Areas of Specialization

The diverse needs of people and society for many types of constructed facilities give a broad range to civil engineering. The breadth is well-suited to allow specialization in one of the major divisions of this branch of engineering. However, it is not necessary to make a commitment to only one area of concentration while in the undergraduate college. The curriculum at Marquette is arranged to permit students to prepare themselves generally in civil engineering by completing the core courses which provide all the necessary fundamentals and selecting electives to acquire the additional depth in one or more of the areas of specialization. All the electives offered by the department are open to students with the required prerequisites. Selection of appropriate courses requires careful planning between the student and a faculty advisor. Students may focus on any of the following areas of specialization:

Construction Engineering and Public Works Management

Construction and public works projects of all types require management as well as the traditional engineering skills. This program is arranged so that a student may vary the usual undergraduate program to obtain the knowledge needed to enter a graduate program in construction and public works management while still maintaining the essentials of a general civil engineering program.

Environmental Engineering

The environmental specialization is concerned with the control and improvement of natural surroundings using scientific and engineering principles. A student may elect to major in environmental engineering or simply choose to emphasize environmental engineering within the civil engineering major. In either case, the student with environmental interests may select from courses in water and wastewater treatment, water resources engineering, and air pollution engineering. Areas of application include conceiving and designing systems for water supply, wastewater disposal, air pollution control, solid and hazardous waste disposal, and design of dams and hydroelectic power plants.

Structural and Geotechnical Engineering

The structural/geotechnical engineering specialization deals with the planning, analysis, design and construction of various types of structures such as buildings, bridges and foundations. Students will learn to analyze and design structures made of concrete, steel, and other materials. They will also learn to analyze and design the foundations that support these structures. Another possible focus area within structural engineering is "forensic engineering," i.e., the investigative analysis of structural failures in an attempt to identify the cause of failure and to prevent future failures.

Transportation Engineering and Planning

The civil engineering major who specializes in transportation engineering and planning learns to identify critical problems in transportation systems and in urban planning, and how to solve these problems. Elective courses that may be of interest to the student deal with traffic control, roadway design, pavement design, airport design, and bridge design. A course in urban planning is also offered for the student to explore the large-scale issues associated with the complexities of metropolitan areas. For those who elect to proceed to the graduate program, the undergraduate program will provide a valuable background to explore the transportation/planning area in greater depth and detail.