Civil Engineering

If you want to design the world around them - bridges, roads, buildings, and even infrastructure that helps communities thrive, Civil Engineering major at West Point offers an academic opportunity to turn big ideas into real structures that make a difference. This major also includes an honors track.

As a Civil Engineering major, you can learn how to create safe, sustainable, and resilient systems that support military missions and society as a whole.

Why Consider This Major

If cadets enjoy math, science, building things, solving problems, or making a visible difference in the world, Civil Engineering gives them the tools to do it all. At West Point, they get a respected degree, graduate with no student debt, and use their skills to serve others and lead in both engineering and combat roles. Whether a cadet is designing a forward operating base or rebuilding a bridge after a hurricane, Civil Engineering at USMA gives them the foundation to lead, build, and inspire. 

• Civil engineers help people and build the future. Civil, in civil engineering, is civilization. Every day, everyone touches and lives what civil engineers design and build. At its core, civil engineering provides an opportunity for solving challenging, real-life problems for the benefit of people.
• Engineers are explorers, inventors and professionals. They push technological frontiers to improve the quality of life for our nation’s citizens today and for the future. Civil engineers pursuing licensing as professional engineers, a qualification valued by the Army and demanded by society to design and build the requirements for a modern civilization.
• Civil engineering teaches you how things work. This will be of enormous benefit to you as an Army officer in an increasingly technically demanding world. The Army recognizes this and provides many postgraduate educational and research opportunities at top universities and research laboratories for its best engineering minds.
• Civil engineering teaches you how to think. Civil engineers learn how to describe, analyze, and solve problems using mathematics and systematic problem-solving techniques. Learning to think logically and to work systematically contributes to the ability to address new and difficult problems with confidence.
• Civil engineering teaches you how to oversee complicated and interdisciplinary projects. Because a civil engineering education teaches you how things work and how to logically solve new problems, civil engineers are in very high demand as project managers across many private and public sectors. Check out this link to see how civil engineers are in high demand with job satisfaction!
• Civil engineering allows you to keep your options open. Civil engineers possess excellent reasoning skills and understand their world. These qualities make civil engineers competitive for most graduate programs of study in engineering as well as law, business, and medicine.

What Cadets Learn

Civil engineers are problem-solvers who design and build critical infrastructure. Cadets pursuing this major study:

• Structural Engineering – how to design strong, stable bridges and buildings
• Environmental Engineering – how to protect clean water and natural resources
• Transportation Engineering – how to plan roads, runways, and mobility systems
• Construction and Project Management – how to lead complex construction projects
• Geotechnical Engineering – how to build on and with soil and rock
• Hydraulics and Water Resources – how to manage rivers, dams, and stormwater systems

Cadets also gain experience with surveying, AutoCAD, and field engineering tools used in both civilian and military settings.

Choice of Electives

Cadets can tailor their path with electives like:

• Water Resources Engineering – manage rivers, dams, and flood systems
• Urban Planning and Smart Cities – design infrastructure for modern cities
• Soil Mechanics – learn how to build on (and with) the earth
• Sustainable Construction – explore eco-friendly materials and techniques
• Advanced Structural Analysis – dive deeper into how buildings handle stress and loads

Learn More

• View the full Civil Engineering major curriculum
• Meet the Civil Engineering faculty

Civil engineering majors can study abroad in locations such as Egypt, Mexico, China, Russia, and Canada. Cadets have the opportunity to participate in a summer Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) program, USMA-run academic enrichment experience. Cadets can work alongside world-class professional engineers and researchers, gaining invaluable knowledge and insight into the facilities, methods, and procedures used to design, test, and improve Army systems. 

To learn more about enrichment in this area of study, visit the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

ABET Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in civil engineering at the United States Military Academy is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the commission's General Criteria and Program Criteria for Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Civil engineering majors have a lab requirement component. 

ABET Civil Engineering Student Outcomes 

At the time of graduation, CE majors will have attained:

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

ABET Civil Engineering Program Educational Objectives

Within a few years after graduation, CE majors are expected to attain:

• Multiple positions of responsibility as Army leaders in which they (a) drive outcomes, (b) inform, influence, and inspire others, (c) build teams, and (d) collaborate with partners.
• Personal and professional growth through formal and informal learning opportunities while serving as professional role models to others.
• Experience in providing engineering expertise to the Army and nation to design solutions, solve complex and technical problems, and innovate for winning in a complex environment.

For the current and recent enrollment and graduate statistics, click the link for ABET major under the section "Enrollment by ABET major."