Civil Engineering

Welcome to Civil Engineering

Introduction

In past years, civil engineers focused on design and construction of new facilities, such as buildings, bridges and highways, water treatment and environmental facilities, foundations and tunnels. Today's civil engineer not only has to design new facilities but must also analyze the effects of deterioration on infrastructure elements, consider system interdependencies and evaluate life-cycle impacts while also considering environmental and economic sustainability within the context of society. Civil engineers must be equipped with in-depth knowledge of traditional, fundamental principals and new technologies in order to address the complex, interdisciplinary problems faced within society. The undergraduate program at CUA gives the students the necessary background to success within this new context and to become the future leaders of the profession.

The Catholic University of America is student-oriented and multi-faceted research University. The Department of Civil Engineering is a select group of students and faculty who are dedicated to work together to build a sustainable future through the development of our civil infrastructure and the betterment of our global environment. We have a faculty who are dedicated to excellence in undergraduate teaching and are at the forefront of engineering research. Being in the Nation's capital, we have, also in our faculty, a group of world-class professional experts in engineering, law, business, who bring practice into the classroom.

Mission of the Civil Engineering Program

The mission of the Department of Civil Engineering is to provide a balanced education to students, strong in scientific, engineering, humanistic, and social bases, so that they may attain a leadership role in their profession and "use their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the environment" (Code of Ethics, America Society of Civil Engineers).

Disciplines and Degree Programs:

The major disciplines in civil engineering are: structures, water resources, transportation, construction management, materials, geotechnics, and environmental engineering. The Department of Civil Engineering offers graduate and undergraduate programs leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.), Master of Civil Engineering (M.C.E.), Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.), and Bachelor of Civil Engineering (B.C.E.) with broad coverage of these areas of study. Discover the CUA Advantage or Contact Us for Additional Information.

News and Announcements

Dr. Mavroeidis awarded NSF CAREER award

 Dr. George P. Mavroeidis has received the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Award from the National Science Foundation for a project entitled “ A Comprehensive Approach for Investigating the Effects of Near-Fault Dynamic Ground Deformations on Engineering Structures”. The proposed research is based on an interdisciplinary approach that ranges from the description of the earthquake source, to ground motion modeling, and to dynamic structural response. more...

Dr. Lade awarded NSF grant

Professor Paul Lade received a grant from National Science foundation to study time effects in sand. The research titled "Experimental determination and constitutive modeling of time effects in sand" is aimed at studying the role of grain crushing and the transfer of forces through the grain structure as a result of this phenomena through experimental and modeling studies.

Dr. Lucko was awarded Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize

Dr. Gunnar Lucko and his co-author Dr. Eddy M. Rojas of the University of Nebraska have been selected by the Construction Institute of ASCE to receive the 2011 Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize for their paper: "Research Validation: Challenges and Opportunities in the Construction Domain" published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management more.... 

Dr. Massoudieh Received NSF award

Dr. Arash Massoudieh recieved an NSF award to study horizontal gene transfer in porous media. The research entitled "Collaborative Research: Horizontal Gene Transfer in Porous Media: Experiments and Modeling" start a collaboration between CUA, UIUC and UC Davis aiming at studying the mechanisms involved in transfer of genes from different bacterial species in porous media in quantitative way.

PhD Research Assistantship Position

Financial support is available for highly qualified and motivated graduate students who would like to pursue their graduate studies in the areas of earthquake engineering, structural dynamics, and/or engineering seismology at the Catholic University of America. Students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. are particularly encouraged to apply (more...) 

Provost Millennium Research Assistantship 

The Department of Civil Engineering at CUA is seeking highly qualified applicants for doctoral studies beginning in Spring 2011 or Fall 2011. One competitive Provost Millennium Scholarship is anticipated to be available, which would cover the complete tuition through a waiver plus a $6,000 stipend per semester, renewable up to three years. more...

Research Assistantship Position

The Department of Civil Engineering is seeking highly qualified applicants for a research assistant (RA) position in characterizing and numerical modeling of general construction materials. The successful candidate will enter the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in the Department, starting from Spring 2011 or Fall 2012. more...