A "Global" Curriculum To Support Civil Engineering In Developing Nations

At the 2008 ASEE Conference in Pittsburgh, we reported on our initial plans to overhaul the West Point Civil Engineering curriculum based on initial constituent survey results and faculty focus group efforts. Following an ABET visit in the fall of 2008, we were able to again focus on refining our initial plan. Further efforts involved more detailed planning to ensure all identified subjects were included, all ABET requirements were satisfied, and that the resulting plan made sense from a pedagogical perspective. The end result of this process is a revised CE program that better meets the needs of our constituents. Along with providing a strong foundational basis for the study of civil engineering and for continued lifelong learning, the program now addresses aspects of infrastructure that our graduates need as Army Officers— deployed overseas as well as assigned within the United States. In addition, the program makes great strides at satisfying the requirements of the ASCE Body of Knowledge (BOK), in many cases beyond those listed as being required at the bachelor’s degree level. This paper reports on development efforts since 2008 and provides the final result submitted to the USMA Curriculum Committee for approval. Background on specific decisions is provided as well as other pertinent information relevant to curriculum development. The paper provides a very brief summary of previous efforts; additional detail on initial development efforts is available in the 2008 paper.