Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Associate Professor Mohr, Chairperson; Professors Badoe, Crouch, Henderson, Huo, (Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs), Liu, Oswalt, Otuonye (Associate Vice President for Research); Associate Professors Click, Datta, Kalyanapu, Ramirez, Weathers; Assistant Professors Huff, VandenBerge; Lecturer Thanoon; Instructor Avera

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers programs leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Science, Master of Science in Civil Engineering, and Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering. The principal mission of the Civil Engineering program is to offer the strong academic program needed to produce well-educated students who can become productive members of the civil engineering profession. This mission is consistent with the academic component of the University’s mission, which is in part to provide a strong academic program in engineering. To achieve this mission, the undergraduate program is structured to provide an education consisting of mathematics, basic science, engineering sciences, engineering design, humanities and social sciences consistent with accreditation standards and national needs. The civil engineering component of the program is designed to provide a broad foundation by requiring course work in structures, environment, geotechnics, materials, hydraulics, surveying, and transportation. Design-based instruction is required to provide students with the opportunity to prepare professionally for the diverse opportunities available to them.

The goal of the undergraduate Civil Engineering program is to instill in our graduates the knowledge, skills, attitude, and ethical values necessary to be successful practitioners who are able to impart positive social impacts at the state, regional, national, and international levels. The greatest desired impacts are expected at the state and regional levels. Additionally, we seek to provide the necessary academic background for civil engineering graduates pursuing advanced degrees.

The CEE Program Educational Objectives, which describe the professional accomplishments that graduates should achieve at various stages of their professional career, are as follows:

Graduates should demonstrate the ability for early career professional growth based on their grasp of fundamental concepts in civil engineering.
Within the first few years after graduation, CEE graduates should be employed by an organization that serves the profession or enrolled in postgraduate studies. They should be participating in engineering practice based on their academic foundation.
Graduates should utilize knowledge and skills to participate in civil engineering design and/or management processes.
About five years beyond graduation, CEE graduates should be participating effectively in design processes and developing civil engineering solutions within a team setting. They are expected to be engaged in management and leadership roles for civil engineering projects and to assume positions of greater responsibility to the profession and public.
Graduates should develop professionally through a commitment to life-long learning.
At all stages, CEE graduates should exhibit their potential for a sustained productive career through life-long learning. They should continue the professional registration process if necessitated by employment.

Achievement of the department’s goal and objectives are assessed through various measures. Current assessment measures include course portfolio, graduating senior exit survey, college base exam, Co-Op participant survey, performance on the subject areas of the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, alumni surveys, and feedback from employers. The assessment process enables the CEE Department to ensure that the present curriculum fully supports the desired Educational Objectives and Program Outcomes; subject to continuous verification, evaluation, and improvement by appropriate assessment.

Design is introduced at the freshman level with design projects assigned in ENGR 1110 and ENGR 1120 . Lecture is used to introduce students to the design approach. Design assignments utilize both the individual and the team approach to practical problems. Problems are open-ended and include realistic constraints.

The design experience is broadened in Mechanics of Materials, CEE 3110 , during the fourth semester with design-oriented homework. As proficiency in science and synthesis increases, students are guided into more complex design considerations. By the sixth semester, students are engaged in design in each area of emphasis.

The basic sciences and mathematics that were mastered in the freshman and sophomore years and the introduction to engineering topics provide the opportunity to broaden the design experience in the junior year. Five of the twelve courses selected for the junior year have design components. These are as follows: Civil Engineering Materials, CEE 3030 ; Environmental Engineering, CEE 3413 ; Hydraulics, CEE 3420 ; Transportation Engineering, CEE 3610 ; and Structural Steel Design, CEE 4310 . The design component of each course is carefully selected to take advantage of the student’s strengths in science, mathematics and engineering topics as each is related to the content of the current course.

Evidence of the breadth and depth of the design experience continues in the senior year. The design content of CEE courses increases from 8 percent in the sophomore year to 39 percent in the junior year and 52 percent in the senior year. Several courses including those that may be taken as a sequence and/or technical elective are considered to be totally design. In addition to technical design concepts, the student applies other realistic constraints in design; namely, economic factors, safety, reliability, aesthetics, ethics and social impacts. The design component in most senior courses addresses design with applications to practical engineering problems so that the student is exposed to design experiences pertaining to his/her specific emphasis.

Senior Design Project, CEE 4950 , provides a major overall design experience and is scheduled to be taken during the last semester. The course emphasizes the use of principles acquired during the previous seven semesters, and formal lectures are kept to a minimum. Students are organized into teams composed of members representing each area of emphasis in Civil Engineering to produce designs for the same project. Each team must make its own decision as to its “best” design.

The undergraduate Civil Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. Students are expected to select an area of concentration from among the following: Transportation Engineering, Structural Engineering, Structural Mechanics, or Environmental Engineering. Civil Engineering students are required to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination (FE) administered by the Tennessee State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Programs