Prospective Students - What is Civil and Environmental
Engineering?
Civil engineers are primarily
responsible for planning, designing and constructing facilities to
serve society. They work on projects such as roadways, railroads,
bridges and tunnels, pipelines, airports, harbors, hydroelectric
dams and power plants, irrigation and flood control projects,
foundations and frames of buildings, water purification plants,
pollution control facilities, and environmental protection
projects.
At The
University of Maine, a civil engineer may specialize in one or
several of these areas and may further specialize in a particular
function, such as design or management. Consequently, the
curriculum provides a broad-based program stressing the
fundamentals common to the many branches of civil engineering.
This curriculum is designed to provide the student with a
well-founded civil engineering education while allowing the
student the option of selecting electives in one or more
disciplines such as environmental, geotechnical, structures,
transportation, water resources, construction, and coastal
engineering. Course work also is provided in the humanities and
social sciences to give the student a broader view of cultural,
political, and economic aspects of society and their relationship
to engineering.
The civil
engineering faculty members at the University of Maine understand
what it takes to make learning come alive. They introduce the
world of academics to students through team projects, formal
lectures, informal discussions, practical experience, and labs.
They help students conceive, design, and build projects like
composite beams and timber bridges. In turn, students develop
critical thinking skills, technical writing ability, and oral
presentation skills, preparing them to assume leadership roles in
their careers and to meet the challenges of engineering in the
21st century.
