Civil and Environmental Engineering - MS, ME, PhD

About This Degree

Civil and environmental engineering is concerned with planning, designing, constructing, and operating various physical works; developing and utilizing natural resources in an environmentally sound manner; providing the infrastructure which supports the highest quality of life; and protecting public health and renovating impacted terrestrial and aquatic systems from the mismanagement of toxic and hazardous waste.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has five divisions: Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering, and Water Engineering.

Concurrent Bachelor’s/Master’s Program:

The department also offers a concurrent bachelor’s/master’s program, which allows USU engineering students to begin taking graduate classes during their senior year as an undergraduate and to complete requirements for both the bachelor's degree (civil engineering or environmental engineering) and the master’s degree concurrently over two years.

Specialization:

Environmental Engineering:

Environmental engineering is concerned with the application of scientific and engi­neering principles for protection of human populations from the effects of adverse environ­mental factors, the protection of environments from the potentially harmful effects of natural and human activities, and the improvement of environmental quality. Environmental engineers are concerned with local and worldwide environmental issues, including the effects of acid rain, global warming, automobile emissions, and ozone depletion.

Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Engineering:

In this specialization, students focus on theoretical fluid mechanics and applied hydraulics, open channel hydraulics, closed conduit flow, transient and unsteady flow analysis, valve and pump engineering and testing, design and modeling of hydraulic structures, two phase flow, cavitation, sedimentation, flow resistance, flood plain management and control, and erosion control and protection.

Geotechnical Engineering:

In this specialization, students study the properties and behavior of soil and rock. Using those properties and behavior, they design and analyze foundations, excavations, retaining walls, slopes, dikes, dams, levees, and more. Geotechnical engineers also predict behavior of soil and rock during earthquake shaking. The graduate curriculum covers the theoretical behavior of soil, laboratory and field experimental methods, and current design practices.

Structural Engineering and Mechanics:

Structural Engineering is one of the oldest and largest sub-disciplines within civil engineering. The two most recognized structural categories are the design of bridges and the design of buildings. In addition to these, there are numerous other structure types, such as towers, tanks, dams, industrial facilities, etc. that structural engineers design.

Transportation Engineering:

The primary goal of this specialization is to advance the understanding of transportation systems and to improve efficiency and effectiveness of transportation systems. Students learn to solve current and future problems in the transportation industry while recognizing social, economic, and environmental constraints.

Water Resources Engineering and Hydrology:

In this specialization, research areas include climate analysis, hydrologic modeling, nonparametric statistical methods, dam safety, risk management, extreme flood hydrology, snow and snowmelt, risk-based decision analysis for water quantity and quality management, water institutions, water policies, water management, and water conservation.

Climate Adaptation Science (Civil & Environmental Engineering MS & PhD):

The Climate Adaptation Science specialization provides students with experiences in actionable science through internship and research experiences. Program includes interdisciplinary research to identify adaptive responses to changing climate extremes and two-part internships with agency, NGO, and industry partners. In a first internship, students contribute to projects and learn the workplace cultures and science needs of the host. The internship experiences inform interdisciplinary climate adaptation research by student teams. In a second internship, students share science results and tools with the host organization and help put that science into action.