Civil Engineering

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

Bachelor of Science (BS)

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's (CEE) undergraduate program offers opportunities for rigorous academic learning, fellowship, hands-on experience, and leadership. Classes are relatively small, so students get to know both the faculty and fellow students.

The program in civil and environmental engineering, which is top-ranked nationally, provides students with a strong fundamental background in engineering science, design, and practice. Students learn to solve societal problems—in California, the United States, and the world—such as:

  • Improving civil infrastructure
  • Protecting resources
  • Mitigating hazards
  • Creating efficient and sustainable civil systems

CEE's four-year curriculum leads to an ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Civil Engineering. Undergraduates at Berkeley have opportunities for professional interactions and community service. CEE has active student chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the national honor society of Chi Epsilon as well as five nationally-ranked competition teams.

Areas of Emphasis

Students with a specific interest within civil engineering may choose to emphasize one of the following areas: engineering and project management; environmental engineering; geosystems; structural engineering, mechanics, and materials; or transportation engineering. Suggestions are listed for elective courses and the capstone design project here .

Selection of an area of emphasis is optional. A BS in Engineering is awarded whether or not a student follows the broad and general program or chooses an area of emphasis.

Accreditation

The BS program in civil engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the ABET, Inc.

Admission to the Major

Prospective undergraduates to the College of Engineering will apply for admission to a specific program in the College. For further information, please see the College of Engineering's website .

Admission to Engineering via a Change of College application for current UC Berkeley students is highly unlikely and very competitive as there few, if any, spaces that open in the College each year to students admitted to other colleges at UC Berkeley. For further information regarding a Change of College to Engineering, please see the College's website .

Minor Program

CEE does not offer a minor in Civil Engineering. Instead, the Department offers the following specialized minors:
Environmental Engineering
GeoSystems
Structural Engineering

Visit Department Website

Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

  1. All technical courses (courses in engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics, statistics, biological sciences, and computer science) must be taken for a letter grade.

  2. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student’s major and minor programs.

  3. A minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for all work undertaken at UC Berkeley.

  4. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for all technical courses taken in satisfaction of major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

For a detailed plan of study by year and semester, please see the Plan of Study tab.

Lower-division Requirements

MATH 1ACalculus4
MATH 1BCalculus4
MATH 53Multivariable Calculus4
MATH 54Linear Algebra and Differential Equations4
CHEM 1A
  & 1AL
General Chemistry
   and General Chemistry Laboratory 1
4
or CHEM 4A General Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis
PHYSICS 7APhysics for Scientists and Engineers4
PHYSICS 7BPhysics for Scientists and Engineers4
Basic Science Elective: Select one of the following:
Physics for Scientists and Engineers
General Chemistry
General Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis
BIOLOGY 1BGeneral Biology Lecture and Laboratory 24
or CIV ENG 70 Engineering Geology
ENGIN 7Introduction to Computer Programming for Scientists and Engineers4
CIV ENG 11Engineered Systems and Sustainability 23
or CIV ENG 70 Engineering Geology
CIV ENG C30/MEC ENG C85Introduction to Solid Mechanics3
CIV ENG 60Structure and Properties of Civil Engineering Materials3
CIV ENG 92Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering1
CIV ENG 93Engineering Data Analysis3
1

 CHEM 4A is intended for students majoring in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a closely-related field.

2

 CIV ENG 70 cannot be used to fulfill both requirements.

Upper-division Requirements

Students with a specific interest within civil engineering may choose to emphasize one of the following areas in their choice of electives: engineering and project management; environmental engineering; geosystems; structural engineering, mechanics, and materials; or transportation engineering.

Suggestions are listed for elective courses and the capstone design project here.

In addition to the requirements listed below, students may choose up to 3 units of Free Electives, in order to meet the 120 units required for graduation. Free electives can be any technical or non-technical course of the student's interest, offered by any department at UC Berkeley, with no restrictions.

CIV ENG 100Elementary Fluid Mechanics4
CIV ENG 130NMechanics of Structures3
CIV ENG 192The Art and Science of Civil and Environmental Engineering Practice1
Engineering Science Elective: Choose one of the following:
Engineering Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics
Engineering Mechanics II
MEC ENG C105B
Course Not Available
Design Elective: Choose one of the following:
Environmental Fluid Mechanics Design
Environmental Engineering Design
Design of Steel Structures
   and Structural Steel Design Project 1
Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures
   and Structural Concrete Design Project 1
Transportation Facility Design
Foundation Engineering Design
CIV ENG 180Life-Cycle Design and Construction 14
Design of Cyber-Physical Systems
Select four courses from the Elective Core:
Introduction to Hydrology
Environmental Engineering
Structural Engineering
Transportation Systems Engineering
Engineering Project Management
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering Systems Analysis
Engineering Electives: Select at least 15 additional units of upper-division technically-oriented engineering coursework offered in the College of Engineering or the Department of Chemical Engineering 2
1

 For Design Electives that are 4 units, 1 of the 4 units can be applied toward the 15-unit Engineering Electives requirement.

2

 The 15 units of Engineering Electives cannot include:

  1. Any course taken on a Pass/No Pass basis; or
  2. Any of the following courses: BIO ENG 100, ENGIN 125, ENGIN 130AC, ENGIN 140, ENGIN 157AC, IND ENG 172, IND ENG 185, IND ENG 186, IND ENG 190, IND ENG 191, IND ENG 192, MEC ENG 106, MEC ENG 190K, MEC ENG 191K, and CHM ENG 185.

College Requirements

Students in the College of Engineering must complete 120 semester units with the following provisions: 

1.        Completion of the requirements of one Engineering major program  of study. 

2.        A minimum overall grade point average of 2.000 (C average) and a minimum 2.000 grade point average in upper division technical course work required of the major. 

3.        The final 30 units must be completed in residence in the College of Engineering on the Berkeley campus in two consecutive semesters. 

4.        All technical courses (math, science & engineering), required of the major or not, must be taken on a letter graded basis (unless they are only offered P/NP). 

5.        Entering freshman are allowed a maximum of eight semesters to complete their degree requirements.  Entering junior transfers are allowed a maximum of four semesters to complete their degree requirements. Summer terms are optional and do not count toward the maximum. Students are responsible for planning and satisfactorily completing all graduation requirements within the maximum allowable semesters. 

Humanities and Social Science Requirement
To promote a rich and varied educational experience outside of the technical requirements for each major, the College of Engineering has a Humanities and Social Sciences breadth requirement, which must be completed to graduate. This requirement is built into all the Engineering programs of study. The requirement includes two approved reading and composition courses and four additional approved courses, within which a number of specific conditions must be satisfied. 

1.        Complete a minimum of six courses (3 units or more) from the approved Humanities/Social Sciences (H/SS) lists

2.        Two of the six courses must fulfill the  Reading and Composition Requirement. These courses must be taken for a letter grade (C- or better required), and MUST be completed by no later than the end of the sophomore year (4th semester of enrollment). The first half of R&C, the “A” course, must be completed by the end of the freshman year; the second half of R&C, the “B “course, by no later than the end of the sophomore year. For detailed lists of courses that fulfill Reading and Composition requirements, please see the Reading and Composition page in this bulletin. 

3.        The four additional courses must be chosen from the H/SS comprehensive list. These courses may be taken on a Pass/Not Passed Basis (P/NP).

4.        At least two of the six courses must be upper division (courses numbered 100-196).

5.        At least two courses must be from the same department and at least one of the two must be upper division. This is called the *Series requirement. AP tests can be combined with a course to complete the series requirement. For example, AP History (any) combined with an upper division History course would satisfy the series requirement

6.        One of the six courses must satisfy the campus American Cultures Requirement. For detailed lists of courses that fulfill American Cultures requirements, please see the American Cultures page in this bulletin. 

7.        A maximum of two exams (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or A-Level) may be used toward completion of the H/SS requirement. Visit this link

8.        No courses offered by an Engineering department (IEOR, CE, etc.) other than BIOE 100, CS C79, ENGIN 125, ENGIN 130AC, 157AC, ME 191K and ME 191AC may be used to complete H/SS requirements.

9.        Courses may fulfill multiple categories. For example, if you complete City and Regional Planning 115 and 118AC that would satisfy the series requirement, the two upper division courses requirement and the American Cultures Requirement.

10.     The College of Engineering (COE) uses modified versions of five of the College of Letters and Science (L&S) breadth requirements lists to provide options to our students for completing the Humanities and Social Science requirement. Our requirement is different than that of L & S, so the guidelines posted on the top of each L & S breadth list do NOT apply to COE students.

11.     Foreign language courses MAY be used to complete H/SS requirements. L & S does not allow students to use many language courses, so their lists will not include all options open to Engineering students. For a list of language options, visit http://coe.berkeley.edu/FL

*NOTE: for the Series Requirement: The purpose of the series requirement is to provide depth of knowledge in a certain area. Therefore, a two-course sequence not in the same department may be approved by petition, in cases in which there is a clear and logical connection between the courses involved. 

Plan of Study

For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), please see the Major Requirements tab.

Freshman
FallUnitsSpringUnits
Chemistry: CHEM 1A & CHEM 1AL or CHEM 43-4ENGIN 74
MATH 1A4MATH 1B4
BIOLOGY 1B or CIV ENG 704PHYSICS 7A4
CIV ENG 921Reading and Composition Course from List B4
Reading and Composition course from List A4 
 16-17 16
Sophomore
FallUnitsSpringUnits
CIV ENG 603CIV ENG 11 (if CIV ENG taken freshman year)0-3
CIV ENG 70 (if not taken freshman year)0-3CIV ENG 933
PHYSICS 7B4CIV ENG C303
MATH 534MATH 544
 Basic Science Elective4
 11-14 14-17
Junior
FallUnitsSpringUnits
CIV ENG 1004CIV ENG 130N3
Humanities/Social Sciences course3-4Engineering Science Elective3
Two courses from the Elective Core6Two courses from the Elective Core6
 Humanities/Social Sciences course3-4
 13-14 15-16
Senior
FallUnitsSpringUnits
CIV ENG 1921Design Elective0-4
Design Elective (can be taken either Fall or Spring)0-4Engineering Electives6-9
Engineering Electives6-9Humanities/Social Sciences course3-4
Humanities/Social Sciences course3-4Free Elective3
 10-18 12-20
Total Units: 107-132

Student Learning Goals

Mission

The Civil Engineering undergraduate program educates engineering leaders who will contribute to solving societal problems by improving the civil infrastructure, resource protection, natural hazard mitigation, and the efficient and sustainable functioning of engineered and natural systems in California, the United States, and the world. These objectives are achieved by:

  • Educating students with fundamental mathematical, scientific, and engineering knowledge to have a significant and positive long-term impact on the field of civil and environmental engineering.
  • Inspiring students and preparing them for successful professional careers, for further studies in high-quality graduate programs in engineering or other professional fields, and for a lifetime of learning.
  • Emphasizing the importance of professional and personal ethics, business and management leadership, and service to society.

Learning Goals for the Major

  1. Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
  2. Ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
  3. Ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs
  4. Ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams
  5. Ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems
  6. Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
  7. Ability to communicate effectively
  8. Understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context
  9. Recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
  10. Knowledge of contemporary issues
  11. Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice

Advising

Faculty Advisors

Each student in CEE is assigned a faculty adviser in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Students are notified of the name of their advisor shortly after they arrive at Berkeley.

Faculty advisors (and, indeed, all faculty members) hold regularly scheduled office hours throughout the school year for the purpose of helping with course content; giving general advice on courses, career objectives, graduate school, letters of recommendation, and summer internships.

Students are required to meet with their faculty advisor each semester prior to their TeleBears appointment to receive their advisor code. This code allows them to access the TeleBears Registration system.

College of Engineering Advising

Students are also assigned an Engineering Student Services (ESS) adviser in the College of Engineering. ESS advisers monitor progress towards the degree, explain graduation requirements, interpret College of Engineering policy, and explain the petition process.

Departmental Advising

CEE's undergraduate advisor answers registration questions, describes courses, interprets departmental policy, and makes referrals to resources on campus. The Department’s undergraduate advisor is located in the CEE Academic Affairs Office, 750 Davis Hall.

Further Information

More advising resources can be found on the CEE Advising website .

Academic Opportunities

Student Organizations

Join one or more of the active student organizations with CEE and the College of Engineering. Learn to apply CEE knowledge outside of the classroom, get leadership and teamwork experience, meet students with similar interests, go on tours and field trips, and participate in community service projects. For further information on student organizations, please see the Undergraduate Student Life page on the Civil and Environmental Engineering website .

Undergraduate Participation in Research

Gain hands-on research experience while at Berkeley. Research experience adds to the quality of the undergraduate program and introduces students to the importance of graduate study. For further information on undergraduate research opportunities, please see the Undergraduate Student Life page on the Civil and Environmental Engineering website .

Study Abroad

Civil and environmental engineering is a profession that depends on collaboration with colleagues nationally and internationally. Thus, the department strongly encourages its students to expand their horizons through an international educational experience. See Berkeley's extensive Education Abroad Program .

Courses

Civil Engineering

CIV ENG 11 Engineered Systems and Sustainability 3 Units

An introduction to key engineered systems (e.g., energy, water supply, buildings, transportation) and their environmental impacts. Basic principles of environmental science needed to understand natural processes as they are influenced by human activities. Overview of concepts and methods of sustainability analysis. Critical evaluation of engineering approaches to address sustainability.

CIV ENG 24 Freshman Seminars 1 Unit

The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.

CIV ENG C30 Introduction to Solid Mechanics 3 Units

A review of equilibrium for particles and rigid bodies. Application to truss structures. The concepts of deformation, strain, and stress. Equilibrium equations for a continuum. Elements of the theory of linear elasticity. The states of plane stress and plane strain. Solution of elementary elasticity problems (beam bending, torsion of circular bars). Euler buckling in elastic beams.

CIV ENG W30 Introduction to Solid Mechanics 3 Units

A review of equilibrium for particles and rigid bodies. Application to truss structures. The concepts of deformation, strain, and stress. Equilibrium equations for a continuum. Elements of the theory of linear elasticity. The states of plane stress and plane strain. Solution of elementary elasticity problems (beam bending, torsion of circular bars). Euler buckling in elastic beams.

CIV ENG 60 Structure and Properties of Civil Engineering Materials 3 Units

Introduction to structure and properties of civil engineering materials such as asphalt, cements, concrete, geological materials (e.g. soil and rocks), steel, polymers, and wood. The properties range from elastic, plastic and fracture properties to porosity and thermal and environmental responses. Laboratory tests include evaluation of behavior of these materials under a wide range of conditions.

CIV ENG 70 Engineering Geology 3 Units

Principles of physical and structural geology; the influence of geological factors on engineering works and the environment. Field trip.

CIV ENG 92 Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering 1 Unit

A course designed to familiarize the entering student with the nature and scope of civil and environmental engineering and its component specialty areas.

CIV ENG 93 Engineering Data Analysis 3 Units

Application of the concepts and methods of probability theory and statistical inference to CEE problems and data; graphical data analysis and sampling; elements of set theory; elements of probability theory; random variables and expectation; simulation; statistical inference. Applications to various CEE problems and real data will be developed by use of MATLAB and existing codes. The course also introduces the student to various domains of uncertainty analysis in CEE.

CIV ENG 98 Supervised Group Study and Research 1 - 3 Units

Supervised group study and research by lower division students.

CIV ENG 99 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Supervised independent study by lower division students.

CIV ENG 100 Elementary Fluid Mechanics 4 Units

Fluid statics and dynamics, including laboratory experiments with technical reports. Fundamentals: integral and differential formulations of the conservation laws are solved in special cases such as boundary layers and pipe flow. Flow visualization and computation techniques are introduced using Matlab. Empirical equations are used for turbulent flows, drag, pumps, and open channels. Principles of empirical equations are also discussed: dimensional analysis, regression, and uncertainty.

CIV ENG 101 Fluid Mechanics of Rivers, Streams, and Wetlands 3 Units

Analysis of steady and unsteady open-channel flow and application to rivers and streams. Examination of mixing and transport in rivers and streams. Effects of channel complexity. Floodplain dynamics and flow routing. Interaction of vegetation and fluid flows. Freshwater and tidal marshes. Sediment transport in rivers, streams, and wetlands. Implications for freshwater ecosystem function.

CIV ENG 103 Introduction to Hydrology 3 Units

Course addresses principles and practical aspects of hydrology. Topics in introduction to hydrology include hydrologic cycle, precipitation, evaporation, infiltration, snow and snowmelt, and streamflow; introduction to geomorphology, GIS (Geographic Information Systems) applications, theory of unit hydrograph, frequency analysis, flood routing through reservoirs and rivers; introduction to rainfall-runoff analyses, watershed modeling, urban hydrology, and introduction to groundwater hydrology.

CIV ENG 105 Environmental Fluid Mechanics Design 3 Units

Hands-on design course in applied fluid mechanics. Course goes beyond basic examples of fluid flow to include detailed discussion of real-world environmental engineering. Class team projects are used to explore real fluid mechanics, e.g., engineering for air quality or design for sea level rise mitigation. Specific project topics vary by offering and include interdisciplinary design issues from structural, geotechnical, environmental and/or transporation engineering.

CIV ENG C106 Air Pollution 3 Units

This course is an introduction to air pollution and the chemistry of earth's atmosphere. We will focus on the fundamental natural processes controlling trace gas and aerosol concentrations in the atmosphere, and how anthropogenic activity has affected those processes at the local, regional, and global scales. Specific topics include stratospheric ozone depletion, increasing concentrations of green house gasses, smog, and changes in the oxidation capacity of the troposphere.

CIV ENG 107 Climate Change Mitigation 3 Units

Assessment of technological options for responding to climate change. Overview of climate-change science; sources, sinks, and atmospheric dynamics of greenhouse gases. Current systems for energy supply and use. Renewable energy resources, transport, storage, and transformation technologies. Technological opportunities for improving end-use energy efficiency. Recovery, sequestration, and disposal of greenhouse gases. Societal context for implementing engineered responses.

CIV ENG 111 Environmental Engineering 3 Units

Quantitative overview of air and water contaminants and their engineering control. Elementary environmental chemistry and transport. Reactor models. Applications of fundamentals to selected current issues in water quality engineering, air quality engineering, air quality engineering, and hazardous waste management.

CIV ENG 111L Water and Air Quality Laboratory 1 Unit

This laboratory course is designed to accompany the lecture topics in Civil Engineering 111. Each laboratory activity will provide an opportunity to understand key concepts in water and air quality through hands-on experimentation. Laboratory topics include phase partitioning, acid/base reactions, redox reactions, biochemical oxygen demand, absorption, gas transfer, reactor hydraulics, particle destablization, disinfection, and combustion emissions.

CIV ENG 112 Environmental Engineering Design 3 Units

Engineering design and project management of environmental systems. Students will complete a design project focusing on pollution control in a selected environmental system. Lectures and project activities will address process design, economic optimization, legal and institutional constraints on design, and project management. Additional components of design (e.g., hydraulics, engineering sustainability, plant structures) will be included.

CIV ENG 113N Ecological Engineering for Water Quality Improvement 3 Units

Ecological engineering approaches for treating contaminated water using natural processes to improve water quality. Emphasis on combining basic science and engineering approaches to understand the fundamental processes that govern the effectiveness of complex natural treatment systems. Applications include constructed wetlands, waste stabilization ponds, stormwater bioretention, decentralized wastewater management, ecological sanitation. Laboratory sessions will consist of design and monitoring of laboratory and full-scale natural treatment systems, including a range of water quality measurements.

CIV ENG 114 Environmental Microbiology 3 Units

The scope of modern environmental engineering requires a fundamental knowledge of microbial processes with specific application to water, wastewater and the environmental fate of pollutants. This course will cover basic microbial physiology, biochemistry, metabolism, growth energetics and kinetics, ecology, pathogenicity, and genetics for application to both engineered and natural environmental systems.

CIV ENG 115 Water Chemistry 3 Units

The application of principles of inorganic, physical, and dilute solution equilibrium chemistry to aquatic systems, both in the aquatic environment and in water and wastewater treatment processes.

CIV ENG C116 Chemistry of Soils 3 Units

Chemical mechanisms of reactions controlling the fate and mobility of nutrients and pollutants in soils. Role of soil minerals and humus in geochemical pathways of nutrient biovailability and pollutant detoxification. Chemical modeling of nutrient and pollutant soil chemistry. Applications to soil acidity and salinity.

CIV ENG 120 Structural Engineering 3 Units

Introduction to design and analysis of structural systems. Loads and load placement. Proportioning of structural members in steel, reinforced concrete, and timber. Structural analysis theory. Hand and computer analysis methods, validation of results from computer analysis. Applications, including bridges, building frames, and long-span cable structures.

CIV ENG 121 Advanced Structural Analysis 3 Units

Theory and application of structural analysis. Stiffness and flexibility methods, with emphasis on the direct stiffness method. Equilibrium and compatibility. Virtual work. Response of linear and simple nonlinear structures to static loads. Use of computer programs for structural analysis. Modeling of two- and three-dimensional structures. Verification and interpretation of structural response.

CIV ENG 122L Structural Steel Design Project 1 Unit

Introduction to one or more comprehensive structural design problems. Design teams will conceive structural system; determine design loads; conduct preliminary and final design of structure and its foundation; prepare construction cost estimate; prepare final report containing project description, design criteria, cost estimate, structural drawings, and supporting calculations; and make "client" presentations as required.

CIV ENG 122N Design of Steel Structures 3 Units

Introduction to materials and methods of steel construction; behavior and design of tension members, compression members, flexural members and beam-columns; design of welds, bolts, shear connections and moment connections; design of spread footings or other foundation elements, inroduction to design of earthquake-resistant steel structures including concentrically braced frames and moment frames.

CIV ENG 123L Structural Concrete Design Project 1 Unit

Introduction to one or more comprehensive structural design problems. Design teams will conceive structural system; determine design loads; conduct preliminary and final design of structure and its foundation; prepare construction cost estimate; prepare final report containing project description, design criteria, cost estimate, structural drawings, and supporting calculations; make "client" presentations as required.

CIV ENG 123N Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures 3 Units

Introduction to materials and methods of reinforced concrete construction; behavior and design of reinforced concrete beams and one-way slabs considering deflections, flexure, shear, and anchorage; behavior and design of columns; design of spread footings or other foundation elements; design of earthquake-resistant structures; introduction to prestressed concrete.

CIV ENG 124 Structural Design in Timber 3 Units

Characteristics and properties of wood as a structural material; design and detailing of structural elements and entire structures of wood. Topics include allowable stresses, design and detailing of solid sawn and glulam beams and columns, nailed and bolted connections, plywood diaphragms and shear walls. Case studies.

CIV ENG 130N Mechanics of Structures 3 Units

Elastic and plastic stress and deformation analysis of bars, shafts, beams, and columns; energy and variational methods; plastic analysis of structures; stability analysis of structures; computer-aided mathematical techniques for solution of engineering problems and modular computer programming methods.

CIV ENG C133 Engineering Analysis Using the Finite Element Method 3 Units

This is an introductory course on the finite element method and is intended for seniors in engineering and applied science disciplines. The course covers the basic topics of finite element technology, including domain discretization, polynomial interpolation, application of boundary conditions, assembly of global arrays, and solution of the resulting algebraic systems. Finite element formulations for several important field equations are introduced using both direct and integral approaches. Particular emphasis is placed on computer simulation and analysis of realistic engineering problems from solid and fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and electromagnetism. The course uses FEMLAB, a multiphysics MATLAB-based finite element program that possesses a wide array of modeling capabilities and is ideally suited for instruction. Assignments will involve both paper- and computer-based exercises. Computer-based assignments will emphasize the practical aspects of finite element model construction and analysis.

CIV ENG 140 Failure Mechanisms in Civil Engineering Materials 3 Units

The failure mechanisms in civil engineering materials (cement-based materials, metallic- and polymer-based materials) are associated with processing, microstructure, stress states, and environmental changes. Fracture mechanics of brittle, quasi-brittle, and ductile materials; cracking processes in monolithic, particulate, and fiber reinforced materials; examples of ductile/brittle failure transitions in civil engineering structures; retrofitting of existing structures; non-destructive techniques for damage detection.

CIV ENG 153 Transportation Facility Design 3 Units

A capstone class with the objective to design transportation facilities based on operational capacity, site constraints, and environmental design considerations. Emphasis on airports, including landside and airside elements, and environmental assessment and mitigation techniques.

CIV ENG 155 Transportation Systems Engineering 3 Units

Operation, management, control, design, and evaluation of passenger and freight transportation systems. Their economic role. Demand analysis. Overall logistical structure. Performance models and modeling techniques: time-space diagrams, queuing theory, network analysis, and simulation. Design of control strategies for simple systems. Feedback effects. Paradoxes. Transportation impact modeling; noise; air pollution. Multi-criteria evaluation and decision making. Financing and politics.

CIV ENG 156 Infrastructure Planning and Management 3 Units

This course focuses on physical infrastructure systems that support society, including transportation, communications, power, water, and waste. These are complex, large-scale systems that must be planned and managed over a long-term horizon. Economics-based, analytical tools are covered, including topics of supply, demand, and evaluation. Problem sets, case studies, and a class project provide for hands-on experience with a range of infrastructure systems, issues, and methods of analysis.

CIV ENG 165 Concrete Materials, Construction, and Sustainability 3 Units

Concrete materials: cements, supplementary cementitious materials, water, and admixtures. Sustainability analysis of concrete materials and mixtures. Development of special concretes: self-leveling concrete, high-performance concrete, and mass concrete. Consideration of sustainability of concrete construction methods used for buildings, highways, airfields, bridges, dams and other hydraulic structures. Non-destructive methods. Discussion of long-term durability. Comprehensive group projects.

CIV ENG 166 Construction Engineering 3 Units

Introduction to construction engineering and field operations. The construction industry, construction methods and practice, productivity improvement, equipment selection, site layout formwork, erection of steel and concrete structures. Labs demonstrate the concepts covered. Field trips to local construction projects.

CIV ENG 167 Engineering Project Management 3 Units

Principles of economics, decision making, and law applied to company and project management. Business ownership, liability and insurance, cash flow analysis, and financial management. Project life-cycle, design-construction interface, contracts, estimating, scheduling, cost control.

CIV ENG 171 Introduction to Geological Engineering 3 Units

Geological and geophysical exploration for structures in rock; properties and behavior of rock masses; rock slope stability; geological engineering of underground openings; evaluation of rock foundations, including dams. No final examination.

CIV ENG 173 Groundwater and Seepage 3 Units

Introduction to principles of groundwater flow, including steady and transient flow through porous media, numerical analysis, pumping tests, groundwater geology, contaminant transport, and design of waste containment systems.

CIV ENG 174 Engineering Geomatics 3 Units

Engineering Geomatics is a field that integrates collections, processing, and analysis of digital geospatial data. This new field is anchored in the established field of geodetics that describes the complex shape of the Earth, elements and usage of topographic data and maps. Basic and advanced GPS satellite mapping. Digital globe technology. Advanced laser-LIDAR mapping. Quantitative terrain modeling, change detection, and analysis. Hydrogeomatics-seafloor mapping.

CIV ENG 175 Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 3 Units

Soil formation and identification. Engineering properties of soils. Fundamental aspects of soil characterization and response, including soil mineralogy, soil-water movement, effective stress, consolidation, soil strength, and soil compaction. Use of soils and geosynsynthetics in geotechnical and geoenvironmental applications. Introduction to site investigation techniques. Laboratory testing and evaluation of soil composition and properties.

CIV ENG 176 Environmental Geotechnics 3 Units

Principles of environmental geotechnics applied to waste encapsulation and remediation of contaminated sites. Characterization of soils and wastes, engineering properties of soils and geosynthetics and their use in typical applications. Fate and transport of contaminants. Fundamental principles and practices in groundwater remediation. Application of environmental geotechnics in the design and construction of waste containment systems. Discussion of soil remediation and emerging technologies.

CIV ENG 177 Foundation Engineering Design 3 Units

Principles of foundation engineering. Shear strength of soil and theories related to the analysis and design of shallow and deep foundations, and retaining structures. Structural design of foundation elements; piles, pile caps, and retaining structures. The course has a group project that incorporates both geotechnical and structural components of different foundation elements.

CIV ENG C178 Applied Geophysics 3 Units

The theory and practice of geophysical methods for determining the subsurface distribution of physical rock and soil properties. Measurements of gravity and magnetic fields, electrical and electromagnetic fields, and seismic velocity are interpreted to map the subsurface distribution of density, magnetic susceptibility, electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties.

CIV ENG 180 Life-Cycle Design and Construction 4 Units

Course encompasses two design aspects of a civil and environmental engineering system: 1) Design of whole system, component, or life-cycle phase, subject to engineering standards and constraints, and 2) production system design (e.g., cost estimation and control, scheduling, commercial and legal terms, site layout design). Students form teams to address real-life projects and prepare project documentation and a final presentation.

CIV ENG 186 Design of Cyber-Physical Systems 3 Units

Design and prototype of large-scale technology intensive systems. Design project incorporating infrastruture systems and areas such as transportation and hydrology; for example, watershed sensor networks, robot networks for environmental management, mobile Internet monitoring, open societal scale systems, crowd-sources applications, traffic management. Design of sensing and control systems, prototyping systems, and measures of system performance. Modeling, software and hardware implementation.

CIV ENG 191 Civil and Environmental Engineering Systems Analysis 3 Units

This course is organized around five real-world large-scale CEE systems problems. The problems provide the motivation for the study of quantitative tools that are used for planning or managing these systems. The problems include design of a public transportation system for an urban area, resource allocation for the maintenance of a water supply system, development of repair and replacement policies for reinforced concrete bridge decks, traffic signal control for an arterial street, scheduling in a large-scale construction project.

CIV ENG 192 The Art and Science of Civil and Environmental Engineering Practice 1 Unit

A series of lectures by distinguished professionals designed to provide an appreciation of the role of science, technology, and the needs of society in conceiving projects, balancing the interplay of conflicting demands, and utilizing a variety of disciplines to produce unified and efficient systems.

CIV ENG 193 Engineering Risk Analysis 3 Units

Applications of probability theory and statistics in planning, analysis, and design of civil engineering systems. Development of probabilistic models for risk and reliability evaluation. Occurrence models; extreme value distributions. Analysis of uncertainties. Introduction to Bayesian statistical decision theory and its application in engineering decision-making.

CIV ENG H194 Honors Undergraduate Research 3 - 4 Units

Supervised research. Students who have completed 3 or more upper division courses may pursue original research under the direction of one of the members of the staff. A final report or presentation is required. A maximum of 4 units of H194 may be used to fulfill the technical elective requirement.

CIV ENG 197 Field Studies in Civil Engineering 1 - 4 Units

Supervised experience in off-campus companies relevant to specific aspects and applications of civil engineering. Written report required at the end of the semester.

CIV ENG 198 Directed Group Study for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Group study of a selected topic or topics in civil engineering.

CIV ENG 199 Supervised Independent Study 1 - 4 Units

Supervised independent study.

Faculty

Professors

Lisa Alvarez-Cohen, Professor. Environmental microbiology, biodegradation of environmental contaminants, microbial carbon cycling, molecular tools for microbial ecology, metagenomics, biological hazardous waste treatment, bioremediation of groundwater pollutants such as PCE, TCE, DCE, VC, TCA, DCA, MTBE, BTEX, PBDEs, NDMA, Dioxane, PFOS, PFOA, fire-fighting foams.
Research Profile

Francisco Armero, Professor. Computational mechanics, nonlinear continuum mechanics.
Research Profile

Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl, Professor. Composite structures, bridges, Steel structures, seismic design, blast protection, connections in steel structures, progressive collapse.
Research Profile

Jonathan D. Bray, Professor. Earthquake engineering, geotechnical engineering, physical and numerical modeling, environmental geotechnics.
Research Profile

Anil K. Chopra, Professor. Earthquake engineering, structural dynamics.
Research Profile

Armen Der Kiureghian, Professor. Risk analysis, earthquake engineering, structural reliability, random vibrations.
Research Profile

Filip C. Filippou, Professor. Nonlinear analysis of structures, finite element analysis, seismic response simulation, seismic evaluation of structures by computer analysis.
Research Profile

Ashok J Gadgil, PhD, Professor. Fuel-efficient stoves, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, developing countries, drinking water, buildings energy efficiency.
Research Profile

Steven Glaser, Professor. Wireless sensor networks, ecological monitoring, rock mechanics, geophysics, nano-seismology.
Research Profile

Sanjay Govindjee, Professor. Finite element analysis, Theoretical and computational solid mechanics, constitutive theory, micromechanics, polymer mechanics, elastomer modeling, thermomechanics.
Research Profile

Klaus Christian Hackl, Professor.

Mark Hansen, Professor. Transportation economics, policy and planning, air transportation, public transportation.
Research Profile

Robert A. Harley, Professor. Air pollution, atmospheric chemistry, motor vehicle emissions, ozone, sustainable transportation, air quality, emission inventory, photochemical air quality modeling, gasoline, diesel.
Research Profile

Slawomir W. Hermanowicz, Professor. Water quality management, biofilms, membrane processes, water reuse, biological processes for water quality, physical sustainability.
Research Profile

Arpad Horvath, PhD, Professor. Transportation, water, construction, sustainability, biofuels, energy, environmental management, life cycle assessment, LCA, infrastructure systems, green design.
Research Profile

C. William Ibbs, Professor. Strategic trends, strategic planning, construction industry, project control, management systems, construction disputes, management of engineering and contruction projects, labor productivity, construction accounting and project finance.
Research Profile

Shaofan Li, Professor. Structural mechanics, computational mechanics and computational physics, finite element methods and meshfree particle methods, atomistic simulation and multiscale simulations, soft matter mechanics, theoretical mechanics and applied mathematics, wave propagations, modeling and simulation of material failure, computational statistical nano-mechanics, bio-mechanics and bio-physics, bio-molecular and cellular mechanics, micromechanics & composite materials.
Research Profile

Samer Madanat, Professor. Transportation systems analysis, transportation infrastructure management, transportation sustainability.
Research Profile

Stephen A. Mahin, Professor. Earthquake engineering, behavior of structures.
Research Profile

Jack P. Moehle, PhD, Professor. Earthquake engineering, structural engineering, reinforced concrete, performance-based earthquake engineering, high-rise buildings, lifeline systems, rehabilitation (retrofitting), laboratory testing.
Research Profile

Paulo J.M. Monteiro, Professor. Concrete behavior, structural materials.
Research Profile

Khalid Mosalam, Professor. Earthquake engineering, concrete and masonry structures, fracture mechanics, damage mechanics.
Research Profile

William W. Nazaroff, Professor. Indoor air quality, pollutant-surface interactions, transport/mixing phenomena, aerosols, semivolatile organic compounds, bioaerosol dynamics, environmental tobacco smoke, source characterization, control techniques, exposure analysis.
Research Profile

Kara L Nelson, PhD, Professor. Natural systems for water, wastewater treatment, detection and inactivation of pathogens in water and sludge, appropriate technologies.
Research Profile

Claudia P Ostertag, Professor. Fiber reinforced concrete, mechanical behavior, toughening mechanisms.
Research Profile

Juan M. Pestana, Professor. Geotechnical engineering, environmental geotechnics, constitutive modeling of soil behavior, soil properties, numerical modeling of soil-structure interaction, geotechnical earthquake engineering.
Research Profile

James W. Rector, Professor. Exploration geophysics, applied seismology.
Research Profile

Yoram N. Rubin, Professor. Risk assessment, hydrogeology, contaminant transport, geostatistics.
Research Profile

David L Sedlak, Professor. Fate and transport of and transformation of chemicals in the aquatic environment, water reuse and water recycling, urban water infrastructure, engineered treatment wetlands.
Research Profile

Raymond B. Seed, Professor. Geotechnical earthquake engineering, soil/structure interaction, slope stability, performance of dams, waste fills.
Research Profile

Raja Sengupta, PhD, Professor. Transportation, wireless communications, inertial navigation for vehicle systems.
Research Profile

Nicholas Sitar, Professor. Geotechnical earthquake engineering, wireless sensors, seismic slope stability, seismic earth pressure, rock erosion, groundwater remediation.
Research Profile

Mark T Stacey, Professor. Environmental fluid mechanics, transport and mixing in stratified flows, dynamics of estuaries, lakes and the coastal ocean, interdisciplinary applications of environmental fluid mechanics.
Research Profile

Iris D. Tommelein, Professor. Lean construction, design management, sustainability, supply-chain management, lean production, life-cycle engineering, civil infrastructure systems, adative leadership, megaproject delivery, construction process engineering, integrated project delivery IPD, building information modeling BIM, virtual design and construction VDC.
Research Profile

Associate Professors

Alexandre M. Bayen, Associate Professor. Transportation, modelling and control of distributed parameters systems, large scale infrastructure systems, water distribution.
Research Profile

Fotini Katopodes Chow, Associate Professor. Environmental fluid mechanics, large-eddy simulation, turbulence modeling, atmospheric boundary layer flow, flow over complex terrain, urban dispersion modeling, coupled land-atmosphere modeling, wind energy applications.
Research Profile

Joan L Walker, PhD, Associate Professor.

Assistant Professors

Scott J. Moura, Assistant Professor.

Marios Agathoklis Panagiotou, Assistant Professor. Earthquake engineering, structural behavior, Earthquake Resistant and Resilient Structures.
Research Profile

Alexey Pozdnukhov, PhD, Assistant Professor.

Sally E Thompson, Assistant Professor. Nonlinear dynamics, spatial ecology, Ecohydrology, surface hydrology, arid and semi-arid watersheds and ecosystems, pattern formation, plant physiology, water resource sustainability.
Research Profile

Evan Abraham Variano, PhD, Assistant Professor.

Adjunct Faculty

Norman A Abrahamson, Adjunct Faculty. Civil and environmental engineering, earthquake ground motions, spectral attenuation relations.
Research Profile

Roger Bales, Adjunct Faculty.

Thomas W. Kirchstetter, Adjunct Faculty.

Michael F. Riemer, PhD, Adjunct Faculty. Static evaluation, dynamic evaluation of soil properties, constitutive behavior of sands, liquefaction of unusual soils.
Research Profile

Henry Tirri, Adjunct Faculty.

Contact Information

Department of Civil Engineering

760 Davis Hall

Phone: 510-642-3261

Fax: 510-643-5264

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Samer Madanat, PhD

763 Davis Hall

Phone: 510-643-8739

chair@ce.berkeley.edu

Vice-Chair for Academic Affairs

Sanjay Govindjee, PhD

760 Davis Hall

s_g@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Staff Adviser

Mitzi Stevens

750 Davis Hall

stevens3@berkeley.edu

College of Engineering Student Services

230 Bechtel Engineering Center

Phone: 510-643-7594

Fax: 510-643-8653

ess@ce.berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Student Adviser

Jane Paris

jparis@berkeley.edu

Back to Top