Bachelor of Science in Civil and Construction Engineering

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 What is Civil and Construction Engineering?

Construction engineering is a specialization within the broader discipline of civil engineering. At UALR, the program focuses on structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, and construction management engineering. However, the program also exposes students to the other major areas of civil engineering, including materials engineering, water resources engineering, environmental engineering, highway engineering, and surveying, through required or elective courses. The civil and construction engineering program prepares students to work in the following areas:

  • Building Structures: Design and construction of commercial and industrial buildings, using  concrete, steel, and other materials.  Foundations, slabs, beams, columns, connectors, frames, and trusses, are designed and analyzed.  Civil and construction engineers  work closely with architects, architectural engineers, and construction managers to construct buildings that are structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing, within the constraints of safety, time, and money.
  • Public Works and Infrastructure: Design and construction of projects, such as highways, bridges, dams, airports, railroads, and water/wastewater treatment plants. The work can be in remote locations and can involve extensive excavation and underground work involving soil and rock. Civil and construction engineers work closely with construction managers to build public works and infrastructure that improve people’s lives and benefit the economy.
  • Temporary Structures: Design and construction of formwork, falsework, scaffolding, shoring, bracing, temporary bridges and trestles, cofferdams, and heavy lift rigging to support construction operations. While these structures are not permanent, they are essential to the construction of buildings, public works, infrastructure, and large mechanical systems, and they must be designed to be both safe and effective.

Admission Policy

Interested students should declare the civil and construction engineering (CNEG) major in the Student Request section of BOSS. Full admission to the CNEG major requires readiness to take MATH 1451 Calculus I, CHEM 1406 Engineering Chemistry, and RHET 1311 Composition I. However, students who are not prepared to take these courses will be admitted to the CNEG major as pre-engineering students.   Students should request the CNEG major as early in their academic career as possible, so that they can receive proper advising.

Advising

Dr. Nickolas S. Jovanovic is the advisor for all civil and construction engineering (CNEG) majors and pre-engineering majors. Advising for spring semester is usually done in November, and advising for summer and fall is usually done in April. Dr. Jovanovic can be found in ETAS 202F or contacted at nsjovanovic@ualr.edu. The department office can be contacted at (501) 569-8133.

Transferring from Another Institution

Students planning to transfer to UALR from other institutions are encouraged to contact Dr. Jovanovic to discuss the courses that will apply toward the civil and construction engineering degree at UALR. Most community colleges do not offer all of the necessary freshman and sophomore level courses in math, science, and engineering. Students transferring from community colleges should not expect to be able to complete the civil and construction engineering major in two or three years. An engineering major generally requires at least four years starting from the semester in which the calculus sequence is started.

Potential transfer students from community colleges should also be aware that the civil and construction engineering program requires a much smaller number of general education (core, basics, etc.) courses than are required for most associate degrees. Taking additional general education courses at the community college will delay entry into and completion of the civil and construction engineering program. The civil and construction engineering program requires only:

  • English Composition I and II (6 hours)
  • U.S. Government or U.S. History (3 hours)
  • Three electives in the fine arts, humanities, social sciences, or foreign languages (9 hours)

In order to transfer into civil and construction engineering as a sophomore, the following courses generally must have been completed elsewhere:

  • Calculus I and II (differential and integral calculus)
  • General Chemistry I with Lab (must be approved for chemistry majors)
  • University Physics I with Lab (must be calculus-based physics)

In order to transfer into civil and construction engineering as a junior, the following additional courses generally must have been completed elsewhere:

  • Calculus III (vector calculus)
  • Engineering Statics (mechanics of rigid bodies)
  • Mechanics of Materials (mechanics of deformable bodies)

Work Experience Requirement

All CNEG students are strongly encouraged to complete a minimum of 800 contact hours of practical work experience in an approved construction-related activity. This stipulation provides the graduate with valuable industry experience and insights.

Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil and Construction Engineering

The civil and construction engineering program combines courses in construction management with courses in several engineering disciplines to prepare graduates to practice engineering within the construction industry.

Basic courses in engineering science prepare students for the required passage of the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination, the first step toward licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE). Construction management courses prepare students for the required passage of the Associate Constructor (AC) examination (Constructor Qualifying Examination–Level 1), the first step toward becoming a Certified Professional Constructor (CPC).

On top of this foundation, courses in construction management engineering, civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, hydraulic engineering, and engineering design prepare students for the construction management and the civil and construction engineering capstone courses offered in the senior year and for careers in construction management engineering or engineering design.

Students seeking a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Construction Engineering must pass each required CNMG course with a grade of C or higher. The degree requires at least 48 credit hours of engineering courses, and at least 32 credit hours of mathematics and laboratory science courses. For graduation, a grade point average of 2.00 or above is required in these engineering, mathematics, and science courses, and a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or above is required for all work completed at UALR.

A minor is not required for the civil and construction engineering degree.

Student Activities

UALR civil and construction engineering students have the oppurtunity to become involved with several engineering organizations, including the Construction Institute (CI) and the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and Engineers Without Borders (EWB).

Accreditation

New engineering programs are not eligible to seek accreditation until at least one student has graduated. Nevertheless, the civil and construction engineering program has already started to prepare for initial accreditation. The Rules of the Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors state that “an applicant will be considered as having graduated from an EAC of ABET accredited program if their program is/was accredited within three (3) years after their graduation.” Therefore, the civil and construction engineering program plans to apply for accreditation within a timeframe that makes all graduates of the program eligible to pursue licensure.