Civil Engineering
Visit the CSULA Civil Engineering Department website.
Civil engineering is the broadest of the engineering disciplines, extending across many technical specialties that interact with each other. As a civil engineer, you plan, design, and supervise the construction of facilities that vary widely in nature, size, and scope. Space satellites and launching facilities, offshore structures, bridges, buildings, tunnels, highways, transit systems, dams, airports, irrigation projects, treatment and distribution facilities for water, and collection and treatment facilities for wastewater are just some of the projects in which you could be involved.
In addition to facility design and construction, you will also have options to teach and to participate in research. As you develop your skills, you will have the opportunity to move into the area of engineering management, overseeing the completion of entire projects.
As we enter the new millennium, the growth of the world population to six billion people will create demands for energy producing, food supplying, land stabilizing, water preserving, transportation providing, materials handling, waste disposing, earth moving, health caring, environmental cleansing, living, working and structural facilities on an unprecedented scale. As always, the skills of civil engineers will be needed to accomplish this. The civil engineer builds to advance civilization and make possible the higher standards of living that lie ahead.
You will be in the forefront of high-technology's newest applications and will be using the latest concepts in computer-aided design (CAD) during design, construction, project scheduling, and cost control. You will be working with architects, owners, contractors, city councils, planning commissions, government officials, and others involved in the many aspects of design and construction.
One of the greatest rewards of civil engineering is the personal satisfaction derived from the creation of enduring construction to make our communities better places in which to live and work.
Areas of Specialization
Structural Engineering
Structural engineers plan and design all types of structures including bridges, building, dams, tunnels, tanks, power plants, transmission line towers, offshore drilling platforms, and space satellites. Structural engineers analyze the forces that a structure will encounter and develop a design that will withstand those forces. The structural engineer selects structural components, systems, and materials that will provide adequate strength, stability, and durability. Structural dynamics is a specialty within structural engineering that accounts for dynamic forces on structures such as those resulting from earthquakes. (Prof. Bhaumik, Prof. Purasinghe, Prof. Taly)
Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering
Hydraulic and water resources engineers deal with all aspects of the physical control of water. They analyze and predict water demand, supply, and run-off, and they work to prevent floods, supply water, protect beaches, and manage rivers. They construct and maintain hydroelectric power systems, canals, locks, port facilities, and offshore structures. (Prof. Jeng, Prof. Kim)
Geotechnical Engineering
Geotechnical engineers analyze the properties of soil and rock that support and affect the behavior of structures, pavements, and underground facilities. They evaluate the potential settling of buildings, the stability of slopes and fills, the seepage of groundwater, and the effects of earthquakes. They assist in the design and construction of earth structures, building foundations, offshore platforms, tunnels, and dams. (Prof. Tufenkjian)
Transportation Engineering
Transportation engineers are involved with the safe and efficient movement of both people and goods. They design and maintain all types of transportation facilities, including highways, mass transit systems, railroads and airfields, ports, and harbors. (Prof. Hashemian, Prof. Kett)