Process And Challenges Of Building A New Civil Engineering Curriculum At A Regional Campus

Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) is a regional campus of Indiana University and Purdue University and administratively managed by Purdue University. IPFW is the largest public university in northeastern Indiana, serving more than 12,000 students. The civil engineering program is the most recent addition to the Department of Engineering, which offers B.S. degrees in civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering. The paper presents the process and challenges of establishing a new Civil Engineering curriculum and layout the techniques used in addressing these challenges. The paper addresses three issues: developing a curriculum that meets the regional needs; the Purdue University requirements, and 2007 ABET criteria. The challenge is to achieve these goals under several constraints including limited resources; accepting students to new program with different background such as transfer students from other institutions and students for technology programs, and the process of offering new core courses for advanced students in the program. The curriculum was based on evaluating all CE programs in the state of Indiana and close by programs from neighboring Michigan and Ohio states. The paper will present the methodology used in comparing all programs curricula and the process of selecting the curriculum of the new program.