About Civil and Environmental Engineering

The innovative, dynamic work of civil and environmental engineers can be seen everywhere in today’s world. Civil and environmental engineers analyze, plan, design, and build structures such as buildings, bridges, and dams; infrastructure systems for transportation; water resources and natural hazard protection; and environmental control and remediation of both the natural and constructed environment.

The USC Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is at the forefront of education and research, expanding in areas such as hurricane and earthquake design, sustainable development, intelligent transportation systems, high-performance and novel materials characterization, bioelectrical remediation, life-cycle analyses, nondestructive evaluation, and cardiovascular flow.

While working on their degree, USC civil and environmental engineering undergraduate students also have the opportunity to participate in research projects and work with graduate students and professors as research assistants. Research projects stem from the five areas of civil and environmental engineering and are often conducted by multidisciplinary teams and researchers of different backgrounds.

Civil and environmental engineers enjoy high salaries and have a multitude of employment opportunities. Our graduates are prepared to enter the job market with federal, state, and municipal agencies; with private consulting firms involved with aspects of planning, design, construction, or environmental sustainability; and with the development of facilities, resources, and environmental control for industrial development.

Areas of Study

Within the field of civil and environmental engineering, the opportunities are numerous. USC students can choose fields of specialized study and research from a variety of areas.

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.

Geotechnical Engineering focuses on soil, rock, and engineered geomaterials 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 geoenvironmental studies.

Structural Engineering focuses on structural design, material analyses, structural testing, and advanced modeling techniques, including design of concrete and steel, fiber-reinforced polymer material analyses, the design of bridges and other highway systems, seismic engineering and design, material life-cycle analyses, and corrosion resistance and environmental performance analyses.

Transportation Engineering focuses on modeling transportation system operations, traffic sensing technologies, and traffic data analyses, including intelligent transportation systems, modeling and simulation of large-scale transportation networks, weigh-in-motion systems, traffic studies, traffic signal simulation, and pavement management systems and performance modeling.

Water Resources Engineering focuses on the study and computer modeling of natural and industrial flow and transport processes, both in the laboratory and in the field, including fluid mechanics, hydraulic transients, cardiovascular flow, river mechanics and marine sediment transport, scour; hydrology of landfills, storm water modeling and best management practices, and modeling of groundwater flow.