Academics
Offering BS, MS, and PhD Degrees
As a leader in education and research, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Graduate students also have the option to pursue a graduate certificate.
The department has a strategic focus on urban engineering, with three overarching themes built into its programs: environmental health, civil infrastructure security, and sustainable resource engineering. Northeastern offers an experiential education anchored by our signature cooperative education program, giving students professional experience while also helping to finance their education.
Undergraduate Program
Our civil and environmental engineering program prepares undergraduate engineers to excel in their chosen careers, including engineering practice, academia, infrastructure management, land-use planning and development, urban and regional planning, public sector leadership, and many others.
Our students have an opportunity to obtain a broad knowledge base in science, engineering, and general studies that allows them flexibility in career development and graduate education. At the same time, our graduates should be responsible and scientifically educated citizens, prepared to contribute personally as well as professionally to an educated, democratic society. Our academic programs provide future professionals with the core skills necessary to practice civil and environmental engineering and to work with other engineers in an interdisciplinary environment.
Experience tells us that civil and environmental engineering graduates will enter almost every field imaginable. The knowledge and skills acquired—understanding science, critical thinking, effective communication, and understanding the social context, among them—form an excellent foundation for a host of careers, as well as for a fulfilling life outside the world of work.
Prestigous Rhodes Scholar Recipient
Logan Jackson, E’16, civil engineering, is the first Northeastern University student to win the Rhodes Scholarship, which is one of the most prestigious awards an undergraduate in the country can receive. In addition, she received the Robert J. Shillman Award for Engineering Excellence. Jackson served in several roles with Northeastern’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, including president. She was also a violinist in the Northeastern Symphony Orchestra.
Graduate Program
With a strategic focus in urban engineering and through a range of teaching and research strengths, anchored by several multidisciplinary, multi-institutional centers and programs, our academic programs are designed to prepare professionals to address the global, complex, and ever-evolving engineering challenges of our time by building on current department strengths and expanding into vital areas. We give our future master’s and PhD graduates the opportunity to make real-world impact on and long-lasting contributions to the well-being and development of society.
Within our graduate programs, students work alongside world-class faculty on advanced research and courses, developing a solid base for their careers. Three overarching themes are emphasized in our programs: environmental health, civil infrastructure security, and sustainable resource engineering. These themes are aligned with the department’s premier strengths in simulation (both computational and experimental), smart sensing, data and network science, and urban informatics and are all reflected in the courses offered in our graduate programs.
Prepared for Professional Practice
Angelina Jay, PhD’16, civil engineering, as a student spent countless hours at Northeastern’s STReSS laboratory, Structural Testing of Resilient and Sustainable Systems. Now she lives in New York City and works at a forensic structural engineering firm. Jay believes that Northeastern gave her a solid background in structural engineering and helped her to get a great job in the industry. She is happy she did her PhD in such a supportive environment with people always willing to help.
