- Four required blocks of co-op mean nearly a year of hands-on, full-time paid work experience in industry.
- A civil engineering career fair connects civil engineering technology majors with more than 65 employers in construction, transportation, wastewater management, infrastructure, and more. Network with company representatives and interview directly for open co-op and permanent employment positions.
- Choose from three professional options: construction management, structural design, or water resources.
When infrastructure works, no one notices. But when clean water fails to come out of faucets, when roads and bridges crumble, or when dams break and flood communities, suddenly our attention shifts to infrastructure and how its failure significantly impacts our lives.
The people who make infrastructure their top priority are civil engineers who are charged with analyzing problems and designing solutions to our nation's growing infrastructure needs. In RIT's civil engineering technology degree, you'll learn to design bridges and buildings, analyze traffic flow, manage the construction of complex structures, and address environmental issues such as clean drinking water and effective wastewater management.
RIT's Degree in Civil Engineering Technology
RIT's civil engineering technology degree supports the growing need for civil engineers to analyze, design, build, and retrofit new and existing infrastructure needs. There is also demand for civil engineers to develop and integrate modern technical innovations into their infrastructure solutions to address sustainable practices that are protective of the environment.
In the civil engineering technology major, you'll begin with a foundation in structural mechanics, physics, calculus, and the liberal arts. In the first two years of the program, technical subjects are taught concurrently with mathematics and science, helping you to understand applications while studying scientific fundamentals. The third and fourth years expand on these fundamentals with advanced course work in structural design, water and wastewater management and treatment, transportation systems, foundation engineering, and additional liberal arts courses. In the fifth year, you'll complete a capstone project that includes the complete design of a major civil engineering project.
With a choice of professional electives, you can complete course sequences in structural design, construction management, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering, and water resources management. Electives also are available in other technical disciplines. The major allows you to specialize while also obtaining a broad background in civil engineering and construction management.
While an option is not required, you may choose to pursue one of three professional options to gain a deeper understanding in one of these areas:
- Construction management option–For students interested in the business, management, and project planning aspects related to construction, including sustainable building design.
- Structural design option–For students interested in structural design and the use of different types of materials (masonry, steel, reinforced concrete, etc.) in constructing roads, bridges, and buildings.
- Water resources option–For students interested in water treatment, wastewater treatment, hydrology, stormwater management, and the environment.
With four required cooperative education experiences, you'll gain full-time, hands-on career experience working for a range of companies and organizations in construction, transportation, water/wastewater management, renewable energy, and more. You'll gain the practical theory, knowledge, and hands-on technical skills you'll need to become an expert in applying today's technologies to the solution of civil engineering and construction problems.
Throughout the civil engineering degree, you'll spend time in labs where you'll use experimental methods to solve engineering challenges and actively put theory and technology to work. You'll work on state-of-the-art equipment and in sophisticated laboratories that allow for a wealth of hands-on experience. You'll have access to laboratories and equipment for soil mechanics, construction materials, surveying, water and wastewater analysis and treatment, hydraulic systems, and mechanics. You'll also have access to our Design and Drafting Laboratory with state-of-the-practice hardware and software such as AutoCAD, Revit, STAAD, HydroCAD, Civil3D, and much more.
With a BS degree in civil engineering technology, you'll also be prepared to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the first step in becoming licensed as a professional engineer (PE).
Engineering vs. Engineering Technology
Two dynamic areas of study, both with outstanding outcomes rates. Which do you choose?
What's the difference between engineering and engineering technology? It's a question we're asked all the time. While there are subtle differences in the course work between the two, choosing a major in engineering vs. engineering technology is more about identifying what you like to do and how you like to do it.
Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees
Today's careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT's Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.
+1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor's degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate your learning and position you for success.