The planning, designing and construction of facilities that serve people are what civil engineering is all about. These facilities include the highways that connect our nation's cities, airports that serve our travelers, bridges that span our rivers and harbors, dams and levees that control floods and supply water for our cities, and sewage treatment plants that protect our environment. Working with architects and engineers from other disciplines, the civil engineer also participates in the design and construction of buildings. The civil engineering process begins with the accumulation and analysis of basic data. With these data, civil engineers can apply their knowledge of science and engineering design to meet a project's requirements, assuring its successful completion.
Civil engineering is truly broad in scope and a profession of the future.
The civil engineering program at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville is designed to give students a broad background in all areas of civil engineering, permitting specialization in the senior year. Practical applications are emphasized with sufficient theory so that the individual can grow with the future as new materials, methods and designs develop. Students must first complete basic courses in mathematics, physics and chemistry, and must learn to communicate in written, oral and graphic forms as well as through the use of computers. Electives in the social sciences and humanities add perspective, allowing students to recognize and understand some of the non-engineering systems and forces at work in the world. UW-Platteville is a relatively small university with an emphasis on teaching rather than on research.