As a civil engineering major, you will study how to design, construct, and maintain facilities and systems that serve the basic needs of society. These include buildings, bridges, roadways, railways, airports, water and wastewater systems.

What courses will you take?

A female UMass Lowell student wearing goggles and working in a Civil & Environmental Engineering lab or class.

The B.S. in Civil Engineering at UMass Lowell offers rigorous training in the four main areas of civil engineering: 

  • Environmental engineering
  • Geotechnical engineering
  • Structural engineering
  • Transportation engineering

The first year begins with fundamental courses in college writing, mathematics and science. You will also take an introduction to civil and environmental engineering course that covers computer-aided engineering and design. 

During the second year, you will learn the principles of engineering mechanics, including statics, dynamics and strength of materials. Other courses cover statistics, surveying, geomatics and differential equations. At this point, you can begin the Professional Co-op Program by taking a professional development seminar. 

Junior and senior year coursework provides a working knowledge of structural, environmental, geotechnical and transportation engineering. You can also take two professional electives, which will count toward a master’s degree if you are accepted into the combined B.S.E./M.S.E. program. In the senior year, you will participate in a comprehensive capstone design project, which is typically a service-learning project with a community partner.

Visit the Academic Catalog for a complete course listing and to learn more about the minor in Business Administration for Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Degree Pathways are a semester-by-semester sequence of courses recommended for successful completion of a degree, diploma, credential or certificate from the university. The most current degree pathway is:

Visit the Academic Catalog for all degree pathways, including those from prior enrollment years.

The Program Goal of the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department is to provide its students with a well-balanced, high quality education in four areas of Civil Engineering practice: environmental, geotechnical, structural and transportation engineering that will:
  • permit them to practice civil engineering at a professional level 
  • prepare them for graduate study 
  • promote life-long learning and continuing professional development 
  • provide them with the skills and knowledge necessary to develop into active contributors to the economic and social vitality of the region 

To accomplish this Program Goal, the CEE Department’s and ABET Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) are as follows: 

  • Graduates, who wish to pursue professional employment, will obtain a position in Civil Engineering or related engineering field, and will be successful in that position. 
  • Graduates will pursue lifelong learning, professional development, and registration as appropriate for their employers. 
  • Graduates will engage in service activities related to their profession. 

The student outcomes for the BSE degree in civil engineering at UMass Lowell are as follows:

At graduation students should possess:

  1. an ability to identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.
  2. 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. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. 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. 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. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Why study civil engineering at UMass Lowell?

 Timothy Roberts, Natalie Melconian, Rebecca Gonsalves-Lamontagne, and Zachary Morris paddle UMass Lowell's concrete canoe during the 2014 regional competition.

Fun Outside the Classroom

Solving problems is fun, and at UML you can put your learning into practice. Check out some ways that students connect outside of the classroom.

UMass Lowell Professor Pradeep Kurup working with  a male student in a lab coat.

Research Opportunities

The civil engineering department conducts innovative research in structural, environmental, geotechnical and transportation engineering, including:

  • Monitoring and assessment of wind turbine foundation degradation
  • Electromagnetic detection and identification of concrete cracking in highway bridges
  • National Science Foundation: Ethical Algorithms in Autonomous Vehicles
A Female African American UMass Lowell student working in a Civil & Environmental Engineering lab.

Experiential Learning

Build career-ready skills through experiences outside the classroom, including:

  • Research in a faculty laboratory 
  • Co-ops and internships 
  • Paid work on campus 
  • Service learning 
  • Study abroad
A female UMass Lowell student working on a computer with a bridge model behind her.

Bachelor’s-to-Master's Program

Get on the fast track to an advanced degree with our combined Bachelor's-to-Master's program.

  • Available to juniors and seniors with a grade point average of 3.000 or better
  • Offers a continuous, coordinated sequence of courses
  • Reduced credit-hour requirements can save you time and money

What can you do with a degree in civil engineering?

UMass Lowell's civil engineering program offers a wide variety of career paths, including design engineer, project manager, project superintendent, town or city engineer, construction site supervisor, city planner, transportation planner, highway engineer, high school teacher and professor.

Three UMass Lowell students taking part in the Steel Bridge Competition.

Alumni of our program have worked at:

  • Columbia Construction Co. 
  • Commodore Builders 
  • GEI Consultants 
  • Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Methuen Construction 
  • Nobis Engineering 
  • Underwood Engineers 
  • Weston & Sampson

Meet Our Students & Alumni

Sofia Savoca with her mom outside O'Leary Library on South Campus
Sofia Savoca '21
Civil Engineering

Sofia Savoca chose UMass Lowell for the opportunity to be in the Honors College and to study civil engineering. She’s found a dozen new opportunities since arriving on campus.

Opportunities, opportunities – it’s raining opportunities. They’re here if you work hard and know where to look.
Read More About Sofia Savoca 
Zach McDonough, facilities project coordinator at UMass Lowell
Zach McDonough '16
Civil and Environmental Engineering

As senior project manager with Facilities Management, Zach McDonough ’16 is building a successful career path at his alma mater.

(Facilities) was a wonderful team to intern with, because they treated me like an adult.
Read More About Zach McDonough 
UMass Lowell Image
Chris & Paula White '91
Engineering

The founders of what has become a multimillion dollar premium, all-natural cookie dough and ice cream sandwich company hold degrees in engineering.

College prepared us for our entrepreneurial venture more than we would have thought by providing real life experiences and lessons that went well beyond our scholastic learning.
Read More About Chris & Paula White 
 Christine Clancy smiles in an office in Lowell
Christine Clancy '06
Civil and Environmental Engineering

As Lowell’s city engineer, civil and environmental engineering alum Christine Clancy ’06 is responsible for infrastructure projects on streets, bridges and sidewalks throughout the city – including those on the campus of her alma mater.

I love what I do because it’s cool to see how you can help upgrade infrastructure and really transform areas of the city.
Read More About Christine Clancy