Areas of Emphasis
The University of Tennessee undergraduate civil engineering program provides a broad-based civil and environmental engineering education with courses in each of the major areas of civil and environmental engineering. . Through the civil engineering elective and technical elective, students can gain a greater depth of knowledge in a certain area. Students desiring an even greater depth of knowledge in an area will typically pursue a Master's degree.
- CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
The courses of instruction in Construction provide a basic understanding of the process needed to construct buildings, highways, bridges, and other structures. Special emphasis is placed on the efficient management of people, materials, and equipment. Graduates of this program are qualified for entry-level management positions in the construction industry -- the nation's largest employer.
- ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
The undergraduate courses in Environmental Engineering emphasizes the design, construction, and management aspects of the discipline, focusing on the provision of safe drinking water in adequate quantities, the proper treatment and disposal of wastes, and the assurance of clean air, soil and water.
also see Minor in Environmental Engineering
- GEOTECHNICAL AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING
The specific topics addressed in the undergraduate courses in Geotechnical and Materials Engineering include soil mechanics principles, design of foundations, shear strength in soils, slope stability analysis, soil-structure interactions, and materials of construction. Many of the course offerings emphasize the importance of laboratory testing to the understanding of soil and construction materials behavior by giving students "hands on" experience. Typical elective courses in geotechnical and materials engineering are CE 521 Pavement Design, CE 522 Advanced Mix Design and Analysis for Asphalt and Portland-Cement, CE 531 Soil Stabilization, CE 595 Geosynthetics Design.
- STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Structural engineers design buildings and bridges. They are concerned with the many forces that act on these structures, such as trucks, wind, snow, and earthquakes. Typical elective courses in structural engineering are CE 462 Analysis of Framed Structures, CE 472 Steel Design, CE 474 Concrete Design, and CE 576 Masonry Design.
- TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
The undergraduate courses in Transportation offers a wide range of topics covering design, analysis, and the planning/management aspects of constructing and maintaining transportation facilities and services.
- WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING
The Water Resources undergraduate courses provides a basic understanding and the necessary tools for managing water to meet our local, state, regional, and national needs. Topics include drainage, urban water and groundwater management, dam design and safety, erosion and sediment control, stormwater modeling, and open channel flow.