Welcome to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University.
Civil and Environmental Engineering have central roles to play in defining the future of our nation and the world. The critical issues before us — among them economic recovery, energy conservation and resources, infrastructure preservation, environmental quality and climate change, and national security — each demand critical thinking about materials, systems, design, operations and management of civil infrastructure systems and the natural systems with which they interact. These are tasks for civil and environmental engineers, in close collaboration with broader interdisciplinary teams. As challenging as these times are, this is a great time to be a civil or environmental engineer.
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University is an excellent place to begin or advance your career in these fields. Our undergraduate programs place strong emphasis on design, communications, team work, and the development of a systems perspective on the complex problems of today and tomorrow. As a part of Northwestern University, we offer engineering students an extraordinarily broad educational experience that includes the social sciences, humanities, and the arts. Because we are situated at the edge of the vibrant city of Chicago, our students can enjoy off-campus cultural and entertainment activities, as well as a chance to study and understand a complex and exciting urban context.
We are a part of Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, along with seven other engineering departments. Our students take courses across and beyond the engineering school, collaborate on course-based and extra-curricular design and service projects, and enjoy the benefits of a medium-sized engineering school with a big reputation.
We offer accredited undergraduate degrees in both Civil Engineering and in Environmental Engineering, with opportunities to specialize further within these fields. Our students are active in the student chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Water Environment Federation, Engineers for a Sustainable World, and other organizations that seek ways to reduce poverty and to improve environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Our emphasis on science and engineering fundamentals, design and communication, and breadth in fields outside engineering prepares our graduates for strong careers in engineering and other fields, and for lifelong learning to adapt to a changing world.
We offer great opportunities for graduate study at the PhD and MS levels in Environmental Engineering and Science, Geotechnics and Environmental Geotechnics, Mechanics of Materials and Structures, Project Management, and Transportation Systems Analysis and Planning. Our professional MS Program in Project Management offers full- and part-time pathways for experienced engineers to prepare to take on significant management responsibilities in civil and environmental engineering.
Our faculty members are aggressively active in research and widely known in their fields of specialty — five of our faculty are members of the National Academy of Engineering and two are also members of the National Academy of Sciences. Northwestern CEE alumni are leaders in their professions, many owning or managing construction, geotechnical, or environmental engineering firms, and others serving on the faculty at top schools around the globe. Northwestern alums contribute to society by participating in policy making at the local and national levels, and through successful careers in law, medicine, or finance.
I know you will find much of interest in these web pages, which will not only tell you about our faculty and their work, but will also link you to the several interdisciplinary research centers at Northwestern where our faculty and students play key roles. If you are interested in undergraduate or graduate study in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern, please contact us.
Jianmin Qu
Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Walter P. Murphy Professor
j-qu@northwestern.edu
