Our department
Globally competitive curriculum
A well-rounded core curriculum combined with opportunities for students to specialize in a subfield of civil engineering gives our graduates both breadth and depth of engineering knowledge. Additionally, a departmental emphasis on creating life-long learners who can communicate about technical, social and ethical issues in engineering design prepares our graduates to work well in interdisciplinary and team environments.
The bachelor's degree programs in civil and environmental engineering are both accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, . Learn more about what accreditation means to you.
World-class faculty
Our faculty are dedicated professionals whose active interest in research puts them at the forefront of current technology. Because advanced classes in the major are relatively small, you will get to know and interact with your professors and fellow students. Many of our undergraduates also participate in ongoing research projects.
Industry partnerships and career development opportunities
We work with professional organizations such as the Associated General Contractors of Nevada, American Society of Civil Engineers Truckee Meadows, and other local and regional employers to provide instructional support, mentorship, internship and career opportunities to our students. Internship opportunities (summer or academic year) are plentiful, and our ASCE student chapter is active in several design competitions.
State-of-the-art facilities
For more than 120 years, we have helped Nevada design safe, sustainable communities. Our earthquake engineering facilities include over 30,000 square feet of laboratory, office, and auditorium space supporting students and researchers. The labs house three biaxial shake tables, a six-degree-of-freedom table, a 400-ton laminar soil box with a dedicated shake table for soil-structure interaction experiments, hydraulic actuators and reaction blocks for specialized testing, and material testing and 3D printing equipment.
A full-scale Pavebox supports research on innovative asphalt mixtures, pavement construction, and durability under stress and harsh weather.
Our environmental engineering facilities include a 10,000-square-foot wet chemistry lab for physiochemical water treatment research, advanced drinking water purification and reuse technologies, and a new pathogens lab to study transport, exposure, and mitigation in built and natural environments.
Transportation engineering labs feature LiDAR, radar, thermal and camera sensors, VR/AR tools, a driver simulation platform, and a hardware-in-the-loop traffic signal controller for advanced traffic operations research.
Additionally, the Department houses the Center for Civil Engineering Earthquake Research, Western Regional Superpave Center, and theNevada Water Innovation Institute.
