122 Strength of Materials, CE-UY 2143 ANALYSIS OF DETERMINATE STRUCTURES, CE-UY 2213 FLUID MECHANICS AND HYDRAULICS, CE-UY 2343 Transportation Engineering, and CE-UY 2533 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT. If a student has a combined GPA below 2.000 in the above seven classes, the student may not be allowed to remain in the major. If a student has a combined GPA of at least 2.000 and below 2.333, the student may be required to re-take at least one of the courses to raise the GPA to 2.333 before being allowed to enroll in some junior-level required CE courses. If the student has not yet completed all seven of the courses, the student will be required to enroll in them that semester.
Since the capstone design course, CE-UY 4803 Civil Engineering Capstone requires a thorough understanding of all aspects of civil engineering, students registering for the course must have a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or better in all civil engineering courses taken thus far, excluding civil engineering electives.
To promote interest in professional registration, students must register for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, which is administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). In senior year all students are required to register to take the FE Exam and enroll in CE-UY 4990 Fundamentals of Engineering Exam Registration for CUE. In addition, CE-UY 4092 Leadership, Business Principles, Policy and Ethics in Civil Engineering includes a zero-credit recitation that provides preparation for the exam. Students who are not legally eligible to hold a professional engineer’s (PE) license are exempt from this requirement, but must still take CE-UY 4092 Leadership, Business Principles, Policy and Ethics in Civil Engineering.
Sample Plan of Study
| 1st Semester/Term | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| MA-UY 1024 | Calculus I for Engineers | 4 |
| CM-UY 1003 | General Chemistry for Engineers | 3 |
| CM-UY 1001 | General Chemistry for Engineers Laboratory | 1 |
| EXPOS-UA 1 | Writing as Inquiry | 4 |
| EG-UY 1004 | Introduction to Engineering and Design | 4 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| 2nd Semester/Term | ||
| MA-UY 1124 | Calculus II for Engineers | 4 |
| PH-UY 1013 | MECHANICS | 3 |
| EXPOS-UA 22 | Advanced Writing for Engineers | 4 |
| CS-UY 1113 | PROBLEM SOLVING AND PROGRAMMING I | 3 |
| CE-UY 1002 | Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering | 2 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| 3rd Semester/Term | ||
| MA-UY 2034 | Linear Algebra and Differential Equations | 4 |
| PH-UY 2121 | General Physics Laboratory I | 1 |
| PH-UY 2023 | ELECTRICITY, MAGNETISM, & FLUIDS | 3 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences Elective #1 | 4 | |
| CE-UY 2112 | Structural Statics | 2 |
| CE-UY 2533 | CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| 4th Semester/Term | ||
| MA-UY 2224 | Data Analysis | 4 |
| PH-UY 2033 | WAVES, OPTICS, & THERMODYNAMICS | 3 |
| CE-UY 2122 | Strength of Materials (offered starting January 2025) | 2 |
| CE-UY 2143 | ANALYSIS OF DETERMINATE STRUCTURES | 3 |
| CE-UY 2213 | FLUID MECHANICS AND HYDRAULICS | 3 |
| CE-UY 2343 | Transportation Engineering | 3 |
| Credits | 18 | |
| 5th Semester/Term | ||
| Humanities and Social Sciences Elective #2 | 4 | |
| CE-UY 3223 | FUNDAMENTALS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING | 3 |
| CE-UY 3183 | STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING | 3 |
| CE-UY 3243 | WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING | 3 |
| CE-UY 3013 | COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| 6th Semester/Term | ||
| Science Elective | 3 | |
| CE-UY 3153 | Geotechnical Engineering | 3 |
| CE-UY 3163 | Materials for the Built Environment | 3 |
| Civil Engineering Elective #1 | 3 | |
| Free Elective #1 | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| 7th Semester/Term | ||
| Humanities and Social Sciences Elective #3 | 4 | |
| Civil Engineering Elective #2 | 3 | |
| Free Elective #2 | 3 | |
| CE-UY 4092 | Leadership, Business Principles, Policy and Ethics in Civil Engineering | 2 |
| CE-UY 4803 | Civil Engineering Capstone | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| 8th Semester/Term | ||
| CE-UY 48X3 | Civil Engineering Concentration Capstone | 3 |
| Civil Engineering Elective #3 | 3 | |
| Free Elective #3 | 3 | |
| Free Elective #4 | 3 | |
| Humanities and Social Sciences Elective #4 | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 129 | |
Learning Outcomes
Student outcomes are those abilities and skills that graduates are expected to have upon graduation with a BS in Civil Engineering degree. For these, the Department has adopted the seven fundamental outcomes specified by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. They cover the full breadth and depth of the abilities and skills needed by modern engineering professionals. They are listed below with brief discussions of how each relates to the civil engineering profession.
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An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics. Virtually all of civil engineering involves the application of mathematics and basic sciences to the solution of real-world infrastructure problems. Fundamental engineering skills evolve directly from science and mathematics. Students are immersed in these applications across all subdisciplines of civil engineering. The program is frequently updated to incorporate the latest approaches to engineering solutions, and to include the use of modern engineering tools. Important “tools” include a variety of computer programs for data analysis, simulation and design. The program is heavily design-oriented. Several courses include full design-project laboratories. Many additional courses have design components, and all students finish their academic programs with a comprehensive civil engineering capstone project.
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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. Engineers do not just solve problems brought to them by others. Engineers must spot problems before they become evident and describe them in terms that expedite their solution. As students progress through the program, they increase their participation in identifying and framing problems, as well as in developing comprehensive solutions.
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An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences. Engineers do not solve problems in a vacuum. Everything engineering professionals do affects the world around them. In the modern world economy, the “world” includes local neighborhoods, regions, states, nations and, indeed, the world. Solutions must be couched in a firm understanding of the impacts they will have on the environment, the economy and society.Engineers must explain their views and solutions to problems in ways that can be understood clearly by other professionals and by the public. Modern communication involves written and oral forms, and a wide variety of electronic media.
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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. All professionals must be keenly aware of their general and professional ethical responsibilities to society in general, and to others who require and pay for their services. Like many professions, engineers, and civil engineers in particular, have specific ethical codes issued by professional societies with which they must comply. General ethical considerations are discussed throughout the curriculum, and several courses have a strong focus on the basis for, and application of, professional ethical code.
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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. Any significant project involves several engineers, perhaps with different engineering backgrounds, as well as non-engineers (planners, architects, financiers, managers, etc). Students have the opportunity to work in teams in several courses, but particularly in the capstone design project.
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An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions. Civil engineers must engage in a number of basic experiments, and be aware of how to collect, organize, report and interpret the results of basic experiments and direct field observations of infrastructure operations. In the program, students are exposed to a wide range of laboratory experiments, including experiments in fluid mechanics, material behavior under loading, soil properties and behavior, and others. They also are exposed to the collection of field data related to environmental conditions and problems, highway and street traffic, and the monitoring of structures.
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An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies. The engineering profession changes rapidly with the technological world. While general principles tend to change slowly, the specific materials, analysis techniques and approaches to engineering change quite rapidly. The body of knowledge graduates leaves with must be updated constantly and expanded during their professional lives. The program provides opportunities for students to appreciate this need, and develop useful skills for self-learning, now and in the future.
Policies
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University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
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Additional academic policies can be found on the Tandon academic policy page.