Undergraduate Study

B.S.C.E. Program

Admissions Requirements

Objectives

The undergraduate program has a set of four specific Program Educational Objectives which are statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve. The objectives state that our graduates are expected to:

possess technical and non-technical knowledge/skills that will contribute to personal and employer success, and benefit the communities they serve
adhere to accepted professional ethical standards
practice civil engineering, including the principles of sustainability, in one or more of the following areas: construction, environmental, geotechnical, hydraulics/hydrology, structural, transportation
accept responsibility as engineers in the private and public sectors in Hawaii, the Asia/Pacific region, and elsewhere.

B.S.C.E. Degree

Our undergraduate program, leading to the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Degree (B.S.C.E.), is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. The B.S.C.E. degree requires at least 126 credit hours of course work and it is designed to be completed in eight semesters. The curriculum provides a broad-based background of fundamentals, including humanities and social sciences, basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering design. Course requirements also include 61 credit hours of civil and environmental engineering courses from the following areas: applied mechanics, structural analysis and design, hydraulics, surveying, transportation, construction, soil mechanics, hydrology, water resources, and environmental engineering. During the senior year, students either follow a general CEE track, or they may choose to follow a specialized track (not minor), which allows a certain degree of specialization in the areas of structural or environmental engineering. The undergraduate experience culminates in a senior capstone course in which students apply the knowledge they have gained throughout their undergraduate coursework toward the design of a comprehensive project.

There are three basic components to the undergraduate program: (a) the University-wide General Education Core and Graduation requirements, which are usually substantially completed during the first two years of the University experience; (b) the College of Engineering requirements; and (c) the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering requirements. These are discussed below. Courses to be taken for the B.S.C.E. program, which satisfy the above requirements, are listed in the curriculum check sheet.

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all registered credit hours and a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all upper division courses (numbered 300-499) in mathematics, science, and engineering.

The student learnining outcomes (SLOs), also known as program outcomes, describe a skill set that students are expected to have at the time of graduation. The SLOs are:

a. an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and
engineering

b. an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze
and interpret data

c. an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet
desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic,
environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety,
manufacturability and sustainability

d. an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams

e. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems

f. an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility

g. an ability to communicate effectively

h. the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering
solutions in a global, economic, societal, and environmental context

i. a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, life-long
learning

j. a knowledge of contemporary issues

k. an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering
tools necessary for engineering practice, particularly recognizing the
integral role of computers in engineering and the rapid expansion of
resources on the internet.

The SLOs are mapped to the core courses here.

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Advising

Advising is an important element of the undergraduate program. All students are assigned an advisor prior to their first semester. Students must receive approval of their program of courses prior to registration each semester and will not be able to register without it. Such advising takes place during the prior semester (for continuing students); the advising period will be listed on this web site and posted throughout Holmes Hall prior to advising week. Students choosing one of the specialized tracks during the senior year should request to have their advisor changed to a faculty member in their subdiscipline, if appropriate.

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Advanced Placement Examination

Advanced placement examinations are administered in high schools by the Educational Testing Service for the College Entrance Examination Board for students who have completed specific college-level courses in high school. For the University’s credit policy, students should consult the Admissions and Records Office or the College of Engineering Assistant Dean for Student Services.

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Credit by Examination

Students who wish credit by examination for basic courses in calculus, general biology, general chemistry, economics, English literature, psychology, and sociology should consult the Counseling and Student Development Center. Students apply to the center, pay the fee, and take the corresponding general or subject examination under the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). A satisfactory score on these examinations, as determined by the Department, yields course credit. However, students wishing CLEP general examination credit must take the exam before they have completed 24 credit hours of college-level work.

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General Education Core and Graduation Requirements

General Education requirements are designed to help students acquire knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking that provide a foundation for lifelong learning. The UH Manoa requirements reflect the unique resources of UH Manoa: the depth of its Hawaiian assets and the breadth of its multiculturalism. The General Education curriculum gives students a global sense of human diversity while paying special attention to the heritages of Hawai’i, the Pacific, and Asia. Graduation Requirements identify additional skills and discourses necessary for living and working in diverse communities.

Core Requirements

Foundation requirements:
      Written Communication (FW): 3 credits
      Symbolic Reasoning (FS): 3 credits
      Global and Multicultural Perspectives (FG): 2 courses, 6 credits

Diversification requirements:
       Arts, Humanities, and Literatures (DA, DH, DL): 6 credits
       Natural Sciences (DB, DP, DY): 7 credits
       Social Sciences (DS): 6 credits

Graduation Requirements

Focus requirements
       Hawaiian, Asian, and pacific Issues (H): 1 course
       Contemporary Ethical Issues (E): 1 course
       Oral Communication (O): 1 course
       Writing Intensive (W): 5 courses, including 2 numbered 300 and above

Hawaiian or second Language requirements
       None for College of Engineering Students

For qualifying courses and additional information refer to both the UH Manoa catalog and the Department curriculum check sheet.

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Department and College Requirements

Students must complete specific civil engineering (CEE) and non-CEE courses as listed on the curriculum check sheet corresponding to the year in which they are admitted to the program. That sheet also lists additional details about the program of courses to be followed. Most courses have prerequisites that have to be completed before enrollment. These are listed in the catalog of courses. Some important observations:

C grade or better is required for PHYS 170
C grade or better within two attempts is required for CEE 270
All CEE and upper division courses (numbered 300-400) must be passed in two attempts
Must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all registered credit hours
Must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all upper division courses (numbered 300-400) in mathematics, science and engineering – Academic probation, suspension, and dismissal.
Students who wish to pursue a structures track or an environmental track should refer to the curriculum check sheet for alternate senior year course work.

Technical Elective in Sustainability (TES)

The following courses have been approved for meeting the requirements for TES:

ARCH 525: Architecture Systems IV: Sustainability
Instructor: Steve Meder, smeder@hawaii.edu

Qualitative and quantitative investigation of sustainable building systems with emphasis on integrated high-performance building design and operation, innovative mechanical systems, resource conservation, and renewable energy systems. ARCH majors only*. A-F only. Pre: 524 or departmental approval*.
*Professor Meder allows CEE seniors to enroll in ARCH525 and considers the course suitable for CEE seniors.

BE410/CEE410: Biomass Conversion for Biofuel and Bioenergy
Instructor: Professor Samir Kumar Khanal, khanal@hawaii.edu

Overview of biofuel/bioenergy production; fundamental concepts in biofuel/bioenergy production; renewable feedstocks; thermochemical and biochemical conversions of biomass to biofuel/bioenergy; biodiesel production; environmental impacts, economics and life-cycle analysis; value-added processing of biofuel residues; selected case studies. Pre: BE 373 or consent.

CEE 444: Infrastructure: Project Impacts, Policy and Sustainability
Instructor: Professor Panos Prevedouros, pdp@hawaii.edu

Evaluation of infrastructure impacts. Impacts regulation and mitigation. Effects of environmental and other policies on infrastructure. Infrastructure relations to sustainability: Energy consumption, transportation efficiency and infrastructure recycling. Lectures and presentations by experts and enrolled students.

GEOG 410 Human Role in Environmental Change
Human impacts through time on vegetation, animals, landforms, soils, climate, and atmosphere. Special reference to Asian/Pacific region. Implications of long-term environmental change for human habitability. Pre: one of 101, BIOL 101, BIOL 123 and either 326 or BIOL 310; or consent. (Cross-listed as BIOL 410) DB

ME 453 Energy Conversion Systems
Energy conversion and its impact on the environment. Conventional, hydroelectric, nuclear fission and fusion, solar, wind, ocean, geothermal, and biomass power; energy storage, transmission and conservation. Pre: 312, 322, and 422 (or concurrent); or consent. DP

OCN 435 Climate Change and Urbanization
The following topics will be addressed: How are cities impacted by, and impacting climate change? How do urbanization, alteration of atmospheric processes, and extreme weather events affect urban systems and populations? A-F only. Pre: 363 or consent. Fall only.

Additional Information

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