Civil Engineering B.S. (BSCE)
The BSCE degree includes required courses in the analysis and design of structures, applied hydraulics, surveying, soil mechanics and foundations, engineering project management, transportation engineering and environmental/water resources engineering.
Students often choose a specialty area in their senior year: structural analysis and design, environmental engineering, water resources, transportation engineering or geotechnical engineering. Students are encouraged to speak with faculty members in specialty areas to find out more about these fields.
The BSCE program is accredited by Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 415 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, a national organization that sets standards for engineering education defined in terms of curricular content, quality of faculty, and adequacy of facilities of engineering programs.
BSCE Program Educational Objectives
The civil engineering program at Portland State University prepares graduates to practice civil engineering responsibly and ethically by (1) working effectively in the professional engineering community and (2) continuing to learn and enhance their abilities in civil engineering.
BSCE Student Outcomes
Graduates of the civil engineering program at Portland State University will have the skills and abilities to prepare them to begin professional practice or to succeed in graduate studies.
Graduates will have:
(A) An ability to apply principles of mathematics, science, and engineering to the analysis and design of civil engineering projects.
(B) An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.
(C) An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability and sustainability.
(D) An ability to participate in projects that cross disciplines and to function on multi-disciplinary teams.
(E) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.
(F) An understanding of the professional and ethical responsibility of engineers in a broad societal context.
(G) An ability to communicate effectively.
(H) The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental and societal context.
(I) A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in continuing professional development and life-long learning.
(J) Knowledge of relevant contemporary issues.
(K) An ability to use the modern techniques, skills, and engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
(L) An ability to apply knowledge in the following civil engineering discipline areas: structural, geotechnical, environmental/water resources, and transportation.
(M) An awareness of the need for professional registration in career development.
Requirements
BSCE majors must complete all University and department degree requirements:
- Freshmen and sophomore math, science, and engineering courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C;
- Junior and senior engineering and science courses, and EC 314U must be completed with a minimum grade of C-;
- Prerequisite courses must be passed with the minimum grade ("C" for 100 and 200 level courses, "C-" for 300 and 400 level courses) or better in order to move ahead in the sequence;
- The student’s cumulative PSU GPA must be 2.33 or higher to graduate from the BSCE program;
- Any deviation from the required courses including engineering and mathematics substitutions must be approved in writing by the Department Chair.
Freshman Year
| CE 111 | Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering | 3 |
| CE 112 | Civil and Environmental Engineering Computations | 3 |
| CE 115 | Civil Engineering Drawing and Spatial Analysis | 3 |
| Ch 221 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| Ch 222 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| Ch 227 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| Ch 228 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| Mth 251 | Calculus I | 4 |
| Mth 252 | Calculus II | 4 |
| Mth 261 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 4 |
| | Freshman Inquiry | 15 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 46 |
Sophomore Year
| EAS 211 | Statics | 4 |
| EAS 212 | Strength of Materials | 4 |
| EAS 215 | Dynamics | 4 |
| CE 211 | Plane Surveying and Mapping | 3 |
| CE 212 | Field Problems in Plane Surveying | 1 |
| Mth 254 | Calculus IV | 4 |
| Mth 256 | Applied Ordinary Differential Equations | 4 |
| Ph 221 | General Physics (with Calculus) I | 3 |
| Ph 222 | General Physics (with Calculus) II | 3 |
| Ph 223 | General Physics (with Calculus) III | 3 |
| Ph 214 | Lab for Ph 201 or Ph 211 or Ph 221 | 1 |
| Ph 215 | Lab for Ph 202 or Ph 212 or Ph 222 | 1 |
| Ph 216 | Lab for Ph 203 or Ph 213 or Ph 223 | 1 |
| | Sophomore Inquiry | 12 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 48 |
Junior Year
| CE 315 | The Civil and Environmental Engineering Profession | 1 |
| CE 321 | CEE Properties of Materials | 4 |
| CE 361 | Fluid Mechanics | 4 |
| CE 324 | Elementary Structural Analysis | 4 |
| CE 325 | Indeterminate Structures | 4 |
| CE 341 | Soil Classification and Properties | 4 |
| CE 351 | Introduction to Transportation Engineering | 4 |
| CE 362 | Engineering Hydraulics | 4 |
| CE 364 | Water Resources Engineering | 4 |
| CE 371 | Environmental Engineering | 4 |
| G 301 | Geology for Engineers | 3 |
| Stat 451 | Applied Statistics for Engineers and Scientists I | 4 |
| Ec 314U | Private and Public Investment Analysis | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 48 |
Ec 314U is a required course that can be taken as a part of some upper-division clusters.
Senior Year
| CE 444 | Geotechnical Design | 4 |
| CE 454 | Urban Transportation Systems | 4 |
| CE 484 | Civil & Environmental Engineering Project Management and Design I | |
| CE 494 | Civil & Environmental Engineering Project Management and Design II | 3 |
| | | |
| CE 432 | Structural Steel Design | 4 |
| | or | |
| CE 434 | Principles of Reinforced Concrete | 4 |
| | | |
| | Approved civil engineering electives | 19 |
| | Upper-division cluster | 8 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 45 |
Approved Civil Engineering Electives:
CE 401 – CE 406: 4 credits recommended maximum across all numbers, 2 maximum for CE 404 Internship credit; additional credits require Department Chair approval.
CE 407: 3 credits recommended maximum; additional credits require Department Chair approval.
Total Credit Hours: 187
Students may take one course outside the CEE Department to apply toward senior electives. Approved non-CE courses are ME 321, ME 455, G 424, Geog 488, and Geog 492. Additional non-CE classes require prior approval of the CEE Department; requests should be sent to ceedept@pdx.edu prior to the start of the term.