Students gathered on a quad in front of Hudson Hall at Duke University

Undergraduate Courses

For more details, see CE curriculum or EnvE curriculum

Required EGR and CEE courses

EGR 101L. Engineering Design and Communication. (CE, EnvE) Students work in teams to learn and apply the engineering design process to solve an open-ended, client-based problem drawn from a community partner. In this class, students learn to apply the engineering design process to meet the needs of a client, iteratively prototype using tools and materials appropriate to the solution, work collaboratively on a team, and communicate the critical steps in the design process in written, oral, and visual formats. First-year Pratt students only. Trinity first-year students may take the course with instructor consent.
Instructor: Saterbak, Santillan

EGR 103L. Computational Methods in Engineering. (CE, EnvE) Introduction to computer methods and algorithms for analysis and solution of engineering problems using numerical methods in a workstation environment. Topics include; numerical integration, roots of equations, simultaneous equation solving, finite difference methods, matrix analysis, linear programming, dynamic programming, and heuristic solutions used in engineering practice. This course does not require any prior knowledge of computer programming.
Instructor: Staff. One course. Fall and Spring.

EGR 201L. Mechanics of Solids. (CE, EnvE) Analysis of force systems and their equilibria as applied to engineering systems. Stresses and strains in deformable bodies; mechanical behavior of materials; applications of principles to static problems of beams, torsion members, and columns. Selected laboratory work.
Prerequisites: MATH 112L and PHYSICS 151L.
Instructor: Boadu, Dolbow, Gavin, Hueckel,  or Nadeau. One course. Fall and Spring.

EGR 244L. Dynamics. (CE, EnvE) Principles of dynamics of particles, rigid bodies, and selected nonrigid systems with emphasis on engineering applications. Kinematic and kinetic analysis of structural and machine elements in a plane and in space using graphical, computer, and analytical vector techniques. Absolute and relative motion analysis. Work-energy; impact and impulse-momentum. Laboratory experiments.
Prerequisites: EGR 201L and MATH 212 or consent of instructor.
Instructor: Dowell, Knight, Virgin or Yellen. One course. Spring only.

EGR 305. Engineering Systems Optimization. (CE) Introduction to mathematical optimization, engineering economic analysis, and other decision analysis tools used to evaluate and design engineering systems. Application of linear and nonlinear programming, dynamic programming, expert systems, simulation and heuristic methods to engineering systems design problems. Applications discussed include: production plant scheduling, water resources planning, design and analysis, vehicle routing, resource allocation, repair and rehabilitation scheduling and economic analysis of engineering design alternatives.
Corequisite: MATH 216. Prerequisite: MATH 212.
Instructor: Borsuk, Gavin. One course. Fall only.

CEE 132L. Engineering the Planet. (CE, EnvE) Four broad disciplines within civil and environmental engineering will be explored and over-arching experiential projects will apply theory and practice to real-world design problems. The course will examine the societal context of these disciplines and their contributions to and impacts on the built environment. Specifically, the course will examine air, water, land use, shelter, systems, and energy and students will be challenged with issues of economics, social impact, green engineering, sustainable design and building practices.
Instructor: Schaad

CEE 201L. Uncertainity Design and Optimization. (CE) Principles of design as a creative and iterative process involving problem statements, incomplete information, conservative assumptions, constraining regulations, and uncertain operating environments. Parameterization of costs and constraints and formulation of constrained optimization problems. Analytical and numerical solutions to constrained optimization problems. Evaluation of design solutions via sensitivity and risk analysis. Application to design problems in civil and environmental engineering.
Prerequisite: EGR 201L.
Instructor: Borsuk, Gavin. One course. Spring only.

CEE 301L. Fluid Mechanics. (CE, EnvE) Physical properties of fluids; fluid-flow concepts and basic equations; continuity, energy, and momentum principles; dimensional analysis and dynamic similitude; viscous effects; applications emphasizing real fluids. Selected laboratory work.
Corequisite: EGR 244L.
Instructor: Boadu, Kabala, Medina or Porporato. One course.  Fall and Spring.

CEE 302L. Introduction to Soil Mechanics. (CE) Origin and composition of soils, soil structure. Flow of water through soils. Environmental geotechnology: land waste disposal, waste containment, and remediation technologies. Soil behavior under stress; compressibility, shear strength. Elements of mechanics of soil masses with application to problems of bearing capacity of foundations, earth pressure on retaining walls, and stability of slopes. Laboratory included.
Prerequisite: CEE 301L.
Instructor: Boadu or Hueckel. One course. Spring only.

CEE 560. Environmental Transport Phenomena. (EnvE) Conservation principles in the atmosphere and bodies of water, fundamental equations for transport in the atmosphere and bodies of water, scaling principles, simplification, turbulence, turbulent transport, Lagrangian transport, applications to transport of particles from volcanoes and stacks, case studies: volcanic eruption, Chernobyl accident, forest fires and Toms River power plant emission.
Instructor: Wiesner

Required Courses for S/M Track

CEE 421L. Matrix Structural Analysis. (CE) Development of stiffness matrix methods from first principles. Superposition of loads and elements. Linear analysis by hand and computer of plane and space structures comprising one-dimensional truss and beam elements.
Prerequisites: EGR 201L and MATH 212 or MATH 216.
Instructors: Gavin, Scovazzi, Virgin. One course. Fall only.

CEE 422L. Concrete and Composite Structures. (CE) Properties and design of concrete. Analysis and design of selected reinforced concrete structural elements according to strength and design methodology. Mechanics forming the foundation of the methodology is featured. Laboratory work on properties of aggregates, concrete, and reinforced concrete.
Prerequisite: EGR 201L.
Instructor: Nadeau. One course. Spring only.

CEE 423L. Metallic Structures. (CE) Design in metals, primarily steel. Properties of materials as criteria for failure. Tension, compression, and flexural members. Bolted and welded connections, including eccentric connections. Built-up members. Design by elastic and plastic methods. Selected problems to include computations and drawings.
Prerequisite: EGR 201L.
Instructor: Nadeau. One course. Fall only.

CEE 429. Integrated Structural Design. (CE) Student design teams complete a preliminary design of an actual structural engineering project and present the design to a panel of civil engineering faculty and practitioners. A written technical report is required. Topics to be addressed include: the design process; cost estimation; legal, ethical, and social aspects of professional engineering practice; short-term and long-term design serviceability considerations. Open only to civil engineering students during their final two semesters.
Prerequisites: CEE 421L, 422L, 423L.
Instructor: Nadeau. One course. Spring only.

Required courses for E/W Track

CEE 461L. Chemical Principles in Environmental Engineering. (CE, EnvE) Fundamentals of chemistry as applied in environmental engineering processes. Chemistry topics include acid-base equilibrium, the carbonate system, mineral surface interactions, redox reactions, and organic chemistry. Applied environmental systems include water treatment, soil remediation, air pollution and green engineering. Laboratory included. Field trips will be arranged.
Prerequisite: CHEM 101DL.
Instructor: Ferguson, Hsu-Kim. One course. Fall only.

CEE 462L. Biological Principles in Environmental Engineering. (CE, EnvE) Fundamentals of microbiology related to biological environmental engineering processes. Topics include microbial metabolism, molecular biological tools, mass balance, and reactor models. Applications to include unit processes in wastewater treatment, bioremediation and biofiltration. Laboratory included. Field trips to be arranged.
Instructor: Deshusses or Gunsch. One course. Spring only.

CEE 463L. Water Resources Engineering. (CE, EnvE) Descriptive and quantitative hydrology, hydraulics of pressure conduits and measurement of flow, compound pipe systems, analysis of flow in pressure distribution systems, open channel flow, reservoirs and distribution system storage. Groundwater hydrology and well-hydraulics. Probability and statistics in water resources. Selected laboratory and field exercises, computer applications.
Prerequisite: CEE 301L.
Instructor: Kabala, Schaad. One course. Fall only.

CEE 469. Integrated Environmental Design. (CE, EnvE) Student design teams complete a preliminary design of an actual environmental engineering project and present the design to a panel of civil engineering faculty and practitioners. A written technical report is required. Topics to be addressed include: the design process; cost estimation; legal, ethical, and social aspects of professional engineering practice; short-term and long-term designserviceability considerations. Open only to civil engineering students during their final two semesters.
Prerequisites: CEE 461L, 463L, 462L.
Instructor: Schaad. One course. Spring only.

Elective courses

This is a selected list. For additional courses consult the course catalog.

EGR 350S. Professional Ethics. Case study approach used to introduce professional ethics. Topics include moral development, confidentiality, risk and safety, social responsibility, fraud and malpractice, legal aspects of professionalism, and environmental ethics. The capstone course for students completing the certificate in the Program in Science, Technology, and Human Values. Also taught as Science, Technology, and Human Values 108S.
Instructor: Vallero. One course. Spring only.

CEE 190. Special Topics in Civil Engineering. Study arranged on a special topic in which the instructor has particular interest and competence. Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies required. Half course or one course each.
Instructor: Staff.

CEE 291/292. Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Study arranged on a special topic by an instructor with related interests and expertise. Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies required. Half course or one course.
Instructor: Staff

CEE 293/294. Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental EngineeringResearch project mentored by an instructor with related interests and expertise. Course may be taken by students who have demonstrated aptitude for independent work. Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies required. Half course or one course.
Instructor: Staff

CEE 311. Architectural Engineering I. Analysis of the building through the study of its subsystems (enclosure, space, structural, environmental-control). Building materials and their principal uses in the enclosure and structural subsystems. Computer aided design. Field trips. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing, consent of instructor for non-engineering students.
Instructor: Brasier. One course. Fall only.

CEE 315-20, 315-60. Engineering Sustainable Design and Construction. Design and testing of solutions to complex interdisciplinary design products in a service learning context. Technical design principles; sustainable and engineering best practices; prototype formation, testing and evaluation; and establishment of research and analysis methodologies in a community based research experience. Working in partnership with a community agency (local, national, or international) and participation in an experimental learning process by engineering a design solution for an identified community need. Evaluation focused on design deliverables, fabricated prototypes and a critical reflection of the experimental learning process. One credit.
Prerequisites: EGR 201L or ECE 110L or consent of instructor.
Instructor: Schaad. One course.

CEE 316. Transportation Engineering. The role and history of transportation. Introduction to the planning and design of multimodal transportation systems. Principles of traffic engineering, route location, and geometric design. Planning studies and economic evaluation.
Prerequisite: STA 130(113) and consent of instructor for non-engineering students.
Instructor: Staff. One course. Occasionally.

CEE 390. Special Topics in Civil Engineering. Study arranged on a special topic in which the instructor has particular interest and competence. Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies required. Half course or one course each.
Instructor: Staff.

CEE 393/394. Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Research project mentored by an instructor with related interests and expertise. Course may be taken by students who have demonstrated aptitude for independent work. Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies required. Half course or one course.
Instructor: Staff

CEE 411. Architectural Engineering II. Design and integration of building subsystems (enclosure, space, structural, environmental-control) in the design of a medium-sized building.
Prerequisite: CEE 311 or consent of instructor.
Instructor: Brasier. One course. Spring only.

CEE 490. Special Topics in Civil Engineering. Study arranged on a special topic in which the instructor has particular interest and competence. Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies required. Half course or one course each.
Instructor: Staff.

CEE 491/492. Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Study arranged on a special topic by an instructor with related interests and expertise. Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies required. Half course or one course.

CEE 493/494. Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Research project mentored by an instructor with related interests and expertise. Course may be taken by students who have demonstrated aptitude for independent work. Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies required. Half course or one course.
Instructor: Staff

CEE 501. Applied Math for Engineers. Advanced analytical methods of applied mathematics useful in solving a wide spectrum of engineering problems.  Applications of linear algebra, calculus of variations, the Frobenius method, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, and boundary value problems. 
Prerequisites: Math 353 or equivalent and undergraduate courses in solid and/or fluid mechanics. 
Instructor: Kabala

CEE 502. Engineering Data Analysis. Introduction to the statistical error analysis of imprecise data and the estimation of physical parameters from data with uncertainty. Interpolation and filtering. Data and parameter covariance. Emphasis on time series analysis in the time- and frequency-domains. Linear and nonlinear least squares. Confidence intervals and belts. Hypothesis testing. Introduction to parameter estimation in linear and nonlinear dynamic systems.
Prerequisite: graduate standing or instructor consent.
Instructors: Boadu, Gavin

CEE 520. Continuum Mechanics. Tensor fields and index notation. Analysis of states of stress and strain. Conservation laws and field equations. Constitutive equations for elastic, viscoelastic, and elastic-plastic solids. Formulation and solution of simple problems in elasticity, viscoelasticity, and plasticity.
Instructors: Hueckel, or Nadeau

CEE 525. Wave Propogation in Elastic and Poroelastic Media. Basic theory, methods of solution, and applications involving wave propagation in elastic and poroelastic media. Analytical and numerical solution of corresponding equations of motion. Linear elasticity and viscoelasticity as applied to porous media. Effective medium, soil/rock materials as composite materials. Gassmann's equations and Biot's theory for poroelastic media. Stiffness and damping characteristics of poroelastic materials. Review of engineering applications that include NDT, geotechnical and geophysical case histories.
Prerequisite: MATH 353 or consent of instructor.
Instructor: Boadu

CEE 530. Introduction to the Finite Element Method. Investigation of the finite element method as a numerical technique for solving linear ordinary and partial differential equations, using rod and beam theory, heat conduction, elastostatics and dynamics, and advective/diffusive transport as sample systems. Emphasis placed on formulation and programming of finite element models, along with critical evaluation of results. Topics include: Galerkin and weighted residual approaches, virtual work principles, discretization, element design and evaluation, mixed formulations, and transient analysis.
Prerequisites: a working knowledge of ordinary and partial differential equations, numerical methods, and programming in FORTRAN or MATLAB.
Instructor: Aquino, Dolbow, Scovazzi

CEE 541. Dynamic Systems. Formulation of dynamic models for discrete and continuous structures; normal mode analysis, deterministic and stochastic responses to shocks and environmental loading (earthquakes, winds, and waves); introduction to nonlinear dynamic systems, analysis and stability of structural components (beams and cables and large systems such as offshore towers, moored ships, and floating platforms).
Instructor: Gavin

CEE 560. Environmental Transport Phenomena. Conservation principles in the atmosphere and bodies of water, fundamental equations for transport in the atmosphere and bodies of water, scaling principles, simplification, turbulence, turbulent transport, Lagrangian transport, applications to transport of particles from volcanoes and stacks, case studies: volcanic eruption, Chernobyl accident, forest fires and Toms River power plant emission.
Instructor: Wiesner

CEE 566. Environmental Microbiology. Fundamentals of microbiology and biochemistry as they apply to environmental engineering.  General topics include cell chemistry, microbial metabolism, bioenergetics, microbial ecology and pollutant biodegradation. 
Prerequisites: CEE 462L or graduate standing or consent of the instructor. 
Instructor: Gunsch

CEE 575. Air Pollution Control Engineering. The problems of air pollution with reference to public health and environmental effects. Measurement and meteorology. Air pollution control engineering: mechanical, chemical, and biological processes and technologies.
Instructor: Bergin

CEE 581. Pollutant Transport Systems. Distribution of pollutants in natural waters and the atmosphere; diffusive and advective transport phenomena within the natural environment and through artificial conduits and storage/treatment systems. Analytical and numerical prediction methods.
Prerequisites: CEE 301L and MATH 111 or equivalents.
Instructor: Staff

CEE 643. Environmental and Engineering Geophysics. Use of geophysical methods for solving engineering and environmental problems. Theoretical frameworks, techniques, and relevant case histories as applied to engineering and environmental problems (including groundwater evaluation and protection, siting of landfills, chemical waste disposals, roads assessments, foundations investigations for structures, liquefaction and earthquake risk assessment). Introduction to theory of elasticity and wave propagation in elastic and poroelastic media, electrical and electromagnetic methods, and ground penetrating radar technology.
Prerequisite: MATH 353 or consent of instructor.
Instructor: Boadu

CEE 644. Inverse Problems in Geosciences and Engineering. Basic concepts, theory, methods of solution, and application of inverse problems in engineering, groundwater modeling, and applied geophysics. Deterministic and statistical frameworks for solving inverse problems. Strategies for solving linear and nonlinear inverse problems. Bayesian approach to nonlinear inverse problems. Emphasis on the ill-posed problem of inverse solutions. Data collection strategies in relation to solution of inverse problems. Model structure identification and parameter estimation procedures.
Prerequisite: MATH 353 or consent of instructor.
Instructor: Boadu

CEE 645. Experimental Systems. Formulation of experiments; Pi theorem and principles of similitude; data acquisition systems; static and dynamic measurement of displacement, force, and strain; interfacing experiments with digital computers for data storage, analysis, and plotting. Students select, design, perform, and interpret laboratory-scale experiments involving structures and basic material behavior.
Prerequisite: senior or graduate standing in engineering or the physical sciences.
Instructor: Gavin

CEE 661L. Environmental Molecular Biotechnology. Principles of genetics and recombinant DNA for environmental systems.  Applications to include genetic engineering for bioremediation, DGGE, FISH, micro-arrays and biosensors.  Laboratory exercises to include DNA isolation, amplification, manipulation and analysis. 
Prerequisites: CEE 463L or consent of the instructor. 
Instructor: Gunsch

CEE 683. Groundwater Hydrology and Contaminant Transport. Review of surface hydrology and its interaction with groundwater. The nature of porous media, hydraulic conductivity, and permeability. General hydrodynamic equations of flow in isotropic and anisotropic media. Water quality standards and contaminant transport processes: advective-dispersive equation for solute transport in saturated porous media. Analytical and numerical methods, selected computer applications. Deterministic versus stochastic models. Applications: leachate from sanitary landfills, industrial lagoons and ponds, subsurface wastewater injection, monitoring of groundwater contamination. Conjunctive surface-subsurface models.
Prerequisite: CEE 463L or consent of instructor.
Instructor: Kabala