Major: Bachelor of Science

Stanfordʼs Civil Engineering major prepares students to plan, design, construct, and sustain the built environment, manage our air, energy, and water resources, protect our natural environment, and protect society from natural and climate-related hazards.

The work of civil engineers is crucial to the day-to-day lives of people around the world. The civil engineering field is both technical and people-oriented, requiring an ability to manage large, multi-faceted projects as well as diverse groups of people and having excellent communication skills. Students in the major learn to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and the primary areas of civil engineering to design systems to solve engineering problems, conduct hands-on and computational experiments, and communicate their ideas effectively.

The Curriculum

The undergraduate civil engineering curriculum includes a core to be taken by all declared majors that provides a broad introduction to the major areas of civil engineering. Subsequent coursework is grouped into 7 focus areas, allowing students to tailor their studies to align with their interests. Undergraduates potentially interested in the Civil Engineering major should also consider the Environmental Systems Engineering major as a possible alternative; a comparison of these two alternative majors is presented in the Environmental Systems Engineering opens in a new tab page.

The Civil Engineering degree is ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited, which is a first step toward a professional engineering license. If you envision a career providing, supervising, or managing professional engineering services (e.g., engineering investigations or design), you may wish to become a licensed professional engineer and should aim, via your BS and/or coterm (MS) degrees, to earn ABET credit for four to five years of work experience.

For more information on civil engineering, students are encouraged to visit the CEE website opens in a new tab, talk to a CEE faculty member, or contact the CEE Undergraduate Student Services Officer.

Research Experience for Undergraduates

The department of Civil and Environmental Engineering welcomes student participation in the VPUE Undergraduate Research Programs. Interested students should check the VPUE opens in a new tab website and the CEE opens in a new tab website for announcements regarding the application procedures. Annual program announcements appear in January with application due dates in February.