Introduction to Sub-Branches of Civil Engineering Fields through a Creative Freshmen Civil Engineering Design Course

Freshmen students entering the Civil Engineering programs at some institutions are usually unaware of the numerous specialties within the field of Civil Engineering. They typically associate a Civil Engineering career with structural design. However, Structural design is only one of many components of the Civil Engineering discipline. Students are also unaware of the many interdisciplinary relationships that Civil Engineers address in order to accomplish their work. Our campus has an aggressive local recruitment process, which results in a large number of students most of whom are first generation college bound students from local urban areas. These students grew up in neighborhoods surrounded by high-rise buildings. So naturally, these structures become a symbol of success, and many of them perceive the Civil Engineering field as predominately related to designing and building structures. Thus, one of the important objectives of the Freshmen Civil Engineering Design Course (Freshman Design Course) is to introduce students to various branches of Civil Engineering as it mirrors the Civil Engineering practice at large. The other most important objectives of the course are to develop the student’s motivation, curiosity, and skills for continued learning and problem solving. The Freshmen Design Course provides the students with basic understanding of various branches within Civil Engineering and introduces them to what knowledge, skills, and attributes are required to be successful in later design courses so that they are well prepared when embarking on their senior design course.