Objectives, Goals and Outcomes

Civil Engineering Program Educational Objectives

• Graduates will attain a record of engagement in civil engineering or other fields that require analytical and/or professional abilities.
• Graduates will attain a record of continuing professional development.
• Graduates will attain a record of contributions to their fields, professions, or society.

Civil Engineering Program Goals

The Civil Engineering Program seeks to prepare students to be successful professionals recognized for their:

• Critical thinking and problem solving based on a fundamental knowledge of humanities, social sciences, mathematics, science, engineering science and a broad range of civil engineering technical areas;
• Consideration of global and societal concerns, ethics, and sustainability when making engineering decisions;
• Leadership and effective communication;
• Civic engagement and contributions to society; and
• Pursuit of lifelong learning and professional development.

Bucknell Civil Engineering Program Outcomes

Graduates of the Civil Engineering Program:

• Can apply calculus-based physics, chemistry, mathematics through differential equations, and one additional area of science¹ to solve problems.
• Can design² a civil engineering experiment to meet a need, conduct the experiment, and analyze and interpret the results
• Can design³ components, systems or processes in more than one civil engineering technical area⁴ to meet desired needs, within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, constructability, and sustainability
• Can function effectively⁵ as a member of a multidisciplinary team⁶
• Can formulate and solve engineering problems in the environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation and water resources areas, using appropriate skills, techniques, and/or software
• Can apply standards of professional and ethical responsibility in a relatively clear-cut situation, to determine an appropriate course of action.
• Can organize and deliver effective verbal, written, and graphical communications⁷
• Drawing upon a broad education, can determine the likely global, economic, environmental, and societal impacts of a specific, relatively constrained engineering solution
• Demonstrate the ability to learn on their own, without the aid of formal instruction
• Can incorporate specific contemporary issues⁸ into the identification, formulation, and solution of a specific engineering problem
• Can explain the basic concepts of management, business, public policy, and leadership, and the importance of professional licensure

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¹The additional area should be Geology and/or biology
²Experiment design could include the selection and application of appropriate published testing standards to meet a given need.
³Design is the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. It is a decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and the engineering sciences are applied to convert resources effectively to meet these stated needs.
⁴Civil Engineering technical areas are Environmental, geotechnical, structures, transportation, and water resources engineering.
⁵To function effectively, a team member must interact constructively with the team in defining and working toward a goal.
⁶A multidisciplinary team is one consisting of members focusing on more than one discipline. Different technical areas within civil engineering are considered multidisciplinary.
⁷Effective communication requires that students: a) Identify and consider the audience; b) Provide factually correct technical content and appropriate evidence or support; c) Organize content effectively and present it clearly, using appropriate style guidelines for graphs, figures, tables, equations, and references; and d) Communicate content with appropriate vocabulary, grammar, spelling, usage, and style.
⁸A contemporary issue is any current issue or topic that has an impact on a project.