Civil Engineering (Engineering, BSE)

Program: Civil Engineering Major 
Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering  
College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science

Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science Building, Room 321 ~ 260-481-6965

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Purdue University Fort Wayne offers a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) with majors in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. These programs share a common foundation in mathematics, science, and engineering fundamentals while allowing students to develop discipline-specific expertise in their chosen major.

Engineering is a broad and integrative profession that applies principles of mathematics, science, and technology to design, analyze, and implement solutions to complex real-world problems. Engineers work across diverse domains to improve quality of life, advance technology, and address societal needs while considering public health, safety, sustainability, ethics, and economic constraints. Reflecting this broad nature, all engineering majors within the BSE degree emphasize analytical thinking, design, communication, teamwork, and lifelong learning.

Students across all four majors complete a common core curriculum, including calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, chemistry, physics, and Engineering Fundamentals I and II. This shared foundation supports a unified set of Degree Learning Outcomes (DLOs) that overlap substantially across the majors while preparing graduates for professional practice, graduate study, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Degree Learning Outcomes (DLO)

1. Problem Solving and Analysis: Graduates will be able to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of mathematics, science, and engineering fundamentals.
2. Engineering Design: Graduates will be able to apply the engineering design process to develop solutions that meet specified needs, with appropriate consideration of public health, safety, welfare, and relevant global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. Communication: Graduates will be able to communicate engineering concepts, analyses, and solutions effectively to a range of audiences, including technical and non-technical stakeholders, using written, oral, and graphical forms.
4. Ethics and Professional Responsibility: Graduates will be able to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering practice and make informed judgments that consider the broader impacts of engineering solutions in societal, environmental, and economic contexts.
5. Teamwork and Leadership: Graduates will be able to function effectively as members of multidisciplinary teams, contributing to leadership, collaboration, goal setting, task planning, and successful project completion in inclusive and professional environments.
6. Experimentation and Data Analysis: Graduates will be able to develop and conduct appropriate experiments or analyses, interpret data, apply engineering judgment, and draw valid conclusions relevant to engineering practice.
7. Lifelong Learning: Graduates will be able to acquire, adapt, and apply new knowledge as needed using appropriate learning strategies, recognizing the evolving nature of engineering tools, technologies, and professional expectations.

Civil Engineering Major

Civil engineers design, construct, manage, and improve the built environment that is all around us. Purdue University Fort Wayne offers a four-year civil engineering undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree.

The program is designed to give students a broad exposure to all areas of engineering; to develop a sound understanding of the science that underlies civil engineering; and to foster students’ creativity and professional skills through design and project work.

Our students, while drawn from diverse backgrounds, are able and committed to learning. Purdue University Fort Wayne delivers an exceptional educational experience to engineering students, encouraging collaboration and teamwork throughout the curriculum.  In addition to coursework, the department supports and encourage student participation in undergraduate research, co-op and internships, and several active student organizations.

In its recently (2022) released rankings of the best colleges and universities in the United States, U.S. News & World Report deemed the engineering programs at Purdue Fort Wayne to be among the best in the country.

Educational Objectives:

As a framework for the continuous improvement policy, the Civil Engineering program has adopted a set of program educational objectives that describe the anticipated accomplishments of our graduates within a few years after graduation.

The Civil Engineering program educational objectives are to produce graduates who:

• Advance professionally to roles of greater Civil Engineering technical responsibilities, and/or by transitioning into leadership position in business, government, and/or education.
• Participate in life-long learning through the successful completion of advanced degree(s), continuing education, and/or engineering certification(s)/licensure or other professional development.
• Demonstrate a commitment to community by applying technical skills and knowledge to support various service activities.

Student Learning Outcomes:

The graduates from the Civil Engineering Program will demonstrate that they can:

• identify, formulate, solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
• apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
• communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
• recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
• function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
• develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
• acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Accreditation:

• The Civil Engineering program within the BSE degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Criteria.

Program Delivery:

• The Civil Engineering program is delivered primarily through on-campus courses; however, some of the required General Education courses are available as hybrid and/or on-line courses and those can be used to satisfy the program requirements.

Declaring this Major:

Students interested in declaring Civil Engineering as their major may do so in one of two ways:

• On their application when they first apply to Purdue Fort Wayne
• After meeting with a CE faculty advisor, who will determine that the student has the required math background to begin our program

General Requirements:

• Degree Requirements  
• General Education Requirements   
• Academic Regulations