What Is Civil Engineering?

Today, civil engineers are in the forefront of technology. They are the leading users of sophisticated high-tech products, applying the very latest concepts in computer-aided design (CAD) during design, construction, project scheduling, and cost control.

“Civil engineering is about community service, development, and improvement. It involves the conception, planning, design, construction, and operation of facilities essential to modern life, ranging from transit systems to offshore structures to space satellites. Civil engineers are problem solvers, meeting the challenges of pollution, traffic congestion, drinking water and energy needs, urban redevelopment, and community planning.”

American Society of Civil Engineers
www.asce.org

Students at Lafayette may choose to focus on structural, environmental, geotechnical, transportation, construction, or water resources engineering.  The curriculum includes laboratory-based courses in each of these six concentrations.  Design skills are developed in a series of courses beginning the first semester with Introduction to Engineering followed by design courses in each of the next three years.

In addition to a dedicated computer laboratory for civil engineering majors, facilities include laboratories for structural systems, testing of materials, water resources, geotechnical engineering, environmental analysis, geographical information systems (GIS), and environmental engineering.  A new digital image correlation lab uses computers and cameras to measure how surfaces react to loads, such as a heavy truck crossing a bridge, and other equipment for studying physical strains on structures.

Professor Arthur D. Kney and Students

Arthur D. Kney, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Professor and Department Head
kneya@lafayette.edu