OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 129
Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0
Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: None.
Other GPA requirements to graduate: A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in CIE courses.
Required Course(s) for fulfilling Capstone Experience: CIE 411, 413
Contact Information: Shaleen Jain, Professor and Chair, 5711 Boardman Hall, Room 105, Tel: (207) 581-2170, email: shaleen.jain@maine.edu
Civil and environmental engineers are primarily responsible for planning, designing, and constructing facilities to serve society, all providing for the health and safety of its citizens. These facilities include highways and railroads, bridges and tunnels, airports and harbors, hydroelectric dams and power plants, irrigation and flood control projects, and the foundations and frames of buildings. Environmental engineers plan and design water purification plants, pollution control facilities, and other environmental protection projects. An engineer may specialize in one of these areas and may further specialize in a particular function such as design, management, or construction. Our programs educational objectives prepare graduates to:
- Practice the disciplines of transportation, environmental, structural, water resources, and geotechnical engineering, and/or related fields.
- Engage in advanced education, research, and development.
- Pursue continuing education and professional licensure.
- Promote and advance public health and safety, and enhance quality of life.
- Act in a responsible, professional, and ethical manner.
More information about the department and the program can be found on our web site.
Program Description
The multifaceted nature of this society-serving profession dictates that civil engineers have proficiency in five areas: structural, geotechnical, environmental, water resources, and transportation engineering. To achieve that objective, students need to be proficient in mathematics through differential equations; probability and statistics; calculus-based physics; and general chemistry. The ability to conduct laboratory experiments and to critically analyze and interpret data in more than one of the four above-mentioned major areas is emphasized throughout the program. Design is integrated throughout the professional component of the curriculum by means of design experiences and by functioning on multidisciplinary teams.
Since civil and environmental engineering is a societal profession, our engineers may also be faced with economic, ethical, political, social, and legal issues. Moreover, civil engineers must be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Therefore, societal issues and communication skills are emphasized in our civil and environmental engineering courses. Moreover, the curriculum provides for Human Values and Social Context courses, including ethics, writing and public speaking. A two-course senior capstone course sequence, taken in the senior year, provides students the opportunity to apply their education to a realistic civil engineering project, while gaining understanding of professional practice issues.
Degrees are awarded upon satisfactory completion of 129 credits at an accumulative grade point average of not less than 2.0 in Civil Engineering courses.
The program in Civil Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. The program currently grants 50-60 BS degrees per year, and our present undergraduate enrollment is about 270 students. Annual student enrollment data can be found at https://umaine.edu/oir/majors-report/, and information on degrees granted is posted at https://umaine.edu/oir/degrees-conferred/.
Cooperative Work Experience Program Option
Students who are engaged in engineering related summer jobs under the direction of the department’s co-op coordinator can earn three credits of technical elective through the cooperative education program of the department.
Employment Opportunities
Civil and environmental engineers work in consulting firms, construction, manufacturing industries such as paper, chemical, and ship building in the engineering offices of cities and towns, for government agencies and in private practice.
Scholarships
The department offers PaCEsetter Scholarships for outstanding first-year students majoring in civil and environmental engineering. In addition, students can apply for college and departmental scholarships through the College of Engineering and departmental scholarships through the department.
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