Undergraduate Courses

This course focuses on the role of building information modeling (BIM) in architecture and engineering. Students will learn the fundamental processes of BIM based on 3D computer drafting, including site analysis and data extraction; basic model building, dimensioning, planning and elevations; and parametric modeling, documentation and 3D rendering.

This course introduces fundamentals of environmentally adaptive architectural design, including bioclimatics, electromagnetics, fluid physics, and the related interactions with materials, form and spatial composition.

The main course objective is to introduce students to the requirements, analysis and design of electrical and power systems for residential and commercial buildings. The course is provided in lecture format.

This course focuses on light and lighting in its various forms from technology and science, via the human condition to the built environment. The students will hear about theory, history and culture; physics and optics; and science and technology. Hands-on design exercises will give the students a basic knowledge for documentation, enable them to develop channels of communication and language, and provide tools to evaluate data and synthesize the information.

Representations and analysis of systems of orthographic projection and graphical methods used in engineering design and production, correlated with technical sketching.

Equilibrium of a particle, equivalent and resultant force systems, equilibrium, geometric properties of areas and solids, trusses, frames and machines, shear force and bending moments, friction. Honors section is available.

Material behavior; relationship between external forces acting on elastic and inelastic bodies and the resulting behavior; stress and deformation of bars, beams, shafts, pressure vessels; stress and strain; combined stresses; columns. Honors section is available.

Hydrostatics, continuity, irrotational flow, pressure distributions, weirs and gates, momentum and energy, surface drag, pipe friction, form drag, pipe fitting losses.

Theory of measurements and errors; vertical and horizontal control methods; topographic, public land and construction surveys; use of surveying instruments.

This 1-unit course is designed to give students a basic knowledge of MATLAB programming. The course will cover fundamentals of MATLAB operations with arrays (vectors and matrices): how to create script files, function files, use loop and conditional statements, and present the computed results graphically. Students will be required to write simple programs in MATLAB.

Elements of written and oral communications for engineers including technical writing skills for proposal and report preparation, delivery techniques for oral presentations, and the effective use of audio/visual aids.

Topics include: finding roots of nonlinear equations; solution techniques for system of linear equations; curve fitting - polynomial and spline interpolation; least squares fit; numerical differentiation and integration; solution of ordinary differential equations - initial and boundary value problems; and use of MATLAB codes in numerical analysis for solving civil engineering problems.

Topics include: statistical decision theory and its application in civil engineering; identification and modeling of non-deterministic problems in civil engineering and the treatment thereof relative to engineering design and decision making; and statistical reliability concepts.

Topics include: open channel flow, natural streams and waterways, hydrologic analysis and design, pressure flow, analysis and design of pipe networks and pump systems.

Topics include: open-channel and closed conduit studies of basic flow phenomena, with emphasis on continuity, conservation of momentum and exchange of energy; and calibration of flow-measuring devices.

Topics include: analysis of structures - beams, frames and trusses; statically determinate structures; influence lines; deflections by the virtual work method; and statically indeterminate structures using the superposition method.

Topics include: design of steel members, connections and simple structures, and an introduction to load and resistance factor design concept, including tension members, laterally supported and unsupported beams, columns, bolted and welded connections.

Topics include: analysis and design of reinforced concrete members subjected to flexure, shear and axial loads; deflection of beams; bond and development of reinforcement.

In this course, we will discuss the fundamental physical and mechanical properties of soils and use them in the design of simple foundation and earth retaining systems. We will use certain fundamental principles of solid mechanics and fluid mechanics to describe the mechanical behavior of soils.

Students will conduct and interpret soil test results. Tests include water content, particle size, permeability, consolidation and shear strength.

Basis for planning, design, and operation of transportation facilities. Driver and vehicle performance characteristics, highway geometric and pavement design principles; traffic analysis and transportation planning.

The course is supplementary to CHEE/CE 370R, the three-unit introductory environmental engineering course. It consists of a problem-oriented lab that meets weekly for two hours to provide supplementary material for non-chemical engineers taking the introductory course. Emphasis will be on introducing chemistry and biochemistry concepts that support environmental engineering operations for water and wastewater treatment. Basic problem-solving skills in these areas will also be developed.

Covers principles and methods for analysis of environmental engineering issues, including topics such as greenhouse gas effects, tropospheric air pollution, environmental air pollution, environmental risk assessment, surface and ground water pollution, and drinking and wastewater treatment.

This course provides an opportunity to develop an enhanced understanding of construction industry and practices in preparation to contribute to construction firms, project management consultants, and owners upon graduation and to improve project delivery by understanding linkages between design and construction.

Selected testing of steel, concrete, wood and bituminous materials according to standard test procedures.

Theory and formulation procedures: energy and residual. One-dimensional problems: stress analysis in axial structures, steady and transient fluid and heat flow, consolidation, wave-propagation, beam-column. Two-dimensional problems: field and plane/axisymmetric, use of computer codes for solution to typical problems.

Introduction to non-technical issues impacting the practice of design professionals in the private and public sectors including: types of organizations; income, expenses, and profit; quality-based selection for obtaining and performing work; contracts; dispute resolution methods; professional ethics.

A culminating experience for majors involving a substantive project that demonstrates a synthesis of learning accumulated in the major, including broadly comprehensive knowledge of the discipline and its methodologies. Senior standing required.

Outlines the extent of uncertainties under which civil engineering designs and decisions are made. Theory and application. Advanced topics in risk-based engineering design. System reliability concepts. Statistical decision theory and its application in civil engineering. Identifying and modeling, nondeterministic problems in engineering in understanding many recently issued engineering codes.

This course introduces students to the concepts of the conduct of research in an empirical setting.

Differential equations governing unsteady flow in open channels. Simple surface waves in subcritical and supercritical flows. Introduction of kinematic, diffusion and dynamic wave methods. Applications to reservoir routing, dam break flow and overland flow.

Discussion and analysis of major topics of the hydrologic cycle and their interrelationship, such as rainfall, infiltration, evaporation and runoff. Statistical and probabilistic methods in water supply and flood hydrology.

Design of waterways, erosion control structures and small dams. Methods for frequency analysis and synthetic time distribution of rainfall. Methods for estimating infiltration and runoff from small watersheds, flow routing and stormwater management. Estimating erosion using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation.

Computer modeling of surface water hydrology, flood plain hydraulics and water distribution systems. Theoretical basis. Application and design studies.

Selected advanced topics will be covered in the fields of hydraulics and water resources engineering with emphasis on analysis and design of water systems.

Advanced problems in the analysis and design of steel structures including beam columns, plate girders, composite construction, multi-story buildings, static and dynamic lateral and vertical loads, connections, computer applications.

Determination of gravity and lateral loads on structures. Design of wood structures for axial load and bending; structural wood panels, diaphragms and shear walls. Types of masonry construction. Design of masonry structures for gravity and lateral loads.

Behavior, analysis and design of statically determinate and indeterminate prestressed concrete structures; calculation of loss of prestress.

Advanced problems in the analysis and design of concrete structures, design of slender columns and one- and two-way slabs; lateral and vertical load analysis of bridges and multistory buildings; introduction to design for torsion and seismic forces; use of structural computer programs.

Structural systems, gravity load resisting systems, lateral force resisting systems, tall building design, computer structural analysis, structural steel, reinforced concrete, building codes, seismic resistant design.

Settlement and bearing capacity of shallow and deep foundations; beam on elastic foundation; design of footings and pile foundations; foundations on metastable soils; the use of computer codes for foundation problems.

Stability analysis for earth slopes, including planar, circular piecewise-linear, and composite-surface methods: analyses for static and steady-flow conditions; earth pressure theories and calculations for generalized conditions; design of rigid and flexible retaining structures; design of braced and tie-back shoring systems; design of reinforced earth walls; computer-aided analysis and design.

This course will talk about different ground improvement techniques including those without addition of materials, by adding materials and using reinforcing elements. During the course, opportunities will be given to students to develop a range of generic skills including written communication skills, problem-solving skills and analysis and critical evaluation skills. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to understand the principles, applications and design procedures for various ground improvement techniques; use analytical/theoretical/numerical calculations to assess the effectiveness of a ground improvement technique; gain competence in properly evaluating alternative solutions; and the effectiveness before, during and after using ground improvement.

Introduction to geoenvironmental engineering; physiochemical and microstructural behavior of geomaterials, effect of pollutants, design of waste disposal systems; advanced laboratory testing, geotextiles, space geomechanics, etc.

Waste generation and disposal regulations; types and characterization of wastes, engineering properties of soil-water-contaminants; use of earth and geosynthetic materials in waste containment applications; evaluation, design and construction of liner and leachate collection systems used in landfills and heap leach mining; remediation of contaminated sites.

Review of plate tectonics and seismology, analysis of earthquake ground motions, travel path and distance effects, and site response effects. Soil liquefaction susceptibility, identification and mitigation. Introduction to seismic slope stability.

Brief statements and applications of numerical methods based on closed-form solutions, finite difference and finite element methods for problems involving soil structure interaction such as piles, retaining walls, group piles, underground works; seepage; and consolidation.

Application of statistics and probability to uncertainty in the description, measurement, and analysis of hydrologic variables and processes, including extreme events, error models, simulation, sampling.

Introduction to soil and water relationships, irrigation systems, irrigation water supply, and irrigation management; basic designs.

Design and operation of surface, sprinkler, and trickle irrigation systems based on economic and environmental criteria.

Water quality and system design for agricultural drainage and wastewater systems.

Selected advanced topics will be covered in the field of transportation engineering, with emphasis on analysis and design of transportation systems.

Introduction to traffic system design concepts, control components, management strategies, and tools for evaluating their effectiveness.

Methods for the efficient and safe operation of transport facilities through analysis of capacity, safety, speed, parking and volume data.

Methods for the integrated design of components typically found in transportation structures including bridge super- and sub-structures, retaining walls, pavements, highway geometrics, traffic, drainage, etc.  Taught by practicing engineers.

Methods for the integrated design of components typically found in transportation structures including bridge super- and sub-structures, retaining walls, pavements, highway geometrics, traffic, drainage, etc. Taught by practicing engineers.

This course introduces important concepts of database design and application. Popular database and analytical tools are introduced and demonstrated using traffic sensor data, roadway geometric data and traffic accident data. The objective is to introduce modern concepts, algorithms and tools for transportation data management and analysis. With the instructions, assignments and projects in this course, students are expected to learn database design theories; analytical methods for capacity, safety and time series analyses; and skills on popular software tools for transportation data management and analysis.

Study of geometric elements of streets and highways, with emphasis on analysis and design for safety. Offered every third semester.

Transportation planning in relation to urban development; techniques and procedures for developing long-range regional plans.

Detailed investigation of methods to model travel demand, covering data collection and analysis, model development, and forecasting applications.

Students will learn and integrate the basic principles of microbiology required for understanding of application of bioremediation to contaminated sites; become familiar with current research in bioremediation; and learn to solve problems often encountered in application of bioremediation.

Application of theory and engineering experience to the design of unit operations for the production of potable water. Covers water regulations, conventional treatment technologies and selected advanced treatment topics.

Application of theory and engineering experience to the design of unit operations for the treatment of wastewater. Covers water regulations, conventional treatment technologies and selected advanced treatment topics.

Management, planning, legal and engineering aspects of liquid and solid hazardous waste treatment and disposal.

Develop an enhanced understanding of construction project planning, scheduling, execution and control in preparation to contribute to construction firms, project management consultants and owners upon graduation. Topics include network scheduling, critical path method, resource allocation, cost control, software applications to scheduling and contract documents.

Develop an enhanced understanding of quantity take-off and cost estimating of construction resources including materials, labor and equipment. Skills and knowledge of cost estimating will provide preparation for builders and designers to contribute to construction firms, project management consultants, and owners upon graduation. Topics include: types of cost estimates, budget estimates, pre-construction services estimates, quantity take-off, self-performed estimates, subcontractor work estimates and bid preparation.

Introduction to the principles of occupational and environmental health, with emphasis on industrial hygiene aspects of recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental and industrial health hazards.

Develop an enhanced understanding of construction equipment and methods to contribute to construction firms, project management consultants and owners upon graduation. Topics include: costing, safety, earth moving equipment, cranes, creating and securing deep digs, constructing deep foundations, and forms and temporary structures.

Theory and formulation procedures: energy and residual. One-dimensional problems: stress analysis in axial structures, steady and transient fluid and heat flow, consolidation, wave-propagation, beam-column. Two-dimensional problems: field and plane/axisymmetric, use of computer codes for solution to typical problems.

This course is intended to prepare students to develop leadership competencies throughout their engineering careers by providing a basic understanding of concepts relevant to leadership in engineering. Additionally, students will analyze their own leadership competencies and prepare a personal leadership development plan. Engineers from industry will regularly visit class to share their experiences and knowledge about leadership in engineering. Significant interaction between students and industry guests is expected.