Bachelor of Science in Civil and Construction Engineering

The civil and construction engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

The civil and construction engineering program focuses on structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, and construction engineering. However, the program also exposes students to other major areas of civil engineering, including materials engineering, water resources engineering, highway engineering, and surveying.

A minor is not required. Students seeking a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Construction Engineering degree must pass each CNMG course with a grade of C or greater, must achieve at least a 2.00 grade point average (GPA) in the major (all required MATH, STAT, CHEM, ERSC, PHYS, CNMG and SYEN courses), and also must pass both the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and the Associate Constructor (AC) examinations.

Student Activities

UALR civil and construction engineering students have the opportunity to become involved with several engineering organizations, including the Construction Institute (CI) and the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and Engineers Without Borders (EWB). Civil and construction engineering students have recently participated in several regional student competitions.

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What is Civil and Construction Engineering (CVCE)?

Civil engineers design infrastructure and public works that support transportation, commerce, and public health. Construction engineers design and manage the processes that allow projects to be built. Through required and elective courses, UA Little Rock’s program exposes students to all of the major areas of civil engineering, including:

• Geotechnical engineering: properties of soil and rock; design of shallow and deep foundations, slope stability, etc. Courses in this area:
  • ERSC 4371 Engineering Geology
  • CNMG 3347 Engineering Soil Mechanics with Lab
  • CNMG 4351 Foundation Design
• Structural engineering: properties of construction materials and design of columns, beams, and frames to support vertical and lateral loads. Courses in this area:
  • CNMG 2370 Engineering Statics
  • CNMG 3376 Engineering Structural Mechanics
  • CNMG 3312 Engineering Structural Analysis
  • CNMG 3313 Civil Engineering Materials with Lab
  • CNMG 4371 Structural Steel Design
  • CNMG 4321 Reinforced Concrete Design
• Water Resources/Environmental engineering: design of pipelines, pipe networks, and open channels, to carry water and treat drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater. Courses in this area:
  • ERSC 4372 Surface Water Hydrology
  • CNMG 3357 Introduction to Environmental Engineering
  • CNMG 3374 Hydraulic Engineering
  • CNMG 4357 Water and Wastewater Engineering
• Construction engineering/management: Construction drawings, materials, methods, and equipment; estimating, bidding, contract administration, planning, scheduling, and safety. Courses in this area:
  • CNMG 1305 Drawings and Specifications
  • CNMG 2313 Construction Materials and Methods
  • CNMG 2314 Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems
  • CNMG 3302 Engineering Economy
  • CNMG 3327 Field Engineering and Construction Equipment
  • CNMG 3339 Estimating I
  • CNMG 4323 Construction Administration
  • CNMG 4329 Construction Planning and Scheduling
  • CNMG 4334 Construction Contracts and Law
  • CNMG 4342 Construction Safety
• Transportation engineering: geomatics and geometric design of highways, pavement design, traffic analysis, etc. Courses in this area:
  • CNMG 2316 Construction Surveying with Lab
  • CNMG 4354 Highway Engineering

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Goals

The goals of the civil and construction engineering program are to:

• Prepare students for successful engineering or management careers in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry or related fields.
• Provide employers with a well-educated workforce that is ready and able to perform valuable civil and construction engineering and managerial services immediately after graduation.
• Encourage the growth of knowledge-based industry and stimulate economic growth in Arkansas.

Objectives

Program educational objectives are broad statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a few years after graduation. Program educational objectives are based on the needs of the program’s constituencies. The educational objectives of the civil and construction engineering program are to produce graduates who:

• Rapidly become certified Engineer Interns (EI) and Associate Constructors (AC) employed in architecture, engineering, construction, or related fields or pursuing graduate or professional education in engineering, business, law, architecture, etc.
• Become licensed Professional Engineers (PE) and/or Certified Professional Constructors (CPC) after gaining the required professional experience and the requisite knowledge to pass the licensing and/or certification exams.
• Engage in lifelong learning, through on-the-job training, participation in professional societies, additional formal education, continuing education and professional development, research, and self-study, in order to use state-of-the-art knowledge to design and build safe and effective buildings and infrastructure and/or provide high quality service to the general public, employers, clients, and other professionals.

Outcomes

Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and are able to do by the time of graduation. These relate to the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress through the program. The civil and construction engineering program will produce graduates who have:

• An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering.
• An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.
• An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability.
• An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams.
• An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.
• An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
• An ability to communicate effectively.
• The broad education, necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.
• A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning.
• A knowledge of contemporary issues.
• An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

Admission Policy

Admission to the civil and construction engineering major requires the readiness to take:

• MATH 1451 Calculus I
• CHEM 1402 General Chemistry I
• RHET 1311 Composition I

Students may be provisionally admitted into the major before this, but they may require more than four years to complete the degree requirements.

Application procedure

1. Visit apply.ualr.edu to complete an application for undergraduate admission and submit the $40 non-refundable application fee.
2. Applicants with fewer than 12 transferable college credit hours should request that an official high school transcript or GED scores be sent to the Office of Admissions. Only official transcripts will be accepted and must be submitted in a sealed, stamped envelope from the issuing institution or sent via electronic data interchange from the high school.
3. Applicants with fewer than 12 transferable college credit hours may need to request official ACT or SAT scores from the testing agency (UA Little Rock ACT Code 0132; UA Little Rock SAT code 6368) if the official high school transcript does not include scores and the student did not indicate UA Little Rock as a score recipient at the time of testing. ACT, SAT, COMPASS or Accuplacer scores must be from tests taken within the last five years. Students have the option of taking the Accuplacer test available through UA Little Rock Testing Services.
4. Any applicant previously enrolled at another institution(s) must request that an official college transcript(s) be sent to the Office of Admissions. Only official transcripts will be accepted and must be submitted in a sealed, stamped envelope from the issuing institution or sent via electronic data interchange from the previous institution. Students may submit an official “In Progress” transcript from the institution at which s/he is currently enrolled for admission purposes, but will still be required to submit a final, official transcript once all grades have been posted. Freshmen who completed high school concurrent credit at an institution other than UA Little Rock must submit an official college transcript.
5. Students born after January 1, 1957, must submit proof of two MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) immunizations.