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Seattle University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is home to three degree programs: the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (including optional environmental specialization), the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, and the Master of Science in Structural Engineering. When you join our department, you will benefit from our low student-faculty ratio as you connect closely with your professors. Our curriculum is practical with hands-on learning built into our programs at every level from class projects and paid internship opportunities. Our graduates work in top private-sector firms and government agencies while some seek advanced degrees.
Our nation and world infrastructures continue to evolve but still suffer from a lack critical improvements. As a civil engineer, you can design resilient skyscrapers and energy-smart homes. Or you can work to improve the efficiency of roadways and mass transit systems. You can also retrofit existing structures, including bridges and dams, in order to safeguard our communities against natural hazards. As a Civil Engineer, you are on the front line of saving our society and making the world a safer, more sustainbale, and more just environment for all.
Improving the built environment is at the core of civil engineering, and managing our environmental resources is an essential component of this progress. By pursuing an Environmental specialization with your BS in Civil Engineering, you can contribute to solving problems like reclaiming habitats for endangered species, cleaning contaminated water resources for return to the environment, and remediating polluted sites in society's built environments. This balanced civil engineering degree will equip you to apply engineering fundamentals towards meeting the need for environmental justice and sustainability.
In our Environmental Science program, you will master the technical fundamentals and hone the interpersonal and communication skills you need to succeed in today’s job environment. With a unique mix of empirical science and problem solving, our mission-driven approach provides freedom to address environmental issues holistically, with input from science, technology and the humanities. And our location in the heart of a vibrant, environmentally aware city provides opportunities for internships and out-of-class work.
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Seattle University offers a professionally focused structural engineering graduate degree. This program has been designed in response to the growing demand for entry-level structural engineers to have an advanced level of education in both technical and professional realms. This program has been developed collaboratively between faculty members at Seattle University and an industry Advisory Board representing the top structural engineering firms in the Seattle region as well as the public sector. This program emphasizes learning through a student-centered course design.
Seattle University has won more NCEES Engineering Education Awards than any other program in the US.
Almost 3/4 of CEE students complete an internship before graduation.
From our campus and state of the art labs located in the dynamic heart of Seattle, you will be well prepared to contribute to projects throughout the region. Surrounded by leading companies ready to hire you, you'll tackle real-world challenges with help from dedicated faculty.
The CEE Department is committed to expanding STEM education to all students regardless of background, and we are proud of the diverse community studying in our programs.
CEE faculty are committed to educating the whole person and helping you maximize your opportunities while you earn your degrees. All CEE faculty are licensed Professional Engineers and teach both undergradaute and gradaute courses - zero CEE classes are taught by TAs. With an 11:1 student-faculty ratio, you will get to know your professors personally, and benefit from their connections and experience as you prepare for your career.
“We value the well-rounded technical and communication skills exhibited in recent Seattle U graduate hires, along with the program’s focus on real-world professional experience.”
“The faculty are all very well connected. They know everybody in the area, and if they know you’re interested in a topic or site or firm, they’ll put you in touch right away.”
We strive to help our students develop a strong understanding and mastery of fundamentals to see how these apply in practice. When you leave here excited about the impact you can have on society, then we’ve done our job.