Society entrusts civil engineers to create a sustainable future and enhance quality of life as planners, designers, constructors, and operators of one of society’s key economic and social engines—the built environment.
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Building the World of the Future
Wentworth Civil Engineering students work extensively in our state-of-the-art lab spaces to build the skills they'll need to make an impact on society. A hands-on learning experience allows you to envision solutions to real challenges facing the world. Civil Engineers serve as stewards of the natural environment and its resources, as innovators and integrators of ideas and technology across public and private sectors and as leaders in discussions and decisions shaping public environmental and infrastructure policy.
Choose Your Civil Engineering Pathway
Wentworth's Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program prepares students to enter this dynamic profession, pursue advanced studies, and become a licensed professional. The curriculum allows you to specialize your individual studies in geotechnical, structural, environmental, or infrastructure.
This program prepares students for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and the professional licensed engineer (PE) exam.
Co-op Experience with Top Employers
Through Wentworth’s strong network of employers, including many alumni, Civil Engineering students obtain professional experience during their two required cooperative work semesters. Partners hiring our co-op students include AECOM, Bond Brothers, Boston Water & Sewer Commission, Gilbane Building Co., Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Skanska USA and Weston & Sampson Engineers.
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The Wentworth Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
For program objectives, outcomes and enrollment and degree data, please visit the Civil Engineering Accreditation Information page.
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Wentworth Civil Engineering graduates obtain well-paying jobs in a range of fields. Average starting salary of a Civil Engineering major is $70,345 and the median salary is $70,000.
Recent graduates find jobs at top companies in Boston and around the country. The Top 5 employers of the most recent class of Wentworth Civil Engineering graduates are:
- McPhail Associates
- MassDOT
- AECOM
- Veitas Engineers
- Lahlaf Geotechnical Consulting, Inc
Average hourly co-op pay for Civil Engineering majors is $22.53.
Find a more in-depth look at career outcomes below.
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The Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program offers a rigorous curriculum designed to prepare students to enter this dynamic profession, pursue advanced studies, and become a licensed professional civil engineer in any of several sub-disciplines, including structural, environmental, transportation, or civil engineering.
View the Course Catalog below for information about program requirements. For an overview of the year-by-year experience in the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program, see "What You'll Learn" below.
Total credits for degree: 128
This is a four-year full-time program, starting in the fall semester of the student’s first year and planned to end in the summer semester of the student’s fourth year. The courses are as follows:
Plan of Study Grid Freshman Year Fall Semester Credits CHEM1100 GENERAL CHEMISTRY I 4 ENGR1100 INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE 2 ENGR1203 ENGINEERING LABORATORY-BSCE 2 MATH1776 CALCULUS 1A 2 MATH1777 CALCULUS 1B 2 English Sequence* 4 Credits 16 Spring Semester ENGR1300 FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING DESIGN 2 ENGR1403 APPLIED ENGINEERING ANALYSIS-BSCE 2 MATH1876 CALCULUS 2A 2 MATH1877 CALCULUS 2B 2 PHYS1250 ENGINEERING PHYSICS I 4 English Sequence* 4 Credits 16 Sophomore Year Fall Semester CIVE2000 STATICS & MECHANICS MATERIALS I 3 CIVE2205 INTRODUCTION TO GEOMATICS 4 CHEM1600 or PHYS1750GENERAL CHEMISTRY II or ENGINEERING PHYSICS II4 MATH2025 MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS 4 Credits 15 Spring Semester CIVE2300 CAD IN CIVIL ENGINEERING 3 CIVE2400 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS 3 CIVE2500 STATICS & MECHANICS MATERIALS II 4 MATH2500 DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS 4 MGMT3200 ENGINEERING ECONOMY 3 COOP2500 INTRODUCTION TO COOPERATIVE EDUCATION 0 Credits 17 Summer Semester COOP3000OPTIONAL COOP EDUCATION Credits 0 Junior Year Fall Semester CIVE3000 FLUID MECHANICS 4 CIVE3100 ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 4 CIVE3200 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS 4 CIVE3300 SOIL MECHANICS 4 Civil Engineering Elective 3 Credits 19 Spring Semester COOP3500 COOP EDUCATION 1 Credits 0 Summer Semester CIVE3700 HIGHWAY ENGINEERING 4 CIVE3900 HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING 4 Civil Engineering Elective 3 HSS Elective* 4 Credits 15 Senior Year Fall Semester COOP4500 COOP EDUCATION 2 Credits 0 Spring Semester CIVE4000 CIVIL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECTS 4 Science (Biology or Geology) Elective 4 Civil Engineering Elective 3 HSS Elective* 4 Credits 15 Summer Semester CIVE5500 CIVIL ENGINEERING CAPSTONE DESIGN 4 MATH2100 PROBABILITY & STATISTICS FOR ENGINEERS 4 Civil Engineering Elective 3 HSS Elective* 4 Credits 15 Total Credits 128 ENGL/HSS Note
Students are required to complete:
- At least one course in Humanities: CSAS, HSSI, HIST, HUMN, LITR and PHIL
- At least one course in the Social Sciences: CSAS, HSSI, COMM, ECON, ENVM, POLS, PSYC and SOCL
- The remaining course from either the Humanities or Social Sciences category.
Students with a three English course sequence may use the third English course to satisfy a Humanities requirement.
A minimum of 20 credits total, including English, humanities, and social science credit, is required to complete the humanities and social sciences graduation requirement.
Math Placement may alter the course schedule above.
Course List Course Title Credits CIVE3250 GIS APPLICATIONS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING 3 CIVE3350 GREEN ENGINEERING 3 CIVE3450 LEGAL ASPECTS OF BOUNDARY SURVEYING 3 CIVE4100 WATER RESOURCES AND HYDROLOGY 3 CIVE4200 GEOLOGY FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS 3 CIVE4225 ENVIRONMENTAL UNIT OPERATIONS 3 CIVE4250 STRUCTURAL STEEL DESIGN 3 CIVE4300 FOUNDATION ENGINEERING 3 CIVE4350 REINFORCED CONCRETE DESIGN 3 CIVE4375 WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT 3 To meet the 12 Civil Engineering elective requirements, a student may take a combination of Civil Engineering electives, Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering courses with School approval. Civil Engineering electives may be substituted with an engineering course from another program, an approved engineering course transferred from an accredited engineering program or other relevant coursework with School approval.
Student Testimonials
Katerina Alexandrou
"What excited me most about being a Wentworth student are my co-op opportunities. Wentworth professors and clubs offer so many connections to different co-ops that I would not have known about otherwise."
Eurico Moreno
"What stood out is the communal mindset that the Civil Engineering Department share amongst students. We always work in teams. We brief, we revise, and check each other's work. And that's one of the most important things that I take away from being at Wentworth. Wentworth was crucial [in preparing a strong future] because of the faculty, and the challenges that are posed to students from different problems, different coursework."
Savannah Rossick
"For my capstone, we chose a site in New Bedford in which we relocated a wastewater treatment plant and we designed a student dormitory and a we relocated a park. We incorporated a lot of fields and a lot of different areas for the public to use and students to use."
Gautham Das
"Wentworth Institute of Technology stands out among other universities due to its distinctive focus on practical, hands-on learning integrated with theoretical knowledge. Wentworth prioritizes experiential education, offering students extensive opportunities to engage in real-world projects and gain practical skills relevant to their fields."
Pictured: Students clean the Neponset River, 100 rubber tires were pulled out of the river in 4 hours. (Photo by Gautham Das)
What You'll Learn
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Year 1
You’ll establish a foundation for your Civil Engineering program by taking introductory courses in physics and calculus, along with Introduction to Engineering, which will instill core engineering concepts that you’ll use throughout the program. You’ll also dive into engineering courses that utilize essential tools like CAD.
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Year 2
Second-year students begin to tackle civil engineering concepts with courses that study materials and surveying. You’ll also establish a firm understanding of chemistry and math.
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Year 3
In the fall and summer semesters of your third year, you’ll continue to bolster your civil engineering knowledge with courses that focus on Structural Analysis, Fluid Mechanics, Soil Mechanics, and Highway Engineering. You’ll also be able to supplement your core program courses with electives in your desired area of study.
In the spring, you’ll begin the first of two required co-ops.
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Year 4
In the fall, you’ll go on your second required co-op to gain more hands-on industry experience.
The remainder of your program allows for some flexibility in your area of study via electives, as well as your senior capstone project.
High-Value and Rewarding Degree
Civil engineer's 2019 median pay in U.S. (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor)
Aggregate, Concrete, Geotechnical, Hydraulics, Wastewater
As ranked in 2022 by U.S. New & World Reports for best engineering jobs.