Civil Engineering Department
Wondering whether a degree in civil engineering is right for you? Contact our office to ask questions or set up a conversation with one of our advisors.
Phone: 530-898-5342
Email: ce@csuchico.edu
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Civil Engineering BS
Program Type Undergraduate Major
Delivery Type On Campus
If nature didn’t create it, chances are a civil engineer did. Civil engineers are the masterminds behind the infrastructure we rely on every day, from roads and bridges to dams and buildings. They use critical thinking and scientific and mathematical expertise to tackle complex challenges, ensuring our infrastructure is safe, efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective.
Our program ranks among the top 20 civil engineering programs in the nation, placing a strong emphasis on project-based learning. You'll gain the skills to plan and design sustainable, resilient infrastructure by leveraging cutting-edge materials, technology, and construction techniques.
It Starts with a Strong Foundation
Your courses will cover the basics of mathematics and science, as well as topics like environmental engineering, soil mechanics, traffic engineering, water resources, and areas like surveying and mapping, construction engineering and management, and urban planning and administration.
Specializations and Options
Environmental Engineering
Tackle the problems that affect our health and well-being. In this option, you will study topics such as water quality, water supply, distribution, and drinking water treatment, wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal.
Structural Engineering
We know it’s important that the next generation of civil engineers understand how to design better buildings and structures with resiliency in mind. This option prepares you to create safe and efficient structures, including bridges, airports, and skyscrapers.
Transportation Engineering
If you have driven on a congested highway, you know the importance of transportation engineering. This area includes transportation systems and facility planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance, pavement design, and traffic engineering.
Water Resource Engineering
Water is our most valuable commodity, and engineers are responsible for managing the supply, distribution, and drainage of this essential resource. This field includes water budget modeling, storm water routing, and urban storm water management.
Pave the Way for Future Success
Our graduates are ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century. They have the skills to excel in a hard hat at the jobsite or in a suit and tie at the board room table. Our alumni are making their mark in the private sector for consulting firms, with large construction companies, and for government agencies like Caltrans and the Department of Water Resources.
- Median annual wage for civil engineers is $95,890
- Employment is projected to grow 5 percent from 2022 to 2032
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I enjoyed nearly all my engineering classes and appreciated the broad spectrum of classes required under the degree program, including surveying!
Student Today, Industry Leader Tomorrow
Student competitions
Test your design and building abilities through national student competitions. You can build a mechanically stabilized earth retaining wall, construct and race concrete canoes, or build a steel bridge.
Internship Program
You can choose to participate in the American Public Works Association Internship Program and get paid while you earn academic credit.
Asphalt Technology Workshop
Sponsored by the American Public Works Association, you will have a rare opportunity to expand your knowledge of asphalt as you set yourself apart in this industry. You can also network and hear from industry leaders.
Research in Aftermath of Camp Fire Reveals the Threat of Wildfires on Water Quality
Critical research by faculty at Chico State, UC Boulder, and USGS aims to identify preventative insight during future wildfires.
A Built-In Support System
Join our vibrant student chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Institute of Transportation Engineers, and Sustainable Engineering and Environmental Health for Development. Connect with like-minded peers by becoming a part of Chi Epsilon, Society of Women Engineers, or Latinos in Technical Careers.
Put Your Skills to the Test
Participate in innovative research, enhance your skills, and contribute to meaningful projects in our cutting-edge facilities and specialized areas, such as structures and civil engineering materials testing labs, concrete mixing and curing space, environmental engineering lab, fluids lab, and the California Pavement Preservation Research Center.
Discover Stories and More
Chico State Today
Creating Community Brings Comfort to International Student
Civil engineering major Jasem Alhumaidi moved half a world away from home when he came to Chico from Kuwait four years ago but he found comfort in creating his own community here through campus clubs.
Students Restore Spirit of Caper Acres
A team of interdisciplinary students devoted nine months and 2,744 volunteer hours to rehabilitate Caper Acres, an iconic children’s playground in Chico. Watch the video.
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Creating Community Brings Comfort to International Student
Civil engineering major Jasem Alhumaidi moved half a world away from home when he came to Chico from Kuwait four years ago but he found comfort in creating his own community here through campus clubs.
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Students Restore Spirit of Caper Acres
A team of interdisciplinary students devoted nine months and 2,744 volunteer hours to rehabilitate Caper Acres, an iconic children’s playground in Chico. Watch the video.
Related Programs
Civil Engineering Department
Wondering whether a degree in civil engineering is right for you? Contact our office to ask questions or set up a conversation with one of our advisors.
Phone: 530-898-5342
Email: ce@csuchico.edu