The curriculum includes basic sciences, social sciences, humanities, communication skills, engineering sciences, and engineering design. Civil engineering is a diverse professional field with discipline specialties in structures, transportation, water supply and water pollution control, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydrology, hydraulics and water resources, surveying, ocean engineering, and engineering planning and economics.
All students receive basic instruction in all disciplines.
Additional elective courses in structures, water resources, transportation, surveying, environmental, geotechnical, ocean engineering, and construction engineering management are available. The Department of Civil Engineering offers an undergraduate minor and option in Environmental Engineering. The Environmental Engineering option and minor provides education in water pollution, air pollution, solid wastes and hazardous wastes. The growing complexity of modern engineering practice has required further specialization in one or more engineering disciplines. This is generally attained through postgraduate study.