Within the field of civil and environmental engineering, the opportunities are numerous.
Our undergraduate, USC program offers courses in the areas of: Environmental, Geotechnical,
Structures, Transportation and Water Resources.
Environmental Engineering
focuses on improving the environmental quality of air, water, and soils, including
physical and biochemical remediation and treatment, sustainable construction, modeling
of environmental systems, solid and hazardous waste control, air pollution control
and drinking water system designs. The focus area extends to the new area of environmental
application and implication of nanotechnology.
Geotechnical Engineering
focuses on soil, rock and engineered geo materials with specific concentrations
on field and laboratory investigations using standard and novel testing technologies,
design and performance of foundations and earth structures, slope stability analyses,
soil dynamics and liquefaction, pavement design and performance, landfill design
and instrumentation, and geo environmental studies.
Structural Engineering
covers the areas of structural mechanics, structural analysis and design, structural
testing and materials. The focus of the program is in structures and facilities
related to the transportation infrastructure. It addresses: traditional and modern
materials; design innovations, structural health monitoring and life cycle analysis;
structural performance and assessment to extreme loads (earthquakes, blasts, etc);
advanced analytical and computer methods for modeling and simulations.
Transportation Engineering
focuses on the planning, design, operation, and management of transportation
systems with emphasis on intermodal and multi-modal transportation (including high-speed
rail) which are designed to move people and goods from an origin to a destination
in the most efficient, cost-effective, and safe manner, utilizing mathematical modeling
and computer simulation.
Water Resources Engineering
focuses on the study and physical and computer modeling of natural and industrial
flows and transport processes, management of rivers and watersheds, dam break and
levee breech, flood prevention and forecasting, river mechanics and marine sediment
transport, storm water management and modeling, environmental protection and restoration,
and sustainable systems.
