What is Civil Engineering?
While buildings, roads and bridges are the first things that come to mind when most people hear "civil engineering," this dynamically evolving field is so much more. Civil engineers design, build and maintain the infrastructure countries need to improve the quality of life and promote economic growth. The future of the civil engineering profession brings new challenges and opportunities to create more sustainable and resilient communities; care for and preserve the built and natural environment; repair and rebuild an aging and rapidly deteriorating infrastructure; build smart cities and data-smart infrastructure; innovate and integrate technology in practice; assess and manage risks; explore and harvest renewable energy; and reshape mobility and improve safety in a new era of sharing economy.
At Old Dominion University, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) covers a diverse range of engineering disciplines including structural, environmental, geotechnical, water resources, transportation, and more. This wide variety of concentrations offer students several options in an exciting, ever-evolving profession.
Program Overview
The Civil and Environmental Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, and offers a curriculum designed to provide education in a diverse range of engineering disciplines including environmental, geotechnical, hydraulics and water resources, transportation, structural and more.
The CEE department offers a four-year undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE), as well as graduate programs leading to a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE), Master of Science in Environmental Engineering (M.S.) and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The undergraduate degree in civil engineering prepares graduates for entry into professional practice and continued intellectual and professional development throughout their career. The program prepares its graduates to serve as master planners, designers, constructors, and operators/managers of the built environment as well as stewards of natural resources and the environment. Civil engineering graduates are also prepared to serve as both innovators and integrators in the application of existing and developing technologies in the creation and maintenance of society's infrastructure. They also serve as evaluators and managers of risk and uncertainty and apply engineering knowledge and science to the protection of the built environment and public health.
CEE Videos
See all the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering videos.
CEE Student Dubbed Transportation Expert
Andrew Bunn, an Old Dominion University senior majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering, puts networking to work. He was recently dubbed the student transportation engineering expert by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Magazine.
Alumni Spotlight: Reflection from Clarence Ray
A 1970 ODU engineering graduate, Clarence Ray remembers a very different engineering department. Working for his father's business drained his study time, and Ray was nearly expelled. He was saved by a faculty advisor who saw his great potential. The former CEO of a Duke Energy subsidiary, Ray went on to a 44-year engineering career.
ODU Concrete Canoe Team in First National Competition
The ODU concrete canoe team traveled nearly 50 hours on a 3,000-mile journey across the country, towing a 300-pound hunk of concrete to compete in the 31st Annual National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC), organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
ODU's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, or ABET.
Read our Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes