Program Purpose

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The purpose of the undergraduate Civil Engineering program is to produce graduates who possess technical competence in their chosen specialty area of civil engineering, integrity, and a commitment to the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that will prepare them to serve and contribute as innovators, professional engineers, and leaders in the global community.

Curricular Structure

Major Academic Plan (MAP)

Undergraduate Catalog

Objectives

The objectives of the undergraduate Civil Engineering Program at Brigham Young University are to:

1. Develop innovative engineers who competently apply recognized technical methods to meet human needs for water, shelter, and transportation.
2. Develop leaders with global awareness who hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public while sustaining and protecting the environment.
3. Develop citizens with moral character and a commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ who provide life-long service to the public, church, and professional community.

Learning Outcomes

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Problem Solving applying Math and Science

1) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.

Design and Contemporary Issues

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.

Communication

3) An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.

Ethics, Faith and Sustainability

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.

Teamwork

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.

Experiments and Data

6) An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.

Life-long Learning and Service

7) An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Evidence of Learning

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The program objectives and learning outcomes are reviewed through a formal assessment strategy. The primary tools used for assessment are as follows:

Direct: Graded Coursework Items

Embedded indicators from the courses include graded items such as exam questions, laboratory assignments, projects, and key homework problems.

The program assesses each of its seven student outcomes using performance indicators and associated rubrics.

Each academic year, we assess and evaluate student learning outcomes based on the schedule in the table below. This rolling three-year schedule allows us to assess each student outcome twice during a six-year ABET evaluation cycle.

Assessment Schedule

	2024-25		2025-26			2026-27			2027-28
Outcome	Winter	Sp/Su	Fall	Winter	Sp/Su	Fall	Winter	Sp/Su	Fall	Winter	Sp/Su
SO1: Complex Problems						A	E		C
SO2: Design			A	A	E	C
SO3: Communications						A	E		C
SO4: Ethics	Assess	Evaluate	Change							A	E
SO5: Teamwork			A	A	E	C
SO6: Experiments / Data	Assess	Evaluate	Change							A	E
SO7: Acquire Knowledge			A	A	E	C
ABET
ABET Schedule					Self-study	Visit	Response

We attempt to assess each student outcome three times:

  1. At an Introductory level, ideally in a 100- or 200-level classroom setting.

  2. At a Reinforcing level, ideally in a 200-or 300-level classroom setting.

  3. At an Evaluation level, as close to graduation as possible.

A matrix mapping each student outcome to the courses is shown below.

	CCE102	CCE103	Software	Measurements	CCE203	CE232	CCE270	CE291	Breadth	Design	Capstone
1. Complex problems		I			R				E
2. Design										R	E
3. Communication			I				R				E
4. Ethics	I							R			E
5. Teamwork	I							R			E
6. Experiments and data						R	R		E*
7. Acquire knowledge			I					R			E

Direct: Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam

Student learning with respect to specific outcomes is compared with that of students nationwide in this standardized exam.

Indirect: BYU Alumni Questionnaire

This questionnaire is administered to alumni three years after graduation and has been administered each year since 2000. The instrument asks alumni to rate themselves on specific, concrete self-descriptive statements and questions derived from official statements of university aims. Other items solicit alumni perceptions of the impact of their undergraduate experiences in terms of their spiritual, character and intellectual development. There are 10 Civil and Environmental department-specific questions.

Indirect: Advisory Board Review

Members of the Department Advisory Board provide feedback on the program objectives, learning outcomes, and assessment strategy during their semi-annual meetings on campus. Most of the members are industry leaders and department alumni.

Indirect: Exit Interviews

Student ratings of the success of the program in accomplishing the learning outcomes, as well as student opinions about the importance of each outcome, are solicited from a random set of seniors approaching graduation in Winter semester.

Indirect: Student Ratings of Courses

The university administers an end-of course survey to students. This survey allows for more open-ended responses and provides insight into the effectiveness of teaching. Students have an opportunity to respond to the effectiveness of learning activities, fairness of grading procedures, explanation of concepts, usefulness of feedback, degree of student involvement, time spent on homework and reading assignments, etc. Students may also include free-form comments about the course.

Indirect: BYU Senior Survey

This questionnaire is administered to graduating seniors has been administered each year since 2000. The instrument asks seniors to rate their experiences with specific questions derived from the CEEN department learning outcomes. Other items solicit perceptions of the impact of their undergraduate experiences in terms of their spiritual, character and intellectual development. There are 14 Civil and Environmental department-specific questions.

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

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The assessment data are compiled and analyzed by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for periodic discussion with the faculty during monthly faculty meetings and as a standard component of the annual department retreat.