About Civil Engineering

UT Tyler Department of Civil Engineering

What is Civil Engineering?

Civil engineering is the broadest of the engineering professions and is the stem from which most other branches of engineering have developed. Civil engineering involves the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of facilities and systems to control and improve the environment for modern civilizations. This includes projects of major importance such as bridges, transportation systems, buildings, ports and water distribution systems.

Civil engineers are responsible for improving the living standards of the nation’s and world’s population, and they serve communities in which we live. They deal with many of the nation’s challenges, including overcrowded roads and highways, functionally obsolete bridges that are unable to carry today’s heavier traffic loads, crowded urban areas and communities, construction of waste disposal sites (landfills) and clean-up of hazardous waste facilities, contaminated surface water and ground water aquifers, and air pollution. Civil engineers are leaders in addressing our nation’s need to protect both our natural and constructed environment, and they seek ways to solve these problems more effectively, efficiently and economically.

Our Mission

The faculty and staff provide the opportunity for civil engineering students to develop state-of-the-art engineering knowledge and skills through student-centered education and research. Teamwork, professionalism and the importance of lifelong learning are hallmarks of our program. Students and faculty provide outreach through innovative civil engineering solutions to significant regional, national and global issues.

Our Vision

The department will be a leader in civil engineering education through the integration of design in the curriculum. Upon graduation, our students will be able to excel in the global civil and environmental engineering community. We will be a recognized center for innovative civil engineering research and expertise that meets the needs of industry, government and society.