Suggested Topics For A Curriculum In Civil Engineering

Abstract

As continued developments in computer hardware and software provide us with more efficient means to carry out cumbersome computations and with enhanced means of communication and information transfer, the role of civil engineers must change. The current civil engineering curricula at most universities are no longer appropriate to produce leaders of our society in the 21 st century. If engineers want to maintain a prominent position in society a new curriculum that properly balances mathematics, natural sciences and engineering with humanities and social and political sciences must be developed and implemented. This new undergraduate curriculum should provide students with a basic knowledge of the following topics: (1) Mathematics, basic and engineering sciences; (2) Broad-based technical aspects of civil engineering; (3) Principles of uncertainty and risk analysis; (4) Decision analysis and business principles; (4) Management principles; (5) Societal needs, ethics, public policy, and political science; and (6) Communication and leadership skills. These topics should be taught in an integrated manner, and reinforced throughout the curriculum repeating their applications in various classes. In addition, the students should be exposed to (1) engineering practice through a variety of means including summer internships, cooperative programs, and interactions with practicing professional engineers; and (2) different cultures and international projects. Faculty members need also to be continuously exposed to practical problems in order to bring back that experience into the classroom. New faculty members should have practical experience or be provided with means to acquire it. To do so, it is necessary to change the faculty reward system by emphasizing the quality instead of the quantity of faculty work. In this paper, we discuss these various aspects in some detail.

Balancing Classical Solutions With Computer Technology In The Undergraduate Geotechnical Curriculum

“…Due to changes in the professional practice of civil engineering, updates to what is taught within the civil engineering curriculum are needed. 2,3 This is in part due to the abilities of computers to conduct computations much more efficiently than in the past. 3 Graduates from structural engineering programs with considerable computer usage 4 have an employment advantage over their peers since they tend to be more productive in industrial positions immediately after graduation.…”

“…2,3 This is in part due to the abilities of computers to conduct computations much more efficiently than in the past. 3 Graduates from structural engineering programs with considerable computer usage 4 have an employment advantage over their peers since they tend to be more productive in industrial positions immediately after graduation. In most civil engineering programs, computer software use is introduced into the curriculum directly through discipline specific courses.…”