Civil Engineering Major

Environmental Engineering

• CEE 132L Engineering the Planet
• CEE 461L Chemical Processes in Environmental Engineering
• CEE 462L Biological Processes in Environmental Engineering

Water Resources

• CEE 301L Fluid Mechanics
• CEE 302L Soil Mechanics
• CEE 462L Water Resources Engineering
• CEE 469 Integrated Environmental Design

For the Class of 2028

The plan provided below, applicable to students matriculating in Fall 2024, outlines a typical, semester-by-semester path to graduation.

For Duke CEE Students in Other Classes

Students who have already matriculated should consult the CEE Undergraduate Handbook as degree requirements can differ by matriculation date.

Important Notes About the Tables Below

• Courses in the tables are required unless noted otherwise
• Course numbers in bold are typically offered only once a year during the semester shown
• Shifting courses to a different semester should be done with caution and preplanning due, in part, to prerequisites and co-requisites
• The plan of study for the first two years is the same for all Civil Engineering majors, regardless of study track

First Year

Second Year

Important Note

• #4 At least one (1) physics course must be taken post-matriculation to satisfy the Physics requirement in the Engineering curriculum.  Students receiving AP credits for PHYSICS 25 and 26 must:  a) take a Duke PHYSICS course at or above PHYSICS 153L; b) decline the AP credit for PHYSICS 26 and take PHYSICS 152L; or c) decline both AP credits and take both PHYSICS 151L and 152L

Third Year

Important Note

#9 Although MATH 353 may be taken concurrently it is recommended that MATH 353 be completed prior to taking Fluid Mechanics, CEE 301L.

Fourth Year

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

Environmental Engineering

• Environmental Biotechnology & 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 & 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

Water Resources & Hydrology

• 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.

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

• Class of 2028 » (Matriculated Fall 2024)
• Classes of 2025 to 2027 » (Matriculated Fall 2021 to 2023)

Three (3) electives. These must be upper-level CEE courses; an upper-level course is a course at the 300-, 400-, 500- or 600-level. Courses meeting this requirement include, but are not limited to:

All engineering majors at Duke must take five (5) SS/H courses from approved departments and programs subject to requirements and limitations, including:

• Social Science: At least one course must be in a Social Science
• Breadth: At least two of these three Areas of Knowledge must be covered—
  • Arts, Literature and Performance (ALP)
  • Civilizations (CZ)
  • Foreign Language (FL)
• Depth: At least two courses must be taken from the same approved department or program with at least one of the two courses at 200-level or higher
• AP Credits Limit: A maximum of two AP credits can be used

Ethical Inquiry Code Requirement

Of the 34 units required for graduation, at least one of the units must possess the Ethical Inquiry, or EI, code. Most likely this EI code will be possessed by one of these five SS/H courses.

Class of 2014 and later: complete one of the following NS courses:

Important Note

• BIOLOGY 20 (AP credit) may be used to satisfy this requirement

The E&AS requirement can be satisfied in one of two ways:

Option 1

Complete one of the following courses:

Option 2

Structural Engineering & Mechanics (S/M) Track

Complete one of:

• CEE 461L Environmental Aquatic Chemistry
• CEE 462L Applied Biological Principles & Processes in Environmental Engineering
• CEE 463L Water Resources Engineering

Environmental Engineering & Water Resources (E/W) Track

Complete one of:

• CEE 421L Matrix Structural Analysis
• CEE 422L Concrete & Composite Structures
• CEE 423L Metallic Structures

Two (2) electives. These are unrestricted with the exception that at most 1.0 units of physical education activity and at most 1.0 units of music activity can be used to meet Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) requirements.

Important Note

House courses cannot be used.

Students may exceed the minimum of 34 units required for the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree. This may be accomplished via AP credits, overloading and/or summer courses at Duke or elsewhere.