CE Degree Planning (BSE)

Requirements

The civil engineering (CE) Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree requires the completion of 34 courses which are comprised of:

• 19 general requirements and
• 15 departmental requirements that include the completion of one or both study tracks.

Below you will find degree check sheets and a typical course sequence that outlines the degree requirements by semester. Where the requirements list electives you should consult the electives section below for details.

Degree Check Sheets to Track Your Progress

These downloads identify the required courses for each track, the department, and the general course requirements. In the first two years, both study tracks have the same requirements.

Typical Course Sequence

This plan outlines a student's typical path to graduation by semester. Courses in the table are required unless noted otherwise. This table also identifies pre-requisites and co-requisites. Shifting courses to different semester should be done with caution and preplanning. Work closely with your adviser.

Courses in bold are typically only offered once a year during the semester they are shown in.

• #1 AP credit for MATH 21(31) may be used to satisfy the MATH 111L(31L) requirement. 
• #2 AP credit for MATH 22(32) may be used to satisfy the MATH 112L(32L) requirement. If AP credit for 21(31) but not 22(32) then take MATH 122L(41L) in first-year Fall.
• #3 CHEM 101DL(31L). AP credit (i.e., CHEM (20)18 or 21(19)) may be used to satisify this requirement.
• #4 To satisify the PHYSICS 151L(61L) & 152L(62L) requirement at least one of 151L(61L), 152L(62L), 153L(63L), or 264(143), (or, with approval, PHYSICS 361(181), 362(182), or 363(176)) must be taken at Duke. In particular, if AP credit for both 25(61) & 26(62) then take 153L(63L) or 264(143) (or, with approval, 361(181), 362(182), or 363(176)), or waive AP credit for 26(62) by taking 152L(62L). If AP credit for 25(61) is waived by taking 151L(61L) then AP credit for 26(62), if earned, is also waived.
• #5 EGR 120L(25L) may be replaced with an upper-level S/M course; if not taken in the first or second year then it must be replaced. An upper-level course is a course at the 300-level or higher (100- or 200-level in the old course numbering system).
• #6 CEE 160L(24L) may be replaced with an upper-level E/W course; if not taken in the first or second year then it must be replaced. An upper-level course is a course at the 300-level or higher (100- or 200-level in the old course numbering system).
• #7 It is advised that any electives taken in the first year advance the completion of the humanities and social science (HSS) requirements.
• #8 WRITING 101(20) must be taken in the fall or spring of the first year.

#9 Although MATH 353(108) may be taken concurrently it is recommended that MATH 353(108) be completed prior to taking Fluid Mechanics, CEE 301L(122L). 

Electives

Completing the general engineering and departmental requirements offer a variety of elective choices. Below you will find the minimum elective requirements for CEE students. When planning electives be cognizant of both pre-requisites and when the course is typically offered.

Five (5) Humanities and Social Science (HSS) electives.

These courses, from the areas of Arts, Literature, and Performance (ALP), Civilizations (CZ), Foreign Language (FL), and Social Science (SS), must meet the following minimum requirements.

• One (1) Social Science (SS)
• Two (2) of the three areas: ALP, CZ, and FL
• For depth, two (2) courses must be from the same department with at least one of those two at the 100-level, or higher.
• Limit of two (2) AP credits

One (1) Natural Science (NS) elective. 

Class of 2014 and beyond: complete one of the following courses:

BIOLOGY 20(19) (AP credit) may be used to satisfy this requirement.

Class of 2010-2013: there is a disallowed list of NS electives maintained by the dean's office.

One (1) Engineering & Applied Science elective.

This can be satisfied either of two ways: 

Option 1: complete one of the following courses:

or,
Option 2: S/M track students may complete CEE 461L(120L), CEE 462L(124L), or CEE 463L(123L); E/W track students may complete CEE 421L(131L), CEE 422L(133L), or CEE 423L(134L).

One (1) CEE elective.

This must be an upper-level CEE course; an upper-level course is a course at the 300-level or higher (100- or 200-level in the old course numbering system). Courses meeting this requirement include, but are not limited to: architectural engineering (CEE 311(161), CEE 411(162)); sustainable design and construction (CEE 315(185)); and independent study (CEE 491(197), CEE 492(198)).

Two (2) unrestricted electives.

These electives are unrestricted with the exception that at most 1.0 units of physical education activity and at most 1.0 units of music activity can be used to meet BSE requirements. House courses cannot be used.

Optional electives.

Students may exceed the minimum 34 units required for the BSE degree. This may be accomplished via AP credits, overloading, and/or summer courses either at Duke or elsewhere.

Study Abroad

The CEE curriculum affords any student the opportunity to study abroad in the Junior Fall semester, with a little planning. Students are always able to pusue study abroad during the summer semester. Many popular institutions for study-abroad offer technical courses that are pre-approved for Duke CEE requirements. Alternatively, students can modify the typical course sequence in order to take humanities electives when they are abroad.

For study abroad in the Junior Fall without any engineering courses, which is not necessary depending on the institution selected, you may

• Move fluid mechanics (CEE 301L(122L)) to Sophomore Spring. Note that CEE 301L(122L) has co-requisites of MATH 353(108) and EGR 244L(123L), which are easily met if you have AP credit for MATH 21(31).
• CEE 301L(122L) will need to be offered on Tu-Th mornings in Spring semesters.
• Move systems optimization & economics (EGR 305(115)) to Senior Fall.
• S/M Track: Move matrix structural analysis (CEE 421L(131L)) to Senior Fall
• E/W Track: Move chemical processes (CEE 461L(120L)) to Senior Fall.

To explore the opportunities for global studies visit the Office of Global Education for Undergraduates.