About the Program
Minor
The Minor in Structural Engineering is designed primarily for students in the College of Environmental Design to experience the engineering approach to the solution of design problems, but it is available to students from any department who meet the following prerequisites to apply:
- Understanding of material behavior for structural response and ability to describe such behavior with simple models
- Understanding of structures and methods of analysis
- Design of structures made of steel, concrete or timber
These basic foundations are complemented by additional courses in materials and construction and analysis.
The minor offers to students of the College of Environmental Design access to the joint graduate Masters in Science and Masters in Architecture (MS-MArch) degree from the two departments, one of very few such degrees in the entire United States. With it comes the ability to practice either as an architect or as a structural engineer with a very thorough knowledge of each field. Whereas engineering focuses on analytical methods for the solution to problems, the visual, socio-economical approach of architecture courses is an indispensable complement. The same is true the other way.
Employment opportunities exist in major architectural-engineering companies that appreciate the holistic approach to design including Ove Arup, Skidmore, Owings and Merill, Buro Happold, Calatrava, and Schlaich-Bergerman. However, graduates of the joint degree are also employed with smaller companies emphasizing either architectural design or engineering.
Declaring the Minor
To be considered for admission to the minor, students should satisfy the following:
- Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0
- Have completed the lower division prerequisite courses with a GPA of 3.0 (for further information regarding the prerequisites, see the Minor Requirements tab on this page)
- Be able to complete the minor without delaying graduation
Upon admission to the minor, students should:
- Complete a minimum of five courses, of which no more than one can be counted toward the requirements for the major(s)
- Earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the minor
After completion of the prerequisite courses, students need to complete and submit to the Civil and Environmental Academic Affairs office (750 Davis Hall) a Minor Program Application form.
Upon completion of the minor requirements, the student must complete and submit to the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s Office of Academic Affairs the Confirmation of Completion form during the first 2 weeks of the term in which the minor will be completed.
Other Majors and Minors Offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil Engineering (Major only)
Environmental Engineering (Minor only)
GeoSystems (Minor only)
Minor Requirements
Minor programs are areas of concentration requiring fewer courses than an undergraduate major. These programs are optional, but they can provide depth and breadth to a UC Berkeley education. The College of Engineering does not offer additional time to complete a minor, but it is usually possible to finish within the allotted time with careful course planning. Students are encouraged to meet with their ESS adviser to discuss the feasibility of completing a minor program.
All the engineering departments offer minors. Students may also consider pursuing a minor in another school or college.
All minors must be declared no later than one semester before a student's Expected Graduation Term (EGT). If the semester before EGT is fall or spring, the deadline is the last day of RRR week. If the semester before EGT is summer, the deadline is the final Friday of Summer Sessions. To declare a minor, contact the department advisor for information on requirements, and the declaration process.
Lower Division Prerequisites
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following math sequences: | 8 | |
| Calculus and Calculus | ||
| Analytic Geometry and Calculus and Analytic Geometry and Calculus | ||
| PHYSICS 7A | Physics for Scientists and Engineers | 4 |
| or PHYSICS 8A | Introductory Physics | |
| CIV ENG C30/MEC ENG C85 | Introduction to Solid Mechanics | 3 |
Requirements
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CIV ENG 60 | Structure and Properties of Civil Engineering Materials | 3 |
| CIV ENG 120 | Structural Engineering | 3 |
| CIV ENG 122N | Design of Steel Structures | 3 |
| or CIV ENG 123N | Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures | |
| Select two courses from the following: | 8 | |
| Structural Analysis [3] 1 | ||
| Design of Steel Structures [3] | ||
or CIV ENG 123N | Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures | |
| Structural Design in Timber [3] | ||
| Mechanics of Structures [3] | ||
| Failure Mechanisms in Civil Engineering Materials [3] | ||
| Concrete Materials, Construction, and Sustainability [3] | ||
| Construction Engineering [3] | ||
| Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering [3] | ||
| Engineering Risk Analysis [3] | ||
| 1 | CIV ENG 121 is required for admission into the graduate program in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials Program. |
UC and Campus Requirements
University of California Requirements
All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Satisfaction of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all Reading and Composition courses at UC Berkeley.
American History and American Institutions
The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a U.S. resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.
Campus Requirement
The American Cultures requirement is a Berkeley campus requirement, one that all undergraduate students at Berkeley need to pass in order to graduate. You satisfy the requirement by passing, with a grade not lower than C- or P, an American Cultures course. You may take an American Cultures course any time during your undergraduate career at Berkeley. The requirement was instituted in 1991 to introduce students to the diverse cultures of the United States through a comparative framework. Courses are offered in more than fifty departments in many different disciplines at both the lower and upper division level.
The American Cultures requirement and courses constitute an approach that responds directly to the problem encountered in numerous disciplines of how better to present the diversity of American experience to the diversity of American students whom we now educate.
Faculty members from many departments teach American Cultures courses, but all courses have a common framework. The courses focus on themes or issues in United States history, society, or culture; address theoretical or analytical issues relevant to understanding race, culture, and ethnicity in American society; take substantial account of groups drawn from at least three of the following: African Americans, indigenous peoples of the United States, Asian Americans, Chicano/Latino Americans, and European Americans; and are integrative and comparative in that students study each group in the larger context of American society, history, or culture.
This is not an ethnic studies requirement, nor a Third World cultures requirement, nor an adjusted Western civilization requirement. These courses focus upon how the diversity of America's constituent cultural traditions have shaped and continue to shape American identity and experience.
Visit the Class Schedule or the American Cultures website for the specific American Cultures courses offered each semester. For a complete list of approved American Cultures courses at UC Berkeley and California Community Colleges, please see the American Cultures Subcommittee’s website. See your academic adviser if you have questions about your responsibility to satisfy the American Cultures breadth requirement.
Faculty and Instructors
+ Indicates this faculty member is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.
Faculty
Norman Abrahamson, Adjunct Professor. Civil and environmental engineering, earthquake ground motions, spectral attenuation relations .
Research Profile
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.
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Francisco Armero, Professor. Computational mechanics, nonlinear continuum mechanics.
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Roger Bales, Adjunct Professor. Hydrology, water resources, climate, earth science, environmental engineering .
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Alexandre M. Bayen, Professor. Transportation, modelling and control of distributed parameters systems, large scale infrastructure systems, water distribution.
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Tracy Becker, Assistant Professor. Structural dynamics and design, earthquake engineering, isolation and other high performance systems, use of novel materials in design.
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Jonathan D. Bray, Professor. Earthquake engineering, geotechnical engineering, physical and numerical modeling, environmental geotechnics.
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Michael J. Cassidy, Professor. Traffic and transportation operations, traffic control.
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Fotini Katopodes Chow, 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 .
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Carlos F. Daganzo, Professor. Logistics, networks, urban transportation, traffic flow .
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Mathew De Jong, Assistant Professor. Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials.
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Filip C. Filippou, Professor. Nonlinear analysis of structures, finite element analysis, seismic response simulation, seismic evaluation of structures by computer analysis .
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Ashok Gadgil, Professor. Fuel-efficient stoves, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, developing countries, drinking water, buildings energy efficiency .
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Steven D. Glaser, Professor. Wireless sensor networks, ecological monitoring, rock mechanics, geophysics, nano-seismology .
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Allen Goldstein, Professor. Global change, air pollution, environmental science, biogeochemistry, atmospheric chemistry .
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Marta Gonzalez, Associate Professor.
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Sanjay Govindjee, Professor. Finite element analysis, Theoretical and computational solid mechanics, constitutive theory, micromechanics, polymer mechanics, elastomer modeling, thermomechanics, continuum mechanics, failure analysis .
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Mark Hansen, Professor. Transportation economics, policy and planning, air transportation, public transportation .
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Robert Harley, Professor. Air pollution, atmospheric chemistry, motor vehicle emissions, ozone, sustainable transportation, air quality, emission inventory, photochemical air quality modeling, gasoline, diesel .
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Slav W. Hermanowicz, Professor. Water quality management, biofilms, membrane processes, water reuse, biological processes for water quality, physical sustainability .
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Arpad Horvath, Professor. Life cycle assessment, LCA, sustainability, green design, transportation, water, construction, biofuels, energy, environmental management, infrastructure systems .
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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 .
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Adib Kanafani, Professor. Transportation economics, air transportation, transportation planning, transportation systems analysis, aviation policy and planning, urban and regional planning .
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Robert Kayen, Adjunct Professor. GeoSystems.
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Thomas W. Kirchstetter, Adjunct Professor. Air pollution .
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Dimitrios Konstantinidis, Assistant Professor. Structural dynamics, earthquake engineering, nonstructural components, seismic isolation, passive control.
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Laurel Larsen, Associate Professor. Hydroecology, landscape dynamics, complex environmental systems, environmental restoration.
Shaofan Li, Professor. Structural mechanics, computational mechanics and computational physics, finite element methods and meshfree particle methods, atomistic simulation and multiscale simulations, nonlinear continuum mechanics, soft matter mechanics, wave propagations, Modeling and simulation of material failures, Nano-mechanics, bio-mechanics and bio-physics, Cellular mechanics, micromechanics & composite materials .
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Baoxia Mi, Associate Professor. Membrane separation, transport and interfacial phenomena, physicochemical processes, drinking water purification and wastewater reuse, desalination, environmental nanotechnology, and innovative applications of membrane technology to renewable energy generation, public health protection, and_hygiene and sanitation improvement for underdeveloped and disaster-ridden regions .
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Jack P. Moehle, Professor. Earthquake engineering, structural engineering, reinforced concrete, performance-based earthquake engineering, high-rise buildings, lifeline systems, rehabilitation (retrofitting), laboratory testing .
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Paulo J.M. Monteiro, Professor. Concrete behavior, structural materials .
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Khalid M. Mosalam, Professor. Earthquake engineering, concrete and masonry structures, fracture mechanics, damage mechanics .
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Scott Moura, Associate Professor. Optimal control, PDE control, estimation, adaptive control, dynamic system modeling, energy management, battery management systems, vehicle-to-grid, smart grid .
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Kara L. Nelson, Professor. Water and wastewater treatment, water reuse, detection and inactivation of pathogens in water and sludge, appropriate technologies .
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Claudia P. Ostertag, Professor. Fiber reinforced concrete, mechanical behavior, toughening mechanisms .
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James W. Rector, Professor. Geophysics, Oil and Gas, Unconventional Shale Gas Reservoirs, Horizontal Drilling, Fracking, Near Surface Seismology, Tunnel Detection, Treasure Hunting, and Geophysical Archaeology, Borehole Seismology .
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Michael Riemer, Adjunct Professor. Static evaluation, dynamic evaluation of soil properties, constitutive behavior of sands, liquefaction of unusual soils .
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Yoram N. Rubin, Professor. Risk assessment, hydrogeology, contaminant transport, geostatistics .
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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 .
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Raja Sengupta, Professor. Transportation, wireless communications, inertial navigation for vehicle systems .
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Susan Shaheen, Professor In-Residence. Policy analysis, behavioral research, transportation, energy/environment, mobility and sharing economy, ITS (smartphone apps, automated vehicles), alternative fuels, and mobility for special populations (accessibility) .
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Zuo-Jun Max Shen, Professor. Logistics, supply chain design and management, inventory management, auction mechanism design .
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Nicholas Sitar, Professor. Geotechnical earthquake engineering, wireless sensors, seismic slope stability, seismic earth pressure, rock erosion, groundwater remediation .
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Alexander Skabardonis, Professor In-Residence. Transportation, traffic engineering, traffic control systems, traffic management, the environment .
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Kenichi Soga, Professor. Infrastructure sensing and geomechanics for energy and sustainability .
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Mark 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 .
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Robert L. Taylor, Professor. Computational mechanics, mechanics of solids, finite element methods, finite element software .
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Sally Thompson, Associate Adjunct Professor. Nonlinear dynamics, spatial ecology, Ecohydrology, surface hydrology, arid and semi-arid watersheds and ecosystems, pattern formation, plant physiology, water resource sustainability .
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Iris D. Tommelein, Professor. Lean construction, lean production, design management, sustainability, supply-chain management, life-cycle engineering, civil infrastructure systems, adaptive project leadership, megaproject delivery, construction process engineering, integrated project delivery IPD, building information modeling BIM, virtual design and construction VDC .
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Evan A. Variano, Associate Professor. Fluid mechanics, turbulence, wetlands, imaging, plankton, sediment transport .
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Joan Walker, Professor. Behavioral modeling, with an expertise in discrete choice analysis and travel behavior .
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Affiliated Faculty
Paolo D'Odorico, Professor. Ecohydrology, Surface Hydrology, Ecosystem Ecology, Aeolian Processes, Desertification, Stochastic, Nonlinear Environmental Dynamics, Water and Food Security.
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Paul Waddell, Professor. UrbanSim, land use models, transportation models, urban sustainability.
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Lecturers
Jasenka Rakas, Continuing Lecturer. Availability and reliability of communications, navigation and surveillance systems, airport systems planning and design, airport and airspace capacity and delay analysis, systems modeling and performance analysis, National Airspace System (NAS) infrastructure performance and investment analysis, air traffic flow management, cost/benefit analysis, simulation modeling and analysis, human factors and cognitive psychology .
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Ronald Shumway, Continuing Lecturer. Legal Resolution of Construction-Related Disputes.
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Emeritus Faculty
James M. Anderson, Professor Emeritus. Detection of faultline movements, modern surveying techniques, image processing applications, photogrammetry.
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Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl, Professor Emeritus. Structural engineering, bridges, buildings, eathquake engineering, collapse of structures, Steel structures, welds, bolts, protection of buildings and bridges against terrorist attacks, self anchored suspension Bay Bridge, fatigue and fracture of structures, failure analysis, gusset plates, base plates, seismic design, ethics in engineering, registered professional engineer, long span bridges, skyscrapers, World Trade Center collapse studies.
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Robert G. Bea, Professor Emeritus. Risk management, risk assessment, reliability, human and organizational factors, quality assurance, quality control, design, construction, maintenance, operations, decommissioning, ocean engineered systems.
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Alex Becker, Professor Emeritus. Civil and environmental engineering, geoengineering, airborne electromagnetic sensing systems, detection and classification of buried metallic objects, high frequency impedance measurements for non-invasive permittivity determination.
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Jack G. Bouwkamp, Professor Emeritus.
+ Anil K. Chopra, Professor Emeritus. Earthquake engineering, structural dynamics.
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George A. Cooper, Professor Emeritus. Novel drilling methods, drill bit design, borehole stability, cryogenic drilling, diamond tooth wear, electro-osmosis to reduce bit balling .
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Keith C. Crandall, Professor Emeritus. Construction engineering.
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Armen Der Kiureghian, Professor Emeritus. Risk analysis, earthquake engineering, structural reliability, random vibrations .
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John A. Dracup, Professor Emeritus. Hydroclimatology, water resources systems, surface water hydrology .
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Mostafa Foda, Professor Emeritus. Continental shelf water dynamics, seabed mechanics .
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Richard E. Goodman, Professor Emeritus. Rock mechanics, characterization and analysis of discontinuous rocks .
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Alexander J. Horne, Professor Emeritus. Water pollution, behavior of pollutants in an aqueous environment .
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David Jenkins, Professor Emeritus. Biological wastewater treatment, water chemistry, wastewater chemistry .
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James M. Kelly, Professor Emeritus. Seismic response of structures, seismic-resistant design .
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Jacob Lubliner, Professor Emeritus. Plasticity, viscoelasticity .
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Samer M. Madanat, Professor Emeritus. Transportation systems analysis, transportation infrastructure management, transportation sustainability .
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Adolf D. May, Professor Emeritus. Operations, control systems, simulation modeling, detector systems, capacity Analysis, HOV Systems .
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Povindar K. Mehta, Professor Emeritus. Admixtures, aggregates, cements, composite materials, concrete, industrial waste management and waste reuse .
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James K. Mitchell, Professor Emeritus.
Carl L. Monismith, Professor Emeritus. Pavement design, pavement rehabilitation, asphalt paving technology, transportation facilities design .
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H. Frank Morrison, Professor Emeritus. Applied geophysics, electromagnetic methods, electrical properties of rocks, soils, field surveys and interpretation .
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William W Nazaroff, Professor Emeritus. Indoor air quality, pollutant-surface interactions, transport/mixing phenomena, aerosols, semivolatile organic compounds, bioaerosol dynamics, environmental tobacco smoke, source characterization, control techniques, exposure analysis .
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+ Juan M. Pestana, Professor Emeritus. Geotechnical engineering, environmental geotechnics, constitutive modeling of soil behavior, soil properties, numerical modeling of soil-structure interaction, geotechnical earthquake engineering .
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Karl S. Pister, Professor Emeritus. Technology, K-12 math and science education, technological literacy, society .
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Graham H. Powell, Professor Emeritus. Bridges, earthquake engineering, computing, buidings .
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+ Raymond B. Seed, Professor Emeritus. Geotechnical earthquake engineering, soil/structure interaction, slope stability, performance of dams, waste fills.
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Hsieh Wen Shen, Professor Emeritus. Fluvial hydraulics, environmental river mechanics, basic sediment transport .
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Rodney J. Sobey, Professor Emeritus. Civil and environmental engineering, coastal hydrodynamics, estuaries and wetlands, wave theory, hydrodynamic circulation in the coastal-zone, transient response modes of water bodies .
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Garrison Sposito, Professor Emeritus.
Jerome F. Thomas, Professor Emeritus. Water, applied chemistry: air, corrosion .
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Martin Wachs, Professor Emeritus. Urban Transportation Planning , Transportation Economics and Finance, Ethics in Planning.
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William C. Webster, Professor Emeritus. Nonlinear coupled motions of offshore structures, operations research, shallow-water wave mechanics .
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Edward L. Wilson, Professor Emeritus. Computational mechanics, civil and environmental engineering, systems, numerical methods, analysis and design, large structural, field testing of structures .
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Contact Information
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
760 Davis Hall
Phone: 510-642-3261
Fax: 510-643-5264