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Civil Engineering, B.S.

Civil Engineering, B.S.

What is a civil engineering degree?

Civil Engineering Degree

Civil engineering at Florida Tech is a rigorous, accredited curriculum that prepares students to enter the workforce with a minimum of additional training and a maximum of opportunity or for admission to top graduate schools. The program has six areas of engineering specialization available:

  • Construction Management
  • Environmental
  • Geotechnical
  • Structural
  • Transportation
  • Water Resources

Whether you want to engage in land development or design your dream house, bridges, foundations, water distribution systems, water and wastewater treatment plants, canals, highways, or transportation systems, a civil engineering degree from Florida Tech will help you develop a strong background in engineering with hands-on experience in computer-aided design and construction management.

Gain Practical Experience

During your first two years of your civil engineering degree program at Florida Tech, emphasis is placed on foundation courses in chemistry, mathematics, physics, and engineering mechanics, augmented by practice-oriented civil engineering courses. Classroom study is enhanced through field trips and lab work.

As a junior and senior, you will be completing several real-world design projects as part of course assignments, and will culminate with a two-course sequence called a capstone design project in collaboration with a team of your peers. During the capstone design project sequence, you will design a large-scale, real-world project, using good sustainability concepts, while paying attention to local and global issues. You will learn to work in a multidisciplinary team, and greatly enhance your communication skills by writing a technical report and making presentations to industry leaders and prospective employers.

Why pursue a civil engineering degree at Florida Tech?

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Get the facts about graduate studies at Florida Tech

You have two graduate study opportunities:

  1. On Campus
  2. Download the Grad Guide!

  3. At an Education Center near you
  4. Get the Education Center Brochure

You have three graduate study opportunities:

  1. On Campus
  2. Download the Grad Guide!

  3. At an Education Center near you
  4. Get the Education Center Brochure

  5. 100% Online
  6. Learn more about Florida Tech Online

You have two graduate study opportunities:

  1. On Campus
  2. Download the Grad Guide!

  3. 100% Online
  4. Learn more about Florida Tech Online

You have two graduate study opportunities:

  1. At an Education Center near you
  2. Get the Education Center Brochure

  3. 100% Online
  4. Learn more about Florida Tech Online

The ABET-accredited civil engineering program at Florida Tech offers a small student-to-faculty ratio, with an average of 18 students per class within the department. The supportive community of teachers and peers at Florida Tech is conducive to academic success even in the face of a challenging academic environment. Qualified students are encouraged by professors to get involved in research projects. About 80% of our students have at least some internship experience before they graduate; 90% are offered jobs at their place of internship, further supporting our reputation for being one of the best civil engineering schools.

AccreditationABET | Engineering Accreditation Commission

The undergraduate civil engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. Additional information can be found on the department’s ABET information page.

Internationally Recognized Faculty of Professional Engineers

Florida Tech’s civil engineering department is staffed with experienced instructors who are professional engineers—another reason that students consider us one of the best civil engineering schools. All the faculty members have experience in real-world design and conduct research. Many hold several awards such as the College of Engineering (COE) Teacher of the Year Award, Florida Tech Researcher of the Year Award, COE Research Award and Florida Tech Service Award.

High-Tech Lab Facilities

A big reason Florida Tech is considered one of the best civil engineering schools in the country is the availability of fully-equipped civil engineering laboratories that support research in materials and structures, and geotechnical engineering. In addition, students have full access to the F.W. Olin Engineering Complex, a 70,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building that houses the latest in electronic and communications technology, specialized research labs, and a 142-seat multimedia auditorium.

Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-tech Corridor

Florida Tech is the perfect place for a civil engineering degree. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.

The area has the fifth largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.

Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and is a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.

Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations

Beyond the classroom, civil engineering degree students build leadership and professional experience through exciting internships and participation in academic organizations like Tau Beta Pi (the oldest engineering honor society in the US, student government and over 100 other campus-wide student organizations.

Florida Tech’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is among the most active organizations on campus. ASCE takes part in several nationwide competitions to test their engineering skills, including concrete canoe and steel bridge. Our concrete canoe team has reached the national level several times and receives sponsorships from a variety of local businesses.

Chi Epsilon is a civil engineering honor society dedicated to honoring engineering students who have exemplified the principles of scholarship, character, practicality, and sociability in the civil engineering profession.

These organizations allow for networking opportunities for future civil engineering internships and careers.

How will a civil engineering degree prepare me for the future?

Peerless Study and Internship Opportunities

The vast majority of our civil engineering students complete an internship during their time at Florida Tech. Our students have completed civil engineering internships with scores of consulting companies and government agencies.

Civil engineering internships for juniors and seniors include (but are not limited to) civil engineering design, cost estimation, subdivision design, drainage planning, landscape planning, bidding processes, construction site evaluations, and negotiating. Many are offered civil engineering careers by the organization at which they interned.

Superb/Stunning Undergraduate Research Opportunities

In the senior year, capstone design project mentioned above, students take their designs from basic blueprints to presentable projects at the Northrop Grumman Senior Design Showcase held on campus each spring. Capstone projects are designed to simulate a real-world civil engineering situation and include multiple presentations and investigations of project feasibility and environmental impacts.

The Civil Engineering Advisory Committee (CEAC) is involved in reviewing the department’s strategic plan and takes part in the outcome assessment process of the academic program ensuring the learning outcomes are achieved. The CEAC also helps connect students with the civil engineering industry by providing guest lecturers, field trip opportunities, and civil engineering internships.

In addition to the technical education students receive from the university, the Construction Industry Advisory Board (CIAB) provides students with a solid understanding of the many difficult management issues engineering professionals face in the construction industry.

Finish in Five with the Fast-Track Master’s Degree Program

In addition to research opportunities and civil engineering internships, students can take advantage of the FastTrack Master’s Program. This program allows students to take graduate coursework as undergraduates, so students can complete a master's degree in as little as one additional year of study. Earned scholarships carry over to the fifth year.

What can you do with a civil engineering degree?

If you're interested in such things as infrastructure planning and development, land development, and taking care of the basic needs of humanity (shelter, clean air and water, and good transportation systems), you are a superb candidate for a civil engineering career. Historically, 74% of our civil engineering department’s senior receive a job offer or admission into graduate school prior to graduation.

Get Recruited Upon Graduation

Employers seek our graduates with a civil engineering degree from Florida Tech—particularly students who’d had internships that those same companies. Our students are also employed by dozens of cities, counties, and municipalities. Several of our students have started their own companies.

Local and national engineering firms that have offered Florida Tech students exciting internships, then hired them immediately upon graduation, include:

  • Allan and Conrad, Inc.
  • Ardaman & Associates, Inc.
  • Bechtel
  • Boueri Engineers, Inc.
  • Bowman Engineers
  • BRPH Architects & Engineers
  • CH2M Hill
  • City of Palm Bay, Brevard County
  • GeoSyntec Consultants
  • Edward J. Haeck Landscape Architects
  • Jones Edmonds Engineering
  • Kimley Horn & Associates
  • Miller Sellen Conner & Walsh, Inc.
  • Lauderdale Executive Airport
  • NASA
  • Quantitative Environmental Analysis
  • Saint John's River Water Management District
  • STV Group
  • Tensor Engineering
  • Turner Construction
  • VHBA

Career Outlook

Civil engineers are needed everywhere; job location is never a problem. Florida Tech’s civil engineering students are hired by private architectural, construction, environmental, geotechnical, land development, structural, transportation and water resources companies including several national and multi-national companies. Our students also work for local, state (water management districts, department of transportation) and federal agencies (USGS) as well as organizations such as the Walt Disney World. Many civil engineers hold supervisory or administrative positions, while others work in design, project management, research, and teaching.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment in civil engineering careers is expected to grow 19.7% between 2012 and 2022, producing about 53,700 new jobs. While government funding is often the source for civil engineering projects, private company projects will continue to create demand for civil engineering careers.

The BLS provides information about specific jobs including median annual pay, working conditions and job outlook, among other things. Civil engineers are among the highest paid in engineering.

Other Career Options

Careers available with a degree in civil engineering include:

  • City engineer
  • County engineer
  • Environmental engineer
  • Geotechnical engineers
  • Materials engineer
  • Pipeline transportation
  • Structural engineer
  • Transportation engineer
  • Urban and regional planner
  • Project manager
  • Urban transit systems
  • Water resources engineer

Graduate and Doctoral Programs

After receiving their civil engineering degree, 20% of Florida Tech civil engineering students attending graduate school specialize in construction, environmental design, structural engineering, transportation/highway engineering, and water resource design, attending graduate school programs at such prestigious universities as:

  • University of California at Berkeley
  • Cornell
  • Georgia Tech
  • Johns Hopkins
  • Virginia Tech
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  • Stanford

Equally impressive, 99% of our degree recipients begin civil engineering careers or enter graduate school within three months after graduation.

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