Civil and environmental engineering encompasses an extremely diverse range of expertise in engineering design and construction, including bridges and buildings, roadways, highways, rapid transit alternatives, processes to clean our drinking water and our waste-water and the foundations on which all structures stand. Known for its eco-friendly culture, Portland, Oregon serves as a living laboratory for civil and environmental engineering students to focus on solutions to make human activity more sustainable.
A message from the Chair
The Portland State University Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is at the forefront of improving the lives of the citizens of Portland, the state of Oregon and the world. Our faculty are researching methods to improve water quality, better forecast droughts, and extreme events, designing and planning better and connected cities, and making our infrastructure more resilient. Our research expenditures exceed $3 million annually. Nearly 45% of our graduate students are supported through research or teaching assistantships or fellowships.
Our Department is deeply committed to making your academic experience with us a success. Students at PSU CEE pass the fundamentals of engineering exam well above national rates. Our 360 undergraduates are diverse with 31% women, 37% minority and under-represented students, 27% international students and nearly 45% first-generation college students. The Department has an honors program that allows high achieving students to conduct a senior research project under the supervision of a faculty member. We encourage undergraduate involvement in research and support involvement in student organizations such as the American Society of Civil Engineering, Engineers Without Borders, the Society of Women Engineers, and Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering honor society.
The department offers undergraduate degrees in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering, as well as MS, MEng, and Ph.D. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering. The undergraduate civil engineering program incorporates elements from transportation engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, and environmental/water resources engineering. The undergraduate environmental engineering degree program is focused more strictly on environmental concerns and relies on coursework within the department as well as broad-based in the sciences: environmental science, chemistry, biology, geology, and physics.
Please feel to contact me with any questions or schedule an appointment (by Zoom or phone) to learn about the program.
Peter Dusicka, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering