Why Undergrad - What is the role of Civil Engineers in our society?
- We design and build an infrastructure that ensures a high standard of living and is essential to a strong economy
- Provide safe and reliable structures
- Provide transportation systems
- Safely dispose of our domestic and industrial wastes
- Provide water for irrigation, homes, and industry
- Build oil production and delivery systems
- Build and design waterways, ports and harbors and ensure that rivers and coastal inlets remain navigable
- Provide protection from riverine and coastal floods
- Ensure balance of water resources for agriculture, fisheries, domestic usage and industry
Elizabeth Kerr
Director of Undergraduate Studies
QUICK FACTS
►Our Philosophy: We teach the fundamental underlying concepts of civil and environmental engineering and geological sciences to understand the physics, mathematics and chemistry of the systems we analyze and design. We also teach students to be innovative users and creators of ideas and tools that are at the cutting edge of developing and applying engineering and science to enhance the performance, safety, reliability and usefulness of engineered systems
►Strong Fundamentals: The Civil Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The civil engineering program offers concentrations in environmental and water resources engineering and structural engineering, in addition to an introduction to several other major topics in civil engineering. Meanwhile, the program in Environmental Geosciences emphasizes the inter-relationships of geosystems and human impact on the environment in a unique curriculum. Learn more about our curriculum here.
►Small student to faculty ratio provides an intimate setting where students are able to meet with their instructors on a regular basis and teachers know their students by name.
►Hands on First Year Program: Engineering students at the University of Notre Dame are engaged in a year-long introductory project-based engineering course in a state-of-the-art collaboratory learning center.
►Service Opportunities and the spirit of Notre Dame thrive in our department. Here students can elect to receive course credit to work on service projects in different capacities around the globe as true servants to society. As such, Notre Dame's program promotes high moral, ethical, and social values. One example is Notre Dame Students Empowering through Engineering Development (NDSEED), a self-funded, student-organized activity that works through the non-profit organization Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) to empower rural communities in developing countries. In the 2008-2009, school year NDSEED raised funds, designed and constructed its first footbridge for a rural Honduran community. The NDSEED project continues to grow through self-driven Notre Dame students and this year travels to Guatemala to continue this important work. Another service project is located in the Republic of Benin in west Africa. This is an interdisciplinary project involving Notre Dame students from several colleges working together to repair hand pumps and aid in providing clean drinking water to remote villages.
►Undergraduate Research Opportunities allow students to delve into a topic in detail while building a working relationship with faculty. This can be completed for pay or for course credit during the academic year, or paid as part of a summer research for undergraduates experience. Opportunities for academic year and summer research experiences, as well as other activities encouraging undergraduate scholarship, are coordinated by the newly founded Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE).
►Summer Internships: Our students regularly intern with consulting firms, construction companies and national laboratories. The University's Career Center assists students in securing these positions, from preparing resumes, to hosting career fairs and coaching students through the interviewing process.
►Interface with Practice: Hands-on, real-world design projects prepare students for the real world, while numerous lectures expose students to the applications of their discipline in practice. For example, the annual Challenges and Innovations in Civil Engineering Seminar Series exposes students to the realm of possibilities available within civil engineering. Meanwhile, class field trips, such as the junior class civil engineering field trip, enhance the class-room experience and illustrate real-world applications and implications of our disciplines.
►Integrated Study Abroad Programs: Students can spend the fall of their junior year studying in Perth, Australia without schedule disruptions provided proper planning has taken place. Other available options include spending the summer in Spain, London, Mexico and a variety of other locations.
►Dual Degree Programs are offered in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters or the Mendoza College of Business, while a two-course engineering business sequence is open to all students as part of the standard undergraduate curriculum.
►Alumni Networking provides students the opportunity to see what a Notre Dame education can do for them. Several alumni remain involved in the student experience through presentations to and meetings with undergraduate students. It is valuable and inspiring for students to see where they can be in 5, 10, or 30 years!