The BSE Civil Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Criteria.

Learning Outcomes 

1. Graduates of the program will have an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. Graduates will have an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3. Graduates will have an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. Graduates will have an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. Graduates will have an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. Graduates will have an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. Graduates will have an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Academic Standards

Entrance Requirements

See Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing for progression requirements, and special academic opportunities.

Program GPA

Program GPA requirement policies are described in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing section of this bulletin. For the purpose of these policies, the following courses are used to determine the Program GPA for the Civil Engineering B.S.E. program: all Civil Engineering Lower Division courses, all Civil Engineering Major courses and all courses used to satisfy an ECIV Laboratory Elective, and ECIV Distribution Elective.

Professional Development Requirement

Admissions

Entrance Requirements

Admission requirements and processes for freshman, transfer students, and former students seeking readmission are managed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Transfer applicants from regionally accredited colleges and universities must have a minimum cumulative 2.75 GPA on a 4.00 scale to enter the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. Current University of South Carolina students, and former students seeking readmission, must have an institutional GPA of 2.50 or better on at least 15 hours earned at USC.

Communications and Ethics

This requirement is satisfied by completing one or more program-accepted Carolina Core courses for CMS and VSR.

Degree Requirements (124-137 hours)

See College of Engineering and Computing for progression requirements and special academic opportunities.

Program of Study

Program Summary

Requirements	Credit Hours
1. Carolina Core	34-43
2. College Requirements	0
3. Program Requirements	53-69
4. Major Requirements	25-37

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers.  This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective.  Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

1. Carolina Core Requirements (34-43 hours)

CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)

• ENGL 101 
• ENGL 102

ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (8 hours) 

• MATH 141
• MATH 142

SCI – Scientific Literacy (8 hours)

• CHEM 111 & CHEM 111L 
• PHYS 211 & PHYS 211L

GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language  (0-6 hours)

Score two or better on foreign language placement test; or complete the 109 and 110 courses in FREN, GERM, LATN or SPAN; or complete the 121 course in another foreign language.

• CC-GFL courses

GHS – ​Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours) 

• any CC-GHS course

GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)

• any CC-GSS course

AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)

• any CC-AIU course

CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component¹ (0-3 hours)

Select from the following:

• any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course

INF – Information Literacy¹ (0 hours)

• ENGL 102

VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility¹ (0-3 hours)

• any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course

¹

Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours for this program must add up to a minimum of 34 hours.

2. College Requirements (0 hours)

No college-required courses for this program.

3. Program Requirements (53-69 hours)

Supporting Courses (53-69 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Foundational Required Courses		6
MATH 242	Elementary Differential Equations
STAT 509	Statistics for Engineers
or STAT 511	Probability
Foundational Math Elective		3
Select one from the following:
MATH 241	Vector Calculus
MATH 300	Transition to Advanced Mathematics
MATH 344	Applied Linear Algebra
Foundational Math/Science Elective		3-4
Select one from the following:
Additional course from Foundational Math Elective category
CHEM 112 & 112L	General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab
PHYS 212 & 212L	Essentials of Physics II and Essentials of Physics II Lab
Lower Division Engineering		18
ECIV 101	Introduction to Civil Engineering
or ENCP 101	Introduction to Engineering
ECIV 111	Introduction to Engineering Graphics and Visualization
or ENCP 102	Introduction to Computer-Aided Design
ECIV 200	Statics
or ENCP 200	Statics
ECIV 220	Mechanics of Solids
or ENCP 260	Introduction to the Mechanics of Solids
ECIV 270	Fundamentals of Civil Engineering Design
ECIV 360	Fluid Mechanics
or ENCP 360	Fluid Mechanics
ECIV Laboratory Courses		2
Select two from the following:
ECIV 303L	Civil Engineering Materials Laboratory
ECIV 330L	Geotechnical Laboratory
ECIV 340L	Transportation Engineering Laboratory
ECIV 350L	Introduction to Environmental Engineering Laboratory
ECIV 362L	Introduction to Water Resources Engineering Laboratory
ECIV Distribution Courses		12
Select one course from four of the following five areas:
Environmental Engineering
ECIV 551	Elements of Water and Wastewater Treatment
ECIV 555	Principles of Municipal Solid Waste Engineering
ECIV 556	Air Pollution Control Engineering
ECIV 557	Sustainable Construction for Engineers
ECIV 558	Environmental Engineering Process Modeling
Structural Engineering
ECIV 325	Structural Steel Design
ECIV 327	Reinforced Concrete Design
Transportation Engineering
ECIV 540	Transportation Systems Planning
ECIV 541	Highway Design
ECIV 542	Traffic Engineering
ECIV 580	Railway Engineering I
Geotechnical Engineering
ECIV 530	Foundation Analysis and Design
ECIV 531	Design of Earth Structures
Water Resources Engineering
ECIV 560	Open Channel Hydraulics
ECIV 562	Engineering Hydrology
ECIV 563	Subsurface Hydrology
Basic Science Elective		3-4
Select one from the following:
BIOL 110	General Biology
BIOL 270	Introduction to Environmental Biology
ENVR 101	Introduction to the Environment
ENVR 321	Environmental Pollution and Health
GEOL 101	Introduction to the Earth
GEOL 103	Environment of the Earth
MSCI 210	Oceans and Society
MSCI 215	Coastal Environments of the Southeastern U.S.
Engineering, Science, or Mathematics (ESM) Electives		0-14
Students must complete 12-14 hours of ESM electives. Students may choose to complete a concentration within the major, in which case ESM Electives are not required.
Select from the following:
Additional courses from Foundational Math Elective category, Foundational Math/Science Elective category and Basic Science
Additional ECIV courses 300 level and higher
BIOL 101	Biological Principles I
BIOL 102	Biological Principles II
BIOL 250	Microbiology (and higher)
BMEN 212	Fundamentals of Biomedical Systems (and higher)
CHEM 118	Computational Chemistry I (and higher)
CSCE 106	Scientific Applications Programming
CSCE 145	Algorithmic Design I
CSCE 146	Algorithmic Design II
CSCE 201	Introduction to Computer Security
CSCE 211	Digital Logic Design
ECHE 300	Chemical Process Principles (and higher)
ECIV 201	Computational Methods for Civil Engineering
or ENCP 201	Introduction to Applied Numerical Methods
ECIV 210	Dynamics
or ENCP 210	Dynamics
ECIV 230	Introduction to Construction Engineering
ELCT 220	Electrical Engineering for Non-Majors
ELCT 221	Circuits (and higher)
EMCH 290	Thermodynamics (or higher (but not ENCP 360)
ENCP 290	Thermodynamic Fundamentals (and higher (but not ENCP 360) 2
ENVR 331	Integrating Sustainability (but not ENCP 360)
ENVR 501	Special Topics in the Environment
ENVR 533	Sustainability Projects Course
GEOG 347	Water as a Resource
GEOG 563	Advanced Geographic Information Systems
GEOL 302	Rocks and Minerals (or above)
ITEC 233	Introduction to Computer Hardware and Software (or higher)
MATH 520	Ordinary Differential Equations
MATH 521	Boundary Value Problems and Partial Differential Equations
MATH 544	Linear Algebra
MATH 550	Vector Analysis
MSCI 305	Ocean Data Analysis (and higher)
NAVY 201	Naval Ships Systems I (and higher)
NAVY 202	Naval Ships Systems II
NAVY 301	Navigation/Naval Operations I
PHYS 291	Einstein’s Relativity: Understanding by Example (and higher)
STAT 511	Probability
STAT 512	Mathematical Statistics
STAT 513	Theory of Statistical Inference
STAT 516	Statistical Methods II
STAT 520	Forecasting and Time Series
STAT 587	Big Data Analytics
Career Electives		6
Select two courses from the following:
Additional courses from Foundational Math Elective category, Foundational Math/Science Elective category, Basic Science category and ESM Elective category.
Additional ECIV courses 300 level and higher
ACCT 222	Survey of Accounting
ECON 224	Introduction to Economics
FINA 333	Finance and Markets
MGMT 371	Principles of Management
MGSC 290	Computer Information Systems in Business
MKTG 350	Principles of Marketing
Total Credit Hours		53-69

4. Major Requirements (25-37 hours)

Major Courses

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
ECIV 303	Civil Engineering Materials	3
ECIV 307	Professional Development for Civil Engineers	3
ECIV 320	Structural Analysis I	3
ECIV 330	Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering	3
ECIV 340	Introduction to Transportation Engineering	3
ECIV 350	Introduction to Environmental Engineering	3
ECIV 362	Introduction to Water Resources Engineering	3
ECIV 470	Civil Engineering Design	4
Total Credit Hours		25

Concentrations

Students may choose to complete a concentration below in place of the 12 hours of Engineering, Science, or Mathematics (ESM) Electives.

Environmental Engineering Concentration (12 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Select any two courses from the following:		6
ECIV 551	Elements of Water and Wastewater Treatment
ECIV 555	Principles of Municipal Solid Waste Engineering
ECIV 556	Air Pollution Control Engineering
Select 6 credit hours from the following:		6
ECIV 490	Special Topics
or ECIV 590	Intermediate Special Topics
ECIV 499	Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
ECIV 502	Life Cycle Assessment of Engineered Systems
ECIV 551	Elements of Water and Wastewater Treatment
ECIV 555	Principles of Municipal Solid Waste Engineering
ECIV 556	Air Pollution Control Engineering
ECIV 557	Sustainable Construction for Engineers
ECIV 558	Environmental Engineering Process Modeling
ECIV 562	Engineering Hydrology
ECIV 563	Subsurface Hydrology
Total Credit Hours		12

Geotechnical Engineering Concentration (12 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
ECIV 530	Foundation Analysis and Design	3
or ECIV 531	Design of Earth Structures
Select 9 hours from the following:		9
ECIV 327	Reinforced Concrete Design
ECIV 490	Special Topics
or ECIV 590	Intermediate Special Topics
ECIV 499	Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
ECIV 530	Foundation Analysis and Design
ECIV 531	Design of Earth Structures
ECIV 533	Geosynthetics and Geotechnical Design of Landfills
ECIV 535	Pavement Analysis and Design
ECIV 539	Experimental Methods in Geotechnical Engineering
ECIV 563	Subsurface Hydrology
Total Credit Hours		12

Structural Engineering Concentration (12 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
ECIV 325	Structural Steel Design	3
or ECIV 327	Reinforced Concrete Design
ECIV 520	Structural Analysis II	3
Select 6 hours of the following:		6
ECIV 325	Structural Steel Design
ECIV 327	Reinforced Concrete Design
ECIV 490	Special Topics
or ECIV 590	Intermediate Special Topics
ECIV 499	Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
ECIV 524	Structural Vibrations
ECIV 526	Timber and Masonry Design
ECIV 530	Foundation Analysis and Design
ECIV 588	Design of Railway Bridges and Structures
Total Credit Hours		12

Water Resources Engineering Concentration (12 hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Select two of the following:		6
ECIV 560	Open Channel Hydraulics
ECIV 562	Engineering Hydrology
ECIV 563	Subsurface Hydrology
Select 6 hours of the following:		6
ECIV 490	Special Topics
or ECIV 590	Intermediate Special Topics
ECIV 499	Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
ECIV 502	Life Cycle Assessment of Engineered Systems
ECIV 531	Design of Earth Structures
ECIV 551	Elements of Water and Wastewater Treatment
Total Credit Hours		12

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

Civil Engineering, B.S.E.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Credit Hours
ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition	3
MATH 141	Calculus I 3	4
CHEM 111	General Chemistry I	3
CHEM 111L	General Chemistry I Lab	1
ECIV 101 or ENCP 101	Introduction to Civil Engineering (fall only) or Introduction to Engineering	3
Carolina Core AIU 4		3
	Credit Hours	17
Spring
ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition	3
MATH 142	Calculus II	4
PHYS 211	Essentials of Physics I	3
PHYS 211L	Essentials of Physics I Lab	1
ECIV 200 or ENCP 200	Statics or Statics	3
Carolina Core GHS 4		3
	Credit Hours	17
Second Year
Fall
ECIV 270	Fundamentals of Civil Engineering Design	3
Foundational Math Elective 5		3
ECIV 200 or ENCP 260	Statics or Introduction to the Mechanics of Solids	3
Basic Science Elective 6		3-4
Carolina Core GSS 4		3
	Credit Hours	15-16
Spring
ECIV 111 or ENCP 102	Introduction to Engineering Graphics and Visualization or Introduction to Computer-Aided Design	3
ECIV 360 or ENCP 360	Fluid Mechanics or Fluid Mechanics	3
MATH 242	Elementary Differential Equations	3
STAT 509 or STAT 511	Statistics for Engineers or Probability	3
Foundational Math/Science Elective 7		3-4
	Credit Hours	15-16
Third Year
Fall
ECIV 303	Civil Engineering Materials	3
ECIV 320	Structural Analysis I	3
ECIV 340	Introduction to Transportation Engineering	3
ECIV 350	Introduction to Environmental Engineering	3
ECIV Laboratory Course 8		1
Carolina Core VSR 4		3
	Credit Hours	16
Spring
ECIV 330	Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering	3
ECIV 362	Introduction to Water Resources Engineering	3
ECIV Distribution Elective 9		3
ECIV Distribution Elective 9		3
ECIV Laboratory Course 8		1
ESM Elective 10		3-4
	Credit Hours	16-17
Fourth Year
Fall
ECIV 307	Professional Development for Civil Engineers	3
ECIV Distribution Elective 9		3
ESM Elective 10		3
ESM Elective 10		3-4
Carolina Core CMS 4		0-3
	Credit Hours	12-16
Spring
ECIV 470	Civil Engineering Design	4
ECIV Distribution Elective 9		3
ESM Elective 10		3
Career Elective 11		3-4
Career Elective 11		3-4
	Credit Hours	16-18
Summer
Carolina Core GFL-take during any semester 12		0-6
	Credit Hours	0-6
	Total Credit Hours	124-139

¹

Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA. 

²

Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. 

³

Students who place into MATH 115 will be required to successfully complete it before taking MATH 141. 

⁴

The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.  

⁵

Foundational Math Elective (3 hours): MATH 241, 300, 344. 

⁶

Basic Science Elective (3-4 hours): BIOL 110, 270; ENVR 101, 321; GEOL 101, 103; MSCI 210, 215. 

⁷

Foundational Math/Science Elective (3-4 hours): additional course from Foundational Math Elective category, CHEM 112 & 112L, PHYS 212 & 212L

⁸

ECIV Laboratory Courses (2 hours): ECIV 303L, ECIV 330L, ECIV 340L, ECIV 350L, ECIV 362L. 

⁹

ECIV Distribution Electives (12 hours): One course from 4 of the following 5 areas: Environmental: ECIV 551, 555, 556, 557, 558; Geotechnical: ECIV 530, 531; Structural: ECIV 325, 327 (C or better in ECIV 320 required); Water Resources: ECIV 560, 562, 563; Transportation: ECIV 540,541, 542, 580.

¹⁰

ESM (Engineering, Science, or Mathematics) Electives (12-14 hours): additional courses from Foundational Math Electives category, Foundational Math/Science Elective category and Basic Science, additional ECIV courses 300-level and higher (not already taken to fulfill the ECIV Distribution Elective requirement), BIOL 101, 102, 250 and higher; BMEN 212 and higher; CHEM 118 and higher; CSCE 106, 145, 146, 201, or 211; ECHE 300 and higher; ECIV 201 or ENCP 201, ECIV 210 or ENCP 210, ECIV 230; ELCT 220, 221 and higher; EMCH 290 and higher (not 360); ENCP 290 and higher (not 360); ENVR 331, 501 or 533; GEOG 347 or 563; GEOL 302 and higher; ITEC 233 and higher; MATH 520, 521, 544, 550; MSCI 305 and higher; NAVY 201, 202, 301; PHYS 291 and higher; STAT 511, 512, 513, 516, 520, 587. 

¹¹

Career Electives (6-8 hours): additional courses from Foundational Math Elective category, Foundational Math/Science Elective category, Basic Science category, and ESM Elective category, additional ECIV courses 300-level and higher, or ACCT 222, ECON 224, FINA 333, MGMT 371, MGSC 290, MKTG 350. 

¹²

Students in the College of Engineering and Computing are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 121 course by 1) a score of two or better on the foreign language placement test; or 2) completion of the 109 and 110 courses in FREN, GERM, LATN, or SPAN or completion of the 121 course in another foreign language.  Students who do not place out of the GFL requirement may need to take additional hours to meet this requirement. 

Program Notes:

• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• A student cannot repeat courses from the College of Engineering and Computing in which they earned a grade of C or better.  In addition, a student cannot repeat any course from the College a second time.  No more than four courses from the College of Engineering and Computing may be repeated in order to satisfy the requirements for any degree from the College, regardless of satisfactory work.  For this purpose, withdrawal from a course with a grade of W is not regarded as enrollment in that course.  A student that does not satisfactorily complete a degree-required College course within two attempts must change major or transfer out of the College of Engineering and Computing.
• A concentration in Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, or Water Resources Engineering is available to students majoring in civil engineering.  More details are available in the Bulletin.
• The last 25% of a student’s degree must be completed in residence at the University, and at least half of the hours in the student’s major courses and in the student’s minor courses (if applicable) must be taken at the University.
• Disclaimer: Prerequisites on courses are subject to change.  Please refer to Bulletin.