Civil and Environmental Engineering

Information and Departmental Plan of Study

Requirements for study in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering(link is external) follow the general requirements for the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the University. The student's course of study is planned in consultation with the director of studies and the academic adviser and requires a year-long thesis, which counts as two courses. The CEE curriculum is sufficiently flexible to provide opportunities for students to pursue certificate programs across the University, and to study abroad in their junior year.

Program of Study

The department offers five tracks: architecture and engineering, environmental engineering, geological engineering, structural engineering, and engineering and the liberal arts. In the first year, students should complete the mathematics, basic science, computing, and writing requirements common to all B.S.E. programs. At the end of the first year, the student declares CEE as a major and selects one of the tracks. Course requirements include engineering science courses, engineering design courses, a senior thesis, and program electives. For all but the non-ABET accredited tracks, there are additional math and science requirements that are normally satisfied by taking MAE 305 Mathematics in Engineering, ORF 245 Fundamentals of Engineering Statistics, and GEO 203 Fundamentals of Solid Earth Science. In total, a student's program of study must include a minimum of 14 engineering courses, with the exception of students in the non-ABET accredited tracks.

The selection of a track provides a guide in the selection of program electives. A student's program electives must provide a coherent sequence in the student's area of interest. Approval is based on agreement from the adviser and the director of studies. For a list of preapproved electives, consult the CEE Academic Guide (The Yellow Book). In addition, all candidates for the B.S.E. degree are required to satisfy the general University and School of Engineering and Applied Science requirements.

Architecture and Engineering: Structural Focus

In the structures-focus option, the requirements include a strong emphasis on civil and environmental engineering. This track is designed for students who intend to become practicing engineers and may go to graduate school in architecture or engineering. This track is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (www.abet.org(link is external)) under the program in civil engineering. This track has architecture course requirements beyond the normal requirements in civil and environmental engineering.

Engineering Science Requirements (eight courses):

CEE 205 Mechanics of Solids or MAE 223 Modern Solid Mechanics
CEE 262B Structures and the Urban Environment or CEE 374 Autonomous Fabrication and Robotics
CEE 207 Introduction to Environmental Engineering, or CEE 302 Practical Models for Environmental Systems, or CEE 344 Water, Engineering and Civilization, or CEE 306 Hydrology
CEE 312 Statics of Structures
CEE 361 Matrix Structural Analysis and Introduction to Finite-Element Methods or CEE 345 Origami Engineering, or CEE 460 Risk Analysis

CEE 364 Materials in Civil Engineering
CEE 365 Soil Mechanics

Select one "A-E recommended" engineering course from list.

Track Specific Requirements (four courses)
ARC 203 Intro to Architectural Thinking
ARC 204 Intro to Architectural Design (studio) or ARC 205 Interdisciplinary Design Studio
Select two "Architecture-Engineering" courses from list

Engineering Design Requirements (two courses):

CEE 366 Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures or CEE 467 Design and Behavior of Steel Structures
CEE 461 Design of Large-Scale Structures: Buildings

Independent Work (two courses):

CEE 478 Senior Thesis (counts as two courses)

Program elective requirements (one or more courses): Students in this track must take one more program elective and it must be an engineering course.

Architecture and Engineering: Architecture Focus

In the architecture-focus option, the requirements include a strong emphasis on architecture theory, history, and practice. This track is designed for students planning to do graduate work in architecture or to practice engineering in consultation with architects and planners. Students choosing this option do a senior thesis under the direction of advisers from both the School of Architecture and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Engineering Science Requirements (six courses):

CEE 205 Mechanics of Solids or MAE 223 Modern Solid Mechanics
CEE 262B Structures and the Urban Environment or CEE 374 Autonomous Fabrication and Robotics
CEE 312 Statics of Structures or CEE 361 Matrix Structural Analysis and Introduction to Finite-Element Methods, or CEE 345 Origami Engineering, or CEE 460 Risk Analysis
CEE 364 Materials in Civil Engineering
ARC 311 Building Science and Technology: Building Systems
ARC 374 Computational Design or CEE 463 A Social and Multi-Dimensional Exploration of Structures

Track-Specific Requirements (six courses):

ARC 203 Intro to Architectural Thinking
ARC 204 Intro to Architectural Design (studio) or ARC 205 Interdisciplinary Design Studio
ARC 403 Topics History & Theory of Architecture
ARC 404 Advanced Design Studio
ARC 350 Junior Studio (Fall)
ARC 351 Junior Studio (Spring)

Engineering Design Requirements (two courses):

CEE 366 Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures or CEE 467 Design and Behavior of Steel Structures

CEE 461 Design of Large-Scale Structures: Buildings

Independent Work (two courses):

CEE 478 Senior Thesis (counts as two courses)

Program elective requirements (two courses): Students in this program must take two or more program electives, normally selected from a preapproved list of courses in CEE, architecture, and art.

Environmental Engineering. This track is designed for students who wish to pursue a career related to the environment, whether in engineering, law, business, public policy, hydrological, or health and epidemiological sciences, and for students who wish to continue on to advanced graduate studies in environmental engineering (or a related earth science discipline). Course work in environmental engineering focuses on analysis of a large range of environmental problems as well as engineering design of innovative solutions to these problems. This is done through a combination of course work in hydrological sciences, environmental sciences, and geology, applied to different environmental settings, and environmental engineering design. The environmental engineering track is closely linked to the Environmental Studies Program of the High Meadows Environmental Institute. This track is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (www.abet.org(link is external)) under the program in civil engineering. Students normally take the following courses:

Engineering Science Requirements (eight courses):

CEE 205 Mechanics of Solids MAE 223 Modern Solid Mechanics
CEE 207 Introduction to Environmental Engineering or CEE 344 Water, Engineering and Civilization
CEE 302 Practical Models for Environmental Systems
CEE 305 Environmental Fluid Mechanics
CEE 306 Hydrology 
CEE 308 Environmental Engineering Lab
CEE 311 Global Air Pollution
CEE 364 Materials in Civil Engineering or CEE 365 Soil Mechanics

Engineering Design (two courses):

CEE 471 Introduction to Water Pollution Technology
CEE 477 Engineering Design for Sustainable Development

Independent Work (two courses):
CEE 478 Senior Thesis (counts as two courses)

Program elective requirements (three courses): No more than one program elective can be at the 200 level. For the environmental engineering track, at least one of the program electives must be an engineering course.

Geological Engineering. Geological engineering is the application of science to problems and projects involving Earth, its physical environment, Earth materials, and natural resources. The curriculum, offered in cooperation with the Department of Geosciences, is specially designed for the student who wishes to build upon the first-year and sophomore mathematics and engineering courses as a basis for studies in the Earth sciences. Typical areas of concentration are water resources, engineering geology, Earth resources, geotechnical engineering, geophysics, geochemistry, and atmospheres and oceans. This track is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (www.abet.org(link is external)) under the program in civil engineering. In addition to the general requirements of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the following courses are required:

Engineering Science Requirements (eight courses):

CEE 205 Mechanics of Solids MAE 223 Modern Solid Mechanics
CEE 207 Introduction to Environmental Engineering or CEE 344 Water, Engineering and Civilization

CEE 305 (GEO 375) Environmental Fluid Mechanics or CEE 306 Hydrology

CEE 311 (GEO 311) Global Air Pollution
CEE 308 Environmental Engineering Laboratory or GEO 300 Summer Course in Geologic Field Methods
CEE 365 Soil Mechanics or CEE 370 (GEO 370) Sedimentology (field course)

CEE 460 Risk Analysis

Track-Specific Requirements (select one course):

CEE 360 (GEO 361) Physics of the Ocean and Atmosphere
GEO 363 Environmental Geochemistry
GEO 366 Current and Future Climate
CEE 417 (GEO 417) Environmental Microbiology
GEO 418 Environmental Aqueous Geochemistry
CEE 424 (GEO 424) Seismology
GEO 430 Climate and the Terrestrial Biosphere
GEO 441 Computational Geophysics
GEO 470 Environmental Chemistry of Soils
GEO 499 Environmental Change, Poverty and Conflict

Engineering Design Requirements (two courses):

CEE 471 (GEO 471) Introduction to Water Pollution Technology
CEE 477 Engineering Design for Sustainable Development

Independent Work (two courses):

CEE 478 Senior Thesis (counts as two courses)

Program elective requirement (three courses): No more than one program elective can be at the 200 level. For the geological engineering track, two of the three required program electives must be engineering courses.

Structural Engineering. Structural engineering is concerned with the analysis and design of civil engineering structures with an emphasis on buildings, bridges, stadiums, dams, and foundations. Particular emphasis is given to the design of these structures to resist earthquake and wind loads. The program is designed to meet the needs of students who are interested in continuing to advanced graduate studies or who plan to go into engineering practice and consulting. This track is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (www.abet.org(link is external)) under the program in Civil Engineering. Its basic aim is the preparation of flexible and innovative graduates who can address the novel problems of modern engineering. Students in this program have the chance to interact directly with some of the best design and consulting companies in structural engineering. Students normally take the following courses:

Engineering Science Requirements (eight courses):

CEE 205 Mechanics of Solids MAE 223 Modern Solid Mechanics
CEE 262B Structures and the Urban Environment or CEE 374 Autonomous Fabrication and Robotics
CEE 207 Introduction to Environmental Engineering, or CEE 302 Practical Models for Environmental Systems, or CEE 344 Water, Engineering and Civilization
CEE 306 Hydrology, or CEE 305 Environmental Fluid Mechanics
CEE 312 Statics of Structures
CEE 361 Matrix Structural Analysis and Introduction to Finite-Element Methods, or CEE 345 Origami Engineering, or CEE 460 Risk Analysis

CEE 364 Materials in Civil Engineering

CEE 365 Soil Mechanics

Engineering Design Requirements (two courses):

CEE 366 Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures, or CEE 467 Design and Behavior of Steel Structures
CEE 461 Design of Large-Scale Structures: Buildings

Independent Work (two courses):

CEE 478 Senior Thesis (counts as two courses)

Program elective requirements (three courses): For the structural engineering track, three program electives are required and at least one must be an engineering course.

Engineering and the Liberal Arts. This track is designed for students who wish to obtain an engineering background as a foundation for a wide range of careers, such as medicine, law, public policy, visual arts, or engineering studies in materials, ethics, or history. Course work in this track should integrate engineering courses in a coherent manner with the topic of interest to the student. The track is designed to be rigorous, yet allow for a wide degree of flexibility in the course of studies.

All students in engineering and the liberal arts are required to take a minimum of six courses in engineering sciences that stress design and analytical methods in civil and environmental engineering. The program electives should form a coherent sequence of at least four courses in the student's area of interest, and junior independent research is strongly recommended as a program elective. This is followed by the senior thesis. In the junior independent research and senior thesis, students should relate their topics of interest to engineering problems. Students normally take the following courses:

Engineering Science Requirement (six courses):

A minimum of six CEE courses, of which at least three should be at the 300 level or above. At least one of the 300-level courses has to have a laboratory component.

Program Electives (seven courses):

Seven program electives are required and these should include a coherent sequence of at least four courses in the student's area of interest, three of which should be at t e 300 level or above.

Independent Work (two courses):

CEE 478 Senior Thesis (counts as two courses)

Collectively the selection of engineering science requirements and electives should form a coherent program of study, which needs to be approved by the adviser. At least eight of these courses must be at the 300 level or above.

Study Abroad

Study abroad can be used to enhance and diversify the educational experience of departmental majors. Courses taken during study overseas may be preapproved for credit as departmental requirements by the departmental director of studies. Study abroad has served as a valuable option for junior independent work and in providing research material for the senior thesis. Students considering study abroad should consult with the departmental director of studies as early as possible.

1. Transcript. An official transcript must be sent by a school counselor or school official.

2. School Report (SR). The SR form is available from the Common Application website. Please ask your school counselor or other school official to complete and submit the SR form. 
    
3. Counselor Recommendation. If you are using the Common Application online, please note that the SR and the Counselor Recommendation are separate items. Be sure to “invite” your school counselor or academic adviser to complete both items.
    
4. Two (2) Teacher Recommendations. Please ask two of your teachers who have taught you in higher level courses (e.g., AP, IB Higher/Standard Level, A-Levels, etc.) in different academic areas of study to complete and send the teacher recommendation forms, available on the Common Application website. The subjects should be in core academic areas, such as English, language, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences or math.
    
5. Midyear School Report. Please ask your school counselor or other school official to complete and submit this form when your midyear grades are available. 

1. A Completed Application. You must submit your application online through the Common Application. Princeton's CEEB Code: 2672

2. Princeton's Supplement. In addition to the application provided by the Common Application, all applicants must submit the Princeton Supplement. You should submit the Princeton Supplement online through the Common Application website. 

3. Application Fee or Fee Waiver. You may submit a fee waiver one of two ways: 1) Select the fee waiver option on the Common Application. Your school counselor must approve your fee waiver request online or submit your fee waiver form by mail or fax. 2) Select one of the following fee waiver options on the Princeton Supplement: Princeton-specific, ACT, College Board or NACAC. All low-income students are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. In addition, all applicants who are serving or have served in the U.S. military are eligible for the Princeton-specific fee waiver. If you use the Princeton-specific fee waiver, you do not need to get approval from your college counselor or academic adviser.

4. Graded Written Paper. A graded written paper is required, preferably in the subjects of English or history.