B.S. in Civil Engineering
You've chosen one of the most challenging majors and it is important to manage your academic career actively to make sure you are prepared for the next set of Civil Engineering courses each semester. Return here to get updated information on the degree requirements and academic planning tools.
Freshman Year
- Meet with your academic advisor near the end of each semester to plan for the next semester
- Develop a 4-year or 5-year plan of all courses you need through graduation
- Take the program required courses (outlined in bold on the curriculum flowchart). At a minimum, take Civil Engineering 101, English 101, Calculus I, Calculus II, and Physics I
- Join ASCE and/or other student organizations
- Apply for scholarships!
Sophomore Year
- Meet again with your academic advisor near the end of each semester to plan for the next semester.
- Start planning for summer internships – attend on-campus career fairs, etc, or start working on a research project with a professor (either paid or for Undergraduate Research Conference)
- Start a portfolio of your best work in each class.
- Join a team – Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge, Big Beam, etc.
- Apply for Admission to the College prior to enrolling for any 300-level courses or above
- Complete all program admission courses and apply to the Civil Engineering Program toward the end of your sophomore year.
- Apply for scholarships!
Junior Year
- Begin the junior-level design courses, and make sure you are on track with your general education courses and other electives.
- Meet again with your academic advisor near the end of each semester to plan for the next semester.
- Make sure all transferred courses have been accepted for the appropriate MSU Civil Engineering courses.
- Continue developing your portfolio. Be ready to show it to prospective employers when you interview for internships.
- Apply for scholarships!
Senior Year
- Meet again with your academic advisor and make sure all required courses have been or will be completed by the end of the year.
- Apply for and take the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam
- Apply for scholarships! There are still some available to seniors.
- Continue developing your portfolio. Be ready to show it to prospective employers when you interview for full-time positions.
- Apply for graduation!
Proper planning is important when choosing your courses throughout your academic career to avoid delaying graduation by a semester, a year, or more. The civil engineering curriculum is very full, and every semester of the four-year plan is scheduled for at least 15 credits. Because of the tight schedule and many prerequisites, every student is required to meet with his/her academic advisor prior to registering for every semester.
Planning Worksheets
The academic planning worksheets linked below have been prepared to assist in coursework programming for a four- or five-year plan.
Planning Worksheets CollapseSince requirements change from time to time, a new version of the planning worksheet will be prepared for each new academic year. Students may graduate using the requirements found in the official university bulletin for any year in which they are enrolled, up to six years in the past.
Flowchart
The flowcharts linked below show the prerequisites for the required courses in the program, and give a recommended order of courses for the four-year plan. These flowcharts may also be used in completing planning worksheets.
Flowcharts CollapseCurriculum Planning
The following is a sample four-year program indicating required courses and recommended semesters.
Curriculum Planning Collapse|
First Year |
|||
| Freshman Fall | Freshman Spring | ||
| MATH 121, Calculus I | 4 | MATH 122, Calculus II | 4 |
| CHEM 201, General Chemistry I | 5 | PHYS 221, General Physics I | 4 |
| ENG 101, English Composition | 4 | H/SS Elective1 | 3 |
| CIVE 101, Intro. To Civil Engineering | 2 | CIVE 201, Intro. to Problem Solving & CIVE Design | 2 |
| CIVE 145, CAD for Civil Engineering | 2 | ||
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 |
|
Second Year |
|||
| Sophomore Fall | Sophomore Spring | ||
| MATH 321, Differential Equations | 4 | MATH 223, Calculus III | 4 |
| GEOL 121, Physical Geology | 4 | ME 214, Dynamics | 3 |
| ME 212, Statics | 3 | ME 223, Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| CIVE 271, Civil Engineering Measurements | 2 | ME 299, Thermal Analysis2 | 2 |
| ME 291, Engineering Analysis | 3 | ENGL 271, Technical Communication | 4 |
| Total | 16 | Total | 16 |
|
Third Year |
|||
| Junior Fall | Junior Spring | ||
| CIVE 321, Fluid Mechanics | 3 | CIVE 350, Hydraulics & Hydrology | 4 |
| CIVE 370W, Transportation Engineering | 4 | CIVE 360, Geotechnical Engineering | 4 |
| CIVE 340, Structural Analysis | 3 | CIVE 446 or 448, Structural Design Elective | 3 |
| CIVE 380, Environmental Engineering | 3 | CIVE 235, Civil Engineering Materials | 3 |
| H/SS Elective1 (ECON 201 or 202) | 3 | H/SS Elective1 | 3 |
| Total | 16 | Total | 17 |
|
Fourth Year |
|||
| Senior Fall | Senior Spring | ||
| CIVE 401W, Civil Engineering Design I | 2 | CIVE 402W, Civil Engineering Design II | 3 |
| CIVE 435, Civil Engineering Experimentation I | 2 | CIVE 436, Civil Engineering Experimentation II | 2 |
| CIVE Elective4 | 3 | CIVE Elective4 | 3 |
| CIVE or Technical Elective3,4 | 3 | CIVE Elective4 | 3 |
| PHYS 222+232, General Physics II+Lab OR PHYS 232+233, General Physics III+Lab |
3+1 | Technical Elective3,4 | Min. 2 |
| H/SS Elective1 | 4 | H/SS Elective1 | 4 |
| Total | 17 | Total | 16 |
Total Credits = 128
- H/SS courses may be chosen to satisfy the university cultural diversity requirements simultaneously with the program H/SS requirements.
- ME 241 - Thermodynamics is also acceptable.
- The technical elective must be selected from the approved list which would enhance the student's experience in civil engineering.
- The sum of Technical and CIVE electivs must be a minimum of 14 credits: technical electives (min. 2 credits) and CIVE electives (min. 9 credits).
Academic Bulletins
The university publishes the bulletin each year, which is the official definition for requirements in each major.
Academic Bulletins CollapseGeneral Education
The civil engineering program does not follow the university's general education requirements explicitly. Rather, students must choose from courses listed in the General Education Approved Course list, linked below.
General Education Electives CollapseApplication
In order for a student to be able to enroll in upper division (300–and 400–level) civil engineering classes the student needs to be accepted into the CIVE program. During the sophomore year, students should submit an application for admission to the civil engineering program.
Application Collapse