DEGREE Civil Engineering, BS
Major in civil engineering
As a civil engineer, you can design sustainable facilities that protect the health and welfare of communities and our environment, while also ensuring society’s financial health. Many of our civil engineering graduates serve society through leadership roles in projects to conceive, design and construct public works.
To expand your knowledge, you can also add the construction engineering and management option—a formal “sub-major” also reflected on your educational transcript.
At a glance
Civil and environmental engineering department
Program and degree information
View the Undergraduate Guide for information on requirements, four-year plans and more.
Determine what kind of student you will be and learn more about what information you need to apply.
A freshman includes anyone who is currently a student in high school or who has not taken college coursework since graduating from high school.
A transfer student is anyone who has attended another college or university after graduating from high school and wishes to enroll in an undergraduate degree program at UW–Madison.
Cross-campus transfer students are students who are currently enrolled in another school or college at UW-Madison who wish to transfer into the College of Engineering.
Students who previously attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an undergraduate and would like to complete their first undergraduate degree will need to apply for reentry admission. Reentry students are those who have not been enrolled in courses for a semester or more.
Tuition and segregated fee rates are always listed per semester (not for Fall and Spring combined).
The College of Engineering is committed to recognizing the potential and accomplishments of incoming and enrolled students by supporting their education through a variety of scholarships at the college and departmental level.
Program Educational Objectives for the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
We recognize that our graduates will choose to use the knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their undergraduate years to pursue a wide variety of career and life goals, and we encourage this diversity of paths. Whatever path our graduates may choose, we expect them to be meeting the following objectives at least three to five years after graduation:
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Design and construct both natural and built processes and systems to efficiently meet determined needs using technical knowledge; modern tools; design principles; ethical practice; and communication, leadership, and team skills.
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Utilize measurement and analysis tools along with experimental data in investigating natural and built systems.
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Understand and incorporate economic, environmental, political, social, safety and global considerations in design, investigation and construction of natural and built systems.
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Engage in lifelong learning to keep pace with the continuous evolution of policies, procedures, technologies and tools for engineering analysis, design, and decision making.
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Serve others through participation in professional and/or civic activities and responsibilities.
Learning Outcomes
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
- an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
- an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
- an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies
Degrees
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Conferred, 2023-2024
Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering: 89 -
Enrolled, Fall 2024
Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering: 342
The B.S. in Civil Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.
View the UW-Madison Guide for information on all civil and environmental engineering courses.
To expand your knowledge, you can also add the construction engineering and management option—a formal “sub-major” also reflected on your educational transcript.
Certificate programs
Fast track to a master’s degree
Civil and Environmental Engineering: Professional, MS
The civil and environmental engineering professional (accelerated) master’s program from UW–Madison equips you with the latest scientific and technological knowledge and the skills and tools you need to analyze advanced engineering problems.
Research opportunities
Civil and Environmental Engineering: Research, MS
Environmental Chemistry and Technology Research, MS
Geological Engineering, MS
Research experience
As an undergrad, you can help pioneer new knowledge or technologies on your own or as a researcher in a professor’s lab. It’s a great opportunity to apply what you’re learning in class, explore a field or topic that interests you, and gain insight into what it’s like to be a graduate student.
Civil and environmental engineering news
