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Civil and Environmental Engineering
   

SENIOR DESIGN

Your Major Design Experience in Engineering:

All civil and environmental engineering students participate in a Major Design Experience in Engineering that meets these requirements:

  • Be based on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier engineering coursework
  • Be focused on the process of devising a system, component or process to meet desired needs
  • Be a decision making process involving choices between alternatives
  • Be relevant to the civil engineering or environmental engineering discipline
  • Prepare the student for professional practice as an engineer
  • Incorporate most of the following considerations: economic, environmental, sustainability, constructability, ethical, health and safety, social, political
  • Require students to work in teams

OPTIONS:

  • Senior Design Option 1: 3 credits CE4905 + 3 credits of Professional Elective (senior year)

CE 4905 is offered in fall, spring and summer.

  • Senior Design Option 2: International Senior Design, 3 credits (CE4905) + 3 credits CE4990 (International Experience) (senior year)

International Senior design option is generally offered during the summer, and under this option, students take CE4905 during the second summer session along with CE4990 (International Field Experience). During the summers of 2001-2005, student teams have traveled to Bolivia and the Dominican Republic to design water supply projects, school projects and drainage projects. For more information on International Senior Design see International Senior Design Website

  • Senior Design Option 3: 3 credits CE 4900 + 3 credits CE4910 (senior year)

In delivering the major design experience, CEE faculty collaborate with practicing engineers through the Civil and Environmental Engineering Design Associates Program. In this way, students benefit from mentoring both by faculty and by civil and environmental engineering practitioners.   Senior Design Examples

  • Enterprise Option 4: Enterprise Program (a three year program)

Pavement Design, Construction and Materials Enterprise is hosted in the CEE department

Students may choose to join other teams that are relevant to their engineering discipline (civil or environmental engineering) in the Enterprise Program

  • Students can also participate in other engineering department's senior design projects if they are looking for Civil or Environmental Engineering students. Recently, students have worked with the Geological Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Departments.

 


Senior design prerequisites

When should you take senior design?
The senior design project should be taken in the fall, spring or summer of the senior year. If you're taking a full-year design project you will need to plan for fall and spring semester. If you're planning to take a one-semester design project (CE4905) consider the following suggestions:

  1. Plan out your fall and spring schedules
  2. Determine which required courses/professional electives you plan to take and which semester(s) they are offered.
  3. Take senior design your during your lighter semester.
  4. You may want to factor in your plans to take the FE exam also.