Welcome to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering! Civil engineering is one of the oldest engineering disciplines. Our field is responsible for developing, constructing, and maintaining all infrastructure in modern societies. Civil engineers design transportation systems, commercial buildings, airports, schools, and hospitals. They construct water plants, power stations, dams, and production facilities.

Like other areas of science and engineering, civil and environmental engineering is greatly impacted by technological advances. At Catholic University of America, we recognize this need and equip our students with the latest technology, while including critical analytical, communication, and creative problem-solving skills. We provide a rigorous curriculum that integrates a strong understanding of the physical, economical, and social structures that make up the engineering practice. In addition, students can focus on a particular area of civil and environmental engineering. These tracks include construction management, environmental engineering, structural/geotechnical engineering, and transportation engineering. The Civil Engineering Department also offers a joint five year program with the School of Architecture, allowing students to receive two degrees from both schools.

In addition to our full-time faculty members, the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department utilizes local practicing professionals who serve as adjunct professors. These professionals include federal government employees, engineering design consultants, and construction managers with expertise in real world challenges.

Beyond coursework, all civil and environmental engineering students participate in one summer internship. This experience exposes them to professional practices and ensures they excel in their coursework. Additionally, this program helps each student build their own network, enabling them to find an engineering job after graduation. Furthermore, we encourage students to collaborate with our faculty members on undergraduate research projects.

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department has an extremely active American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter. The Catholic University ASCE chapter participates in the yearly Virginia Regional Conference, and this year we are proud to host the conference on our campus. The annual conference has many competitive events, such as racing concrete canoes and designing steel bridges. Our ASCE student chapter regularly invites civil engineering professionals to give seminars on various aspects within our discipline. Our goal is to educate “whole engineers” who not only know the technical aspects of their field, but can also apply their knowledge to addressing the societal needs for the betterment of the society.

I hope you consider joining our department, and I look forward to meeting each of you on our campus. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, or if you wish to visit the department, at Massoudieh@cua.edu. I look forward to hearing from you.