What is Civil Engineering?
Civil engineering encompasses the branches of engineering most closely related to the control and improvement of human environment and conditions of life. Civil and environmental engineering students usually enter careers related to construction of society's infrastructure, and to maintenance and cleanup of the natural environment.
Civil Engineering at GW
For students interested in infrastructure, study at GW prepares them for careers in the planning, design, and construction of buildings, bridges, roads, airports, and rapid transit systems. For students interested in environmental engineering, study at GW prepares them to specialize in pollution control, hazardous waste cleanup, and water and wastewater treatment systems.
The first two years of the civil engineering curriculum establish a foundation in computers, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and the humanities and social sciences. This core is equivalent to those in other School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) majors, so switching to another engineering discipline is easy during this period, as is transferring from another SEAS discipline.
The third and fourth years narrow the focus to the professional education. In these years, studies include basic structural engineering, materials engineering, water resources, and environmental engineering.