Overview
Duke's undergraduate curriculum in Civil and Environmental Engineering provides training specifically in the following major areas:
- Architectural engineering
- Structural engineering and mechanics
- Environmental engineering
- Water resources engineering and hydrology
- Systems engineering and transportation
Note: Please also check out study opportunities such as certificate programs, double majors, study abroad and undergraduate research.
The design of buildings and public spaces to service a particular need, the application of principles of aesthetics, sustainable development, and engineering analysis to develop attractive and functional spaces such as museums, hospitals, concert halls, performing arts centers, residential housing and commercial developments. The department offers a certificate program in Architectural Engineering.
Students completing the following six courses are eligible for the Certificate in Architectural Engineering.
- CE 161. Architectural Engineering I
- CE 162. Architectural Engineering II
- CE 133L. Concrete and Composite Structures
- CE 134. Metallic Structures
- ART 189. Architectural History
- EGR 075L. Mechanics of Solids
In addtion, students completing the Architectural Engineering Certificate program are encouraged to take one or more of the following electives:
- ART 053. Drawing
- CE 130L. Structural Design and Optimization
- CE 131L. Matrix Structural Analysis
- EGR 25L. Introduction to Structural Engineering
- EGR 150. Engineering Communication
- EGR 175. Aesthetics, Design, and Culture
Structural Engineering and Mechanics
The application of solid mechanics and materials science to the design of building systems and transportation systems to carry static loads and to resist dynamic loads.
Undergraduate courses at Duke covering this area include:
- EGR 25L. Introduction to Structural Engineering
- EGR 75L. Solid Mechanics
- CE 130L. Structural Design and Optimization
- CE 131L. Matrix Structural Analysis
- CE 133L. Concrete and Composite Structures
- CE 134. Metallic Structures
- CE 139L. Soil Mechanics
- CE 175. Analytical and Computational Solid Mechanics
- CE 192. Integrated Structural Design
Beyond the education provided by these undergraduate courses, students may pursue independent study in areas of Structural Engineering and Mechanics on which Duke places particular emphasis, including:
- Computational Mechanics The study of how to efficiently and accurately simulate the response of complex materials and structures to a broad range of loading conditions. Computer simulations of stuctures undergoing cracking and yielding with large deformation are addressed by faculty in the department.
- Environmental Mechanics The study of how extreme heat, aggressive chemical environments, and high mechanical loads affect the load-carrying capacity of solids, structures and soils.
- Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering The study of how earthquake-induced ground motions affect building and bridge structures, the design of such structures to resist earthquake loading, and the control of structures by using 'smart' materials to improve their dynamic response to earthquake loads.
The application of biology, chemistry, and fluid mechanics to the analysis of natural environments and the design of systems to reduce the effects of pollutants on the environment and on public health. See also the certificate in energy and the environment.
Undergraduate courses at Duke covering this area include:
- CE 24L. Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science
- CE 120L. Chemical Processes in Environmental Engineering
- CE 124L. Biological Processes in Environmental Engineering
Beyond the education provided by these undergraduate courses, students may pursue independent study in areas of Environmental Engineering on which Duke places particular emphasis, including:
- Environmental Biotechnology and Bioremediation The response of microbial communities to anthropogenic perturbations and the manipulation of microbial processes to degrade anthropogenic compounds
- Environmental Nanoscience The study of nanoscale materials for environmental treatment technology and their potential impacts for environmental quality and human health
- Air Quality The study of atmospheric contaminants, their persistence, and potential exposure hazards for humans
- Energy and the Environment The development of innovative solutions that meet the global demand for energy and the environmental implications associated with energy production
- Environmental Chemistry The study of chemical processes that control the transformation, partitioning, and bioavailability of pollutants, nutrients, and other compounds in environmental media
- Sensors The development of devices to improve detection and control of trace constituents in air, water and soil
Water Resources Engineering and Hydrology
The application of fluid mechanics, soil mechanics, and, in many cases chemistry, to the analysis of the flow of water within the water-table, between the water-table and the surface, and on the surface. See also the certificate in energy and the environment.
Undergraduate courses at Duke covering this area include:
- CE 122L. Fluid Mechanics
- CE 139L. Soil Mechanics
- CE 123L. Water Resources Engineering
- CE 193. Integrated Environmental Design
Beyond the education provided by these undergraduate courses, students may pursue independent study in areas of Water Resources and Hydrology on which Duke places particular emphasis, including:
- Environmental Fluid Dynamics The study of atmospheric and oceanic flows in the meso-scale and the global scale for the prediction of long-term and medium-term environmental changes; turbulent transport in rivers, wetlands and plant canopies; exchanges of water and other substances within the soil-plant-atmosphere system.
- Vadose-Zone Hydrology The study of water flow beneath the ground surface and above the water table; tracking and prediction of contaminant plumes in the sub-surface, contaminant remediation within the subsurface.
- Eco-Hydrology The study of the interaction between hydrological processes and terrestrial ecosystems), modeling and analysis of precipitation space-time dynamics
- Environmental Mechanics The study of how mechanical loads, chemical environments, and fluid flows interact and modify each other. The use of electro-magnetic waves and stress waves to interrogate the properties of the sub-surface.
Systems Engineering and Transportation
The application of engineering analysis and optimization methods to design economical systems to meet requirements of safety and serviceability. In CEE at Duke, systems engineering methods are applied to structural engineering systems, environmental engineering systems, and transportation systems.
Undergraduate courses at Duke covering this area include:
- EGR 115 / Econ 112. Engineering Systems and Optimization
- CE 116. Transportation Engineering
- CE 130L. Structural Design and Optimization
Beyond the education provided by these undergraduate courses, students may pursue independent study in areas of Systems Engineering and Transportation on which Duke places particular emphasis, including:
- Environmental Pollution Control Modeling and control of complex environmental pollution systems using cyberinfrastructure networks. Data and information describing water, soil and air pollution problems in North Carolina's Neuse River Basin are being linked and investigated using engineering systems approaches, programming techniques, and supercomputer hardware for real-time monitoring of environmental releases and for long-term support of policy and regulation development.
- Mechatronics The combination of mechanical systems, structural systems, sensors, actuators, and and electronics to improve a system's safety, performance, or cost.
