UB Programs At-A-Glance

Civil Engineering

Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
212 Ketter Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-4300

Phone: 716.645.2114
Fax: 716.645.3733
Web: www.csee.buffalo.edu

Michael C. Constantinou
Chair

James N. Jensen
Director of Undergraduate Studies

About the Department

Civil engineering is the profession that focuses on the analysis, design, and construction of buildings, bridges, transportation systems, water and wastewater systems, and other infrastructure.

The Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering at UB is highly productive. We are world leaders in earthquake engineering and have annual research expenditures in the range of $5-10 million.

We offer separate undergraduate programs in civil engineering and environmental engineering, and graduate programs in a variety of specialties. We are the only department in the State University of New York system that offers graduate education in civil and environmental engineering.

We have 23 full-time faculty, about 270 undergraduate students, and more than 180 graduate students.

Degrees Offered

Undergraduate: B.S.
Concentrations: Computational mechanics, construction management, geotechnical engineering, structural and earthquake engineering
Graduate: M.S., M.Eng., Ph.D.

About Our Degrees

The civil engineering B.S. degree is accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) and prepares students for graduate study and/or professional practice.

Acceptance Criteria

Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.0 in engineering courses.
Minimum GPA of 2.0 in technical courses.

Acceptance Information

Students should apply to the SEAS Office of Student Services, 410 Bonner Hall (716-645-2774).

For admission in the junior year, a minimum GPA of 2.0 overall and a minimum GPA of 2.0 in math, basic science and engineering courses are required.

Deadlines: Rolling
Minimum required GPA: 2.0
Total number of majors currently enrolled: 260

Degree Requirements

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

Transfer Policy

Transfer students must first apply to the university and meet the university transfer admission requirements before consideration for admission to the Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering. Civil engineering courses completed at other colleges and offered as substitutes for UB courses are evaluated individually by the Undergraduate Studies Committee. Evaluations for transfer credits of general education, basic science, and engineering science courses completed at other universities and colleges are done through the Office of Student Services, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 410 Bonner Hall.

Note: For pre-engineering requirements, see the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences entry in the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Courses

The B.S. curriculum includes math, science, and basic engineering courses in the freshman and sophomore years, required civil engineering courses in the junior and senior years, and technical elective courses in the senior year. Laboratories in civil engineering are included in two lab classes in the junior year. Students have considerable flexibility in the selection of technical elective courses, allowing them to specialize in one of the civil engineering sub-disciplines. Also available to interested students are several work-experience courses (internship, engineering co-op).

The typical class size for:

Freshman/introductory courses is: 100+
Sophomore/intermediate courses is: 50-100
Upper level required courses is: 35-60
Upper level electives is: 15-35

In the Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering, what do student teaching assistants (TA's) do?

TA's hold office hours to answer students' questions about homework and exam preparation, grade homework (exams are usually graded by instructors), manage lab assignments, and sometimes hold recitation sessions.

For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Faculty

We have 23 full-time faculty (all with Ph.D. degrees) and approximately 10 adjunct faculty. The faculty is actively engaged in teaching, research, and service and has won many honors and awards (see http://www.civil.buffalo.edu/about_honors.shtml) including:


  • Three SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching
  • Two National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator awards
  • One Office of Naval Research Young Investigator award

Special Academic Opportunities

Internships

An internship is available as a technical elective in the senior year.

Co-op Program

This is a four-and-a-half-year academic program that includes 10 months of full-time work at a participating industry/firm.

Combined B.S./M.E. Program

Students can earn a combined B.S./M.E. degree in Civil Engineering in four years and nine months.

Combined B.S./M.B.A. Program

Students can earn a combined B.S./M.B.A. degree in Civil Engineering and Business Administration in five years.

Extracurricular Activities

Our undergraduate students are engaged in many campus-wide activities and organizations. These, as well as other nationwide student organizations specific to engineering, include the following:


See the UB Student Association.

Career Information

Career Choices

Civil engineers can choose from a broad spectrum of opportunities in industry, governmental agencies, private consulting firms (in which civil engineers often participate as owners or partners) and construction companies as well as in research and development. Many graduates return immediately or within a few years to graduate school for advanced studies. B.S. (Civil) graduates have the skills and most prerequisites to pursue further education in law, medicine, management or other professional fields.

The civil engineering profession is unique because of two features that set it apart from other engineering professions:

  1. Each civil engineering project is constructed as an entity (unlike mass produced items that are manufactured, such as cars and computers). Each civil engineering project receives individual planning, investigation, design and performance monitoring.
  2. Civil engineering projects involve interplay between technical, governmental, legal, financial and social elements. Thus, civil engineering requires strong communication skills along with broad technical training.


Alumni in Civil Engineering Have Found Employment in the Following Fields:

  • Computational engineering
  • Computer-aided design
  • Construction engineering and management
  • Environmental engineering
  • Geotechnical engineering and foundation design
  • Highway design and construction
  • Hydraulic and water resources engineering
  • Structural engineering and design
  • Transportation engineering


Examples of companies who actively recruit UB civil engineering candidates for internships and/or full time positions are:

Atlantic Testing Laboratories, Building & Control Services (BCS), Cannon Design, Ciminelli Construction Companies, Inc., Erdman Anthony & Associates, Inc., LaBella Associates, Turner Construction, and URS Corporation.

Degree Level Required

A growing number of employers are now requiring an M.E. or M.S. degree for entry-level civil engineering jobs. Thus, some students continue their studies at the graduate level.

Salary Information

Average starting salary: $42,000

Factors influencing salary: Educational level, computer skills, experience, specialization, GPA, location, and many other factors. The best way to ensure a good starting salary is to intern with a civil-related firm before graduation, earn a competitive GPA and volunteer for undergraduate research with a faculty member.

What percentage of graduates goes to graduate school?

Every year, about 20 to 25% of our B.S. (Civil) graduates go to graduate school. This includes our own M.S. and M.E. programs and graduate programs at other universities.

Aulitional Resources

Links to Further Information About This Program