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Civil Engineering Study Tracks

Duke's civil engineering (CE) major provides opportunities for training in either, or both, of two tracks:

Both tracks share common opportunities in communication, systems, soils, optimization, and economics.

Please also check out study opportunities such as certificate programs, double majors (such as the CE/BME dual major), study abroad and undergraduate research.

Structural Engineering & Mechanics (S/M)

 The application of solid mechanics and materials science to the design of building systems and transportation systems to carry static loads and to resist dynamic loads.

Undergraduate courses at Duke covering this area include:

  • EGR 120L(25L). Introduction to Structural Engineering
  • EGR 201L(75L). Mechanics of Solids
  • CEE 201L(130L). Uncertainity, Design and Optimization
  • CEE 302L(139L). Soil Mechanics
  • CEE 421L(131L). Matrix Structural Analysis
  • CEE 422L(133L). Concrete and Composite Structures
  • CEE 423L(134L). Metallic Structures
  • CEE 425(175). Analytical and Computational Solid Mechanics
  • CEE 429(192). Integrated Structural Design

Beyond the education provided by these undergraduate courses, students may pursue independent study in areas of Structural Engineering and Mechanics on which Duke places particular emphasis, including:

  • Computational Mechanics The study of how to efficiently and accurately simulate the response of complex materials and structures to a broad range of loading conditions. Computer simulations of stuctures undergoing cracking and yielding with large deformation are addressed by faculty in the department.
  • Environmental Mechanics The study of how extreme heat, aggressive chemical environments, and high mechanical loads affect the load-carrying capacity of solids, structures and soils.
  • Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering The study of how earthquake-induced ground motions affect building and bridge structures, the design of such structures to resist earthquake loading, and the control of structures by using 'smart' materials to improve their dynamic response to earthquake loads.

Fulfilling Study Track Requirements

Download the course check sheet for your graduation year to determine the required classes for this track.

US National Whitewater Center field trip
Field trip to the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC

Environmental Engineering & Water Resources (E/W)

The application of biology, chemistry, and fluid mechanics to the analysis of natural environments and the design of systems to reduce the effects of pollutants on the environment and on public health. See also the certificate in energy and the environment.

Undergraduate courses at Duke covering environmental engineering include:

  • CEE 160L(24L). Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science
  • CEE 461L(120L). Chemical Processes in Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 462L(124L). Biological Processes in Environmental Engineering

Beyond the education provided by these undergraduate courses, students may pursue independent study in areas of Environmental Engineering on which Duke places particular emphasis, including:

  • Environmental Biotechnology and Bioremediation The response of microbial communities to anthropogenic perturbations and the manipulation of microbial processes to degrade anthropogenic compounds
  • Environmental Nanoscience The study of nanoscale materials for environmental treatment technology and their potential impacts for environmental quality and human health
  • Air Quality The study of atmospheric contaminants, their persistence, and potential exposure hazards for humans
  • Energy and the Environment The development of innovative solutions that meet the global demand for energy and the environmental implications associated with energy production
  • Environmental Chemistry The study of chemical processes that control the transformation, partitioning, and bioavailability of pollutants, nutrients, and other compounds in environmental media
  • Sensors The development of devices to improve detection and control of trace constituents in air, water and soil

The application of fluid mechanics, soil mechanics, and, in many cases chemistry, to the analysis of the flow of water within the water-table, between the water-table and the surface, and on the surface. See also the certificate in energy and the environment.

Undergraduate courses at Duke covering water resources include:

  • CEE 301L(122L). Fluid Mechanics
  • CEE 302L(139L). Soil Mechanics
  • CEE 462L(123L). Water Resources Engineering
  • CEE 469(193). Integrated Environmental Design

Beyond the education provided by these undergraduate courses, students may pursue independent study in areas of Water Resources and Hydrology on which Duke places particular emphasis, including:

  • Environmental Fluid Dynamics The study of atmospheric and oceanic flows in the meso-scale and the global scale for the prediction of long-term and medium-term environmental changes; turbulent transport in rivers, wetlands and plant canopies; exchanges of water and other substances within the soil-plant-atmosphere system.
  • Vadose-Zone Hydrology The study of water flow beneath the ground surface and above the water table; tracking and prediction of contaminant plumes in the sub-surface, contaminant remediation within the subsurface.
  • Eco-Hydrology The study of the interaction between hydrological processes and terrestrial ecosystems), modeling and analysis of precipitation space-time dynamics
  • Environmental Mechanics The study of how mechanical loads, chemical environments, and fluid flows interact and modify each other. The use of electro-magnetic waves and stress waves to interrogate the properties of the sub-surface.

Fulfilling Study Track Requirements

Download the course check sheet for your graduation year to determine the required classes for this track.