The Department of Civil and Systems Engineering offers an undergraduate program that strives to educate intellectual leaders of the profession by instilling in them a fundamental understanding of the mathematical and physical principles that underlie civil engineering science, an appreciation for the challenges of creative engineering design, and a sense of responsibility for professional service. Civil Engineering is a broad field with many subdisciplines. The Civil Engineering curriculum exposes students to the fields of structural engineering, engineering mechanics, systems engineering, and geotechnical engineering.
ABET Accreditation
The B.S. in Civil Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Program Criteria.
Program Educational Objectives
Consistent with our Educational Mission and the Mission of the Whiting School of Engineering, the Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) for the Civil Engineering program at Johns Hopkins University are to produce graduates who:
- Rise to positions of leadership in their chosen fields, within organizations that require innovative, adaptable, and systems thinkers, and that consider the engineering, societal, and environmental impacts of their decisions.
- Dedicate themselves to lifelong learning, service, and teaching to foster excellence and disseminate knowledge in their chosen fields.
- Innovate and implement resilient, sustainable, and equitable solutions to meet evolving societal challenges.
Student Outcomes
Students graduating with a B.S. in Civil Engineering will have demonstrated:
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
- an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
- an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
- an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Annual Student Enrollment and Graduation Data
Continuous Improvement
The department strives to continuously improve its curriculum by using performance criteria to regularly assess its program educational objectives (what it expects its students to attain post-graduation) and its student outcomes (what skills it expects its students to demonstrate). The civil engineering program uses the results of each assessment to continuously improve upon its curriculum and thus ensure that it is meeting the needs of its students.
Financial Aid
Student Financial Support will help to navigate the financial aid application process and explore the resources available to help students and their family pay for college now and throughout their time here. In addition, some undergraduate students are employed by departmental faculty to provide assistance on research projects.
Departmental Honors
The Whiting School of Engineering and the Department of Civil Engineering recognize students with exemplary academic records. For graduating students, these awards include General Honors and Departmental Honors:
- General Honors are awarded to students with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
- Departmental Honors are awarded to students with a 3.75 GPA or higher in their major-specific courses.
Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs
The Department of Civil and Systems Engineering offers two options for earning a combined bachelor’s/master’s degree.
One option combines a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) in Civil Engineering or Systems Engineering**. For students who are admitted to this program, the two degrees typically require five years total to complete. Students who enroll in the combined Bachelor’s/Master’s program or pursue a master’s degree after having earned the B.S. in Civil Engineering at Hopkins may double-count one advanced course (400-level or higher) towards both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees with the permission of the master’s faculty advisor. More detail on double-counting courses can be found here.
The other option combines a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a Master of Science in Engineering Management (M.S.E.M.). Students are required to submit a formal application through the M.S.E.M. Program.
Students enrolled in either the B.S./M.S.E. or B.S./M.S.E.M program are awarded a Dean's Master's Fellowship, covering half their tuition, after they have completed eight semesters of undergraduate study. More information about these programs can be found at http://engineering.jhu.edu/academics/combined-bachelors-masters/.
**Effective Spring 2024, due to accreditation compliance requirements, the residential MSE (Master of Science in Engineering) in Systems Engineering has been renamed as Master of Science (MS) in Systems Engineering. Please visit Systems Engineering for additional information.
Program Requirements
The B.S. degree in Civil Engineering requires 127 credits in Mathematics, Basic Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Engineering courses.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
BASIC SCIENCES | ||
AS.030.101 | Introductory Chemistry I | 3 |
AS.030.105 | Introductory Chemistry Laboratory I | 1 |
AS.171.101 | General Physics: Physical Science Major I | 4 |
or AS.171.107 | General Physics for Physical Sciences Majors (AL) | |
AS.173.111 | General Physics Laboratory I 1 | 1 |
AS.270.103 | Introduction to Global Environmental Change | 3 |
EN.560.112 | Electromagnetism & Sensors Lab | 1 |
One additional Natural Science elective | 3 | |
MATHEMATICS | ||
AS.110.108 | Calculus I (Physical Sciences & Engineering) | 4 |
AS.110.109 | Calculus II (For Physical Sciences and Engineering) | 4 |
AS.110.202 | Calculus III | 4 |
or AS.110.211 | Honors Multivariable Calculus | |
EN.553.291 | Linear Algebra and Differential Equations | 4 |
HUMANITIES and SOCIAL SCIENCES 2 | ||
Select 15 credits of H or S electives | 15 | |
CIVIL ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS | ||
EN.500.113 | Gateway Computing: Python | 3 |
EN.560.100 | Civilization Engineered | 3 |
EN.560.201 | Statics & Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
EN.560.211 | Statics and Mechanics of Materials Laboratory | 1 |
EN.560.240 | Uncertainty, Reliability and Decision-making | 3 |
EN.560.250 | Intro to Mathematical Decision Making | 3 |
EN.560.255 | Dynamical Systems | 3 |
EN.560.301 | Structural Systems I | 3 |
EN.560.302 | Structural Systems II | 3 |
EN.560.305 | Soil Mechanics | 4 |
EN.560.330 | Foundation Design | 3 |
EN.560.362 | Engineering Mechanics and Materials | 3 |
EN.560.458 | Natural Disaster Risk Modeling | 3 |
EN.560.462 | Failure Mechanics in Materials | 3 |
CaSE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 3 | ||
EN.560.401 | Design Theory and Practice | 3 |
EN.560.402 | Integrated Design Project | 3 |
EN.660.463 | Engineering Management & Leadership | 3 |
EN.661.110 | Professional Writing and Communication | 3 |
CaSE EXPERIENCES | ||
EN.560.191 | CaSE Collaborative | .5 |
EN.560.192 | CaSE Design | .5 |
EN.560.291 | CaSE Coding | .5 |
EN.560.292 | CaSE Research | .5 |
EN.560.391 | CaSE Careers I | .5 |
EN.560.392 | CaSE Careers II | .5 |
CaSE TECHNICAL ELECTIVES | ||
Technical electives are designed to provide students with opportunities to explore the field of civil engineering in greater depth. To that end, these courses must have E distribution and be at or above the 300-level. 300-level courses with N or Q distribution may be allowed with the faculty advisor's permission. | 9 | |
FREE ELECTIVES | ||
Select 15 credits of free electives | 15 | |
Total Credits | 127 |
- 1
If a student earns AP credit for Physics I, they MUST still take either General Physics Lab I (173.111) or another 1 credit N laboratory course.
- 2
This Whiting School requirement recognizes that human-centered engineering design relies not only on strong technical skills, but on an understanding of the humanities and social sciences as well. Any five 3-credit H or S elective courses may be used to fulfill this requirement. See the Distribution tab in the Requirements for a Bachelor's Degree section for two exceptions to the rule that each H/S distribution course is at least 3 credits. (Note that because Professional Communications has an S distribution credit, only 15 credits are required here, as opposed to the reported 18 required by the Whiting School).
- 3
In preparation for CaSE-Professional Practice, students must also take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam in the spring of their senior year.
Additional Notes:
- No required courses may be taken as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U).
- A maximum of 3 credits from the Humanities and Social Science (H/S) requirements may be taken S/U.
- Technical electives may be taken S/U only with the approval of the advisor.
- No more than two grades of D in the required engineering and technical electives may be counted.
Sample Program of Study
This sample illustrates the general sequence of courses; individual programs may vary as a result of AP credits, study abroad, or pursuit of a minor in another department.
First Year | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
AS.030.101 | 3 | AS.171.101 | 4 |
AS.030.105 | 1 | AS.173.111 | 1 |
AS.110.108 | 4 | AS.110.109 | 4 |
EN.560.100 | 3 | EN.500.113 | 3 |
EN.560.191 | 0.5 | EN.560.112 | 1 |
H/S Elective | 3 | EN.560.192 | 0.5 |
Optional HEART course or First Year Seminar | 0-3 | EN.661.110 | 3 |
14.5-17.5 | 16.5 | ||
Second Year | |||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
EN.553.291 | 4 | EN.560.250 | 3 |
EN.560.201 | 3 | EN.560.255 | 3 |
EN.560.211 | 1 | EN.560.292 | 0.5 |
EN.560.291 | 0.5 | EN.560.301 | 3 |
EN.560.240 | 3 | Natural Science Elective | 3 |
H/S Elective | 3 | H/S Elective | 3 |
Free Elective | 3 | ||
17.5 | 15.5 | ||
Third Year | |||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
AS.110.202 | 4 | EN.560.305 | 4 |
AS.270.103 | 3 | EN.560.362 | 3 |
EN.560.302 | 3 | EN.560.392 | 0.5 |
EN.560.391 | 0.5 | CaSE Technical Elective | 3 |
H/S Elective | 3 | H/S Elective | 3 |
Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
16.5 | 16.5 | ||
Fourth Year | |||
Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
EN.560.330 | 3 | EN.560.402 | 3 |
EN.560.401 | 3 | EN.560.458 | 3 |
EN.560.462 | 3 | CaSE Technical Elective | 3 |
EN.660.463 | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
CaSE Technical Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
15 | 15 | ||
Total Credits 127-130 |