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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
undergraduate bulletin index

Civil and Environmental Engineering

M. Hanif Chaudhry, Chair

Professors
Ronald L. Baus, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 1979
M. Hanif Chaudhry, Ph.D., University of British Columbia, 1970, Mr. and Mrs. Irwin B. Kahn Professor of Civil Engineering

Associate Professors
Joseph Hugh Bradburn, Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 1968
John R. Dickerson, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 1967
Joseph Raymond V. Flora, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati, 1993
Sarah L. Gassman, Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1997, Graduate Director
Anthony S. McAnally, Ph.D., Auburn University, 1989, Undergraduate Director
Michael E. Meadows, Ph.D., University of Tennessee, 1976
Michael F. Petrou, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University, 1993
Richard P. Ray, Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1983

Assistant Professors
Erik Anderson, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1999
Mecit Cetin, Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2002
Kent A. Harries, Ph.D., McGill University, 1995
Kenneth W. Harrison, Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 2002
Liv M. Haselbach, Ph.D., University of Connecticut, 2000
Jasim Imran, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1997
Charles Pierce, Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1998
Dimitri Rizos, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1993

Distinguished Professors Emeriti
Richard Boykin Pool, Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1963
W.K. Humphries, Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 1966
James B. Radziminski, Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1965
J.D. Waugh, M.S., Yale University, 1964

Professors Emeriti
William Lovett Anderson, M.S., University of California, 1935
Robert R. Roberts, Ph.D., West Virginia University, 1975


Overview

Civil engineering is the planning, design, and construction of projects that define a civilization. Civil engineers have built landmarks that now stand as tributes to the profession's creative spirit and ingenuity. Civil engineering is everywhere: the buildings in which we live and work, the roads on which we travel, the water we drink, the bridges we cross. Civil engineers design industrial and commercial buildings, bridges, towers, dams, tunnels, and mass transportation facilities. They manage urban planning and public works projects, perform air quality monitoring, and plan and design waste collection and handling systems.

The objectives of the civil engineering undergraduate program are to:

  • provide a broad education that prepares students for the future challenges of the civil engineering profession
  • develop a student's ability to integrate fundamental mathematics and science concepts to understand and solve civil engineering problems
  • build on a student's ability to acquire and apply broad-based knowledge of fundamental civil engineering principles to at least four discipline areas of civil engineering
  • enable the student to develop ethical professional skills necessary to practice engineering.

The first two years of the undergraduate curriculum form the necessary foundation in mathematics, computer programming, the physical sciences, and basic engineering sciences, together with courses in the liberal arts, to provide the student with a well-balanced educational experience. The upper-division civil engineering program includes the study of construction materials, structural analysis and design, soil behavior, systems analysis, water supply, and pollution control. The department offers elective courses through which the student can specialize in such areas as geotechnical engineering, water resources and environmental engineering, structures and transportation engineering.

The civil engineering graduate is prepared to enter the job market with federal, state, and municipal agencies, with private consulting firms involved with aspects of planning, design, construction, or environmental control. Students may, following graduate study, also pursue careers in teaching and in research and development.

Bachelor's/Master's Accelerated Program

A combined B.S.E./M.S. or M.E. degree program is available to undergraduate civil and environmental engineering students with GPAs of 3.50 or above and 90 or more hours earned toward their baccalaureate degrees. Up to 6 credit hours of 500-level or above courses may be applied toward both the B.S.E. and M.S. or M.E. in Civil Engineering degree requirements. The approval of the student's advisor and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate director are required. Questions about this program may be directed to the civil and environmental engineering graduate director.

Degree Requirements

Civil Engineering Curriculum

(128 hours)

ENGL 101, 102 (6 hours)
Liberal Arts (12 hours)
MATH 141, 142, 241, 242 (14 hours)
STAT 509 (3 hours)
CHEM 111(4 hours)
PHYS 211, 211L (4 hours)
Laboratory science electives (8 hours)
EMCH 290 or ELCT 221 (3 hours)
ECIV 111, 200, 210, 220, 301, 303, 303L, 320, 330, 330L, 350, 350L, 360, 362, 362L, 470 (41 hours)
ECIV requirements and electives (21 hours)
Engineering, science, or mathematics electives (9 hours)
Free elective (3 hours)

Notes:
The liberal arts courses must include at least one history course and one fine arts course.

The laboratory science courses are to be with laboratory and may be chosen from biology, chemistry, geological sciences, marine science, and physics.

ECIV requirements include one course from each of four areas: environmental, geotechnical, structures and transportation, and water resources. ECIV electives are chosen from additional courses offered in the department. The department maintains lists of courses for each area.

The department maintains a list of acceptable engineering, science, or mathematics electives.


Course Descriptions (ECIV)

  • 111 -- Introduction to Engineering Graphics and Visualization. (3) Principles and practice of visualization and graphical representation using modern computer-aided design tools.
  • 200 -- Statics. (3) (Prereq: MATH 141) Fundamentals of engineering mechanics. Equilibrium of particles and rigid bodies. Free-body diagrams, analysis trusses and frames. Distributed forces, centroids, centers of gravity, and friction.
  • 210 -- Dynamics. (3) (Prereq: grade of C or better in ECIV 200) Kinematics of particles and rigid bodies. Vector representation of force and motion. Free-body diagrams, application of energy and momentum methods to solve problems. Rigid body and central force motion.
  • 220 -- Mechanics of Solids. (3) (Prereq: MATH 241 and a grade of C or better in ECIV 200) Concepts of stress and strain; stress analysis of basic structural members. Vectors, free bodies, equilibrium and elastic behavior. Combined stress, Mohr's circle. Beams, columns, torsion, and rotation.
  • 300 -- Civil Engineering Measurements. (3) (Prereq: MATH 241) Theory and application of plane surveying and mapping techniques. Lecture plus laboratiory.
  • 301 -- Programming and Graphics for Civil Engineering. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 111) Advanced programming and CAD with emphasis on civil engineering applications. Overview of numerical methods. Use of spreadsheets to analyze data.
  • 303 -- Civil Engineering Materials. (3) (Prereq: grade of C or better in ECIV 220) Mechanical and thermal properties of mineral aggregates, cements, concrete, timber, asphalt, metals, and plastics.
  • 303L -- Civil Engineering Materials Laboratory. (1) (Coreq: ECIV 303) Experiments, exercises, and demonstrations to accompany ECIV 303. Three hours per week.
  • 320 -- Structural Analysis I. (3) (Prereq: grade of C or better in ECIV 220) Equilibrium, shear and moment diagrams, and influence lines for statically determinate trusses, beams, and frames. Energy principles and other methods for displacement calculations. Introduction to indeterminate structural analysis.
  • 325 -- Structural Steel Design. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 320) Behavior and design of steel beams, columns, and tension members; strength and stability; design of connections using welded, bolted and riveted construction.
  • 327 -- Reinforced Concrete Design. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 320) Behavior and design of reinforced concrete beams, columns, continuous beams and one way slabs, and footings.
  • 330 -- Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering. (3) (Prereq: grade of C or better in ECIV 220) Engineering properties of soil and rock; hydraulic conductivity, flow nets, drainage design; consolidation theory, shearing strength of soil.
  • 330L -- Geotechnical Laboratory. (1) (Coreq: ECIV 330) Laboratory associated with ECIV 330. Soil mechanics experiments, exercises, and demonstrations. Three hours per week.
  • 350 -- Introduction to Environmental Engineering. (3) (Prereq: CHEM 111, MATH 141) Concepts of environmental engineering, including air and water pollution, solid and hazardous waste disposal, and noise pollution. Qualitative and quantitative development of engineering techniques for pollution control.
  • 350L -- Introduction to Environmental Engineering Laboratory. (1) (Coreq: ECIV 350) Physical, chemical, and biological analysis of water and wastewater. Three laboratory hours per week.
  • 360 -- Fluid Mechanics. (3) (Prereq: grade of C or better in ECIV 210) Principles of fluid statics and dynamics. Conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. Similitude and dimensional analysis, open channel flow, lift and drag forces, and introduction to turbulent flow.
  • 362 -- Introduction to Water Resources Management. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 360) Application of fluid mechanic principles to water resources engineering problems; pipe systems, pumps, open channel flow, peak runoff, seepage, hydraulic structures.
  • 362L -- Introduction to Water Resources Engineering Laboratory. (1) (Coreq: ECIV 360) Experiments, exercises, and demonstrations on flow in pipes and open channels, pumps, flow measurement, seepage, and infiltration.
  • 405 -- Systems Applications in Civil Engineering. (3) (Prereq: Upper division) Systems approach to analysis and design; application of engineering economic principles to the evaluation of design alternatives; deterministic modeling and optimization emphasizing civil engineering applications.
  • 426 -- Structural Design. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 325 or ECIV 327) Design of steel structures including elastic and plastic design concepts. Design of concrete structures including continuous members and long columns.
  • 440 -- Coordinated Transportation. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 300, MATH 241) Transportation of passengers and commodities by various modes. Problems and requirements related to intermodal coordination, technology facilities, levels of service, and institutional barriers.
  • 470 -- Civil Engineering Design. (4) (Prereq: ECIV 330, ECIV 327 or ECIV 362) Application of hydraulic, geotechnical, and structural principles in design; project scheduling; cost estimation; ethics; environmental and social impact; design drawings; report documents.
  • 490 -- Special Problems. (3) (Prereq: advance approval of project proposal by advisor and instructor) Individual investigation or studies of special topics. A maximum of three credits may be applied toward a degree.
  • 499 -- Undergraduate Research in Civil and Environmental Engineering. (1-3) Research experience for undergraduates on current topics in civil and environmental engineering.
  • 503 -- Structural Modeling and Experimental Methods. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 327) Introduction of structural modeling; strain gauge instrumentation; force, displacement, acceleration, pressure, temperature measurements; concrete and steel modeling; size effects; analysis of experimental data.
  • 520 -- Structural Analysis II. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 320) Advanced methods of structural analysis with emphasis on matrix methods. Development of the generalized matrix force and matrix displacement methods of static analysis, with applications to trusses and frames.
  • 521 -- Numerical Methods in Mechanics. (3) (Prereq: MATH 242) Numerical modeling of typical engineering problems. Numerical solution of linear and nonlinear, boundary and initial value problems. Introduction to optimization.
  • 524 -- Structural Vibrations. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 210 and 320) Response of single- and multiple-degree of freedom structurally dynamic systems to impact, harmonic, wind, and seismic excitations.
  • 530 -- Foundation Analysis and Design. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 330) Subsurface investigation procedures. Theoretical and practical aspects of the design of earth retaining structures, spread footings, and pile foundations.
  • 533 -- Environmental Geotechnics. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 330) Principles for the design, construction, and performance of waste containment systems. Characterization of barrier materials; geosynthetics; design of liner and leachate collection systems; stability and deformation analyses of landfills.
  • 535 -- Geotechnical Engineering in Transportation. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 330) Remote sensing and engineering geology. Field and laboratory testing. Design and maintenance methods for flexible and rigid pavements. Topics in tunnel design and buried conduit.
  • 551 -- Elements of Water and Wastewater Treatment. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 350) Unit operations and processes employed in the physical, chemical, and biological treatment of water and wastewater. Design of water and wastewater treatment systems.
  • 555 -- Principles of Municipal Solid Waste Engineering. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 350, graduate standing or approval of the instructor) Fundamentals and engineering principles of solid waste generation, characterization, collection and transport, source reduction and recycling, and physical, chemical, and biological treatment strategies.
  • 556 -- Air Pollution Control Engineering. (3) (Prereq: MATH 142, PHYS 211, CHEM 112, or consent of instructor) Introduction to the sources of air pollution and the engineering principles used for control and prevention.
  • 560 -- Open Channel Hydraulics. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 360) Steady and unsteady flows in single or multiple-channel systems.
  • 562 -- Engineering Hydrology. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 360 or consent of instructor) Applications of hydrologic techniques to design problems; stormwater simulation models; urban stormwater.
  • 563 -- Subsurface Hydrology. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 310 and ECIV 360) Hydrologic cycle, subsurface physical properties, equations of groundwater flow, well flow, well design, groundwater resource development, design of dewatering systems, groundwater contamination.
  • 570 -- Land Development for Engineers. (3) (Prereq: ECIV 111, minimum junior standing) Fundamentals of designing and permitting the conversion of land to new or altered states, including environmental issues, traffic and parking, utility resources, site engineering, ADA, safety, planning, and zoning requirements.

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