Majors, minors & more
Civil Engineering
Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
- Offered as:
- Major
- Graduate program
Overview
Civil engineering involves the planning, design, construction, and operation of facilities and systems that are essential to modern life and infrastructure. Civil engineers create and manage bridges, highways, buildings, airports, dams and waterways, water purification plants and distribution systems, foundations and tunnels, waste treatment and disposal facilities, and conventional and renewable energy supply systems.
In addition to on its Pullman campus, WSU offers a civil engineering degree at WSU Tri-Cities.
Specialization tracks available
- Transfer information
-
Plan ahead
To certify your major in the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, you will need to complete specific prerequisite courses. Use our list of transfer equivalencies to make sure you take the right transfer courses at your current college.
Also check out the University's transfer student guide for more information on transferring to WSU.
- Scholarships and financial aid
-
-
-
-
A variety of state, federal, and university-sponsored programs are available to help students with educational costs.
For all students at WSU
Washington State University awards millions of dollars in financial aid and scholarships to students every year based on financial need, academic merit, or a combination of the two.
To get all the financial help WSU can provide, you'll need to do these two things:
- Complete the University's general scholarship application so you can be eligible for scholarship consideration, including departmental awards.
- Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) so WSU can consider you for aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.) based on financial need. Get started here.
Click here for more info about about WSU scholarships and financial aid
-
-
For engineering students
In addition to general university scholarships, students are eligible for corporate and privately supported scholarships and achievement awards offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.
-
- Campus organizations and activities
-
WSU’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers is consistently ranked among the nation's best. It provides valuable opportunities to interact and network with civil engineering professionals through monthly meetings and regional or national conferences. The WSU chapter has won numerous awards in concrete canoe and bridge building contests at national ASCE competitions.
The environmental engineering club, made up of the student chapters of the Water Environment Foundation and the Air and Waste Management Association, is an academic, professional, and social club for students interested in a career in environmental engineering. The group works to promote student and public interest in environmental engineering and environmental issues through public outreach, conferences, and seminars.
The WSU student chapter of Engineers Without Borders does community-based, sustainable engineering projects around the world.
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) has an active chapter on campus.
- Suggested strengths, interests, and preparation
-
- Enjoyment in solving problems and putting ideas into action
- Curiosity about how things work and how to improve them
- Interest in improving the environment
- Social awareness and interest in helping people live better
- High school math through trigonometry and calculus, and high school sciences (all essential preparation for success in the undergraduate program)
- Careers in civil engineering
-
Perhaps more than any other field of engineering, a civil engineering degree offers the greatest variety of employment opportunity. Washington State University civil engineering graduates are in high demand by employers throughout the Northwest and the nation.
Traditional civil engineering employers include architectural and engineering firms. Other options include careers in government agencies, utility companies, telecommunications businesses, oil and natural resource industries, consulting firms, aerospace manufacturing companies, construction industries, biotechnology, and information technology firms.