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Civil Engineering
Create a legacy that will last for generations. Civil engineers build the roads,
airports, dams and infrastructure that keeps society going. Our ABET accredited
program is structured around the needs of industry leading companies that put you
on the ground completing important work in the field.
Every time you walk outside, you see the work of a civil engineer. Every piece of our built environment is made possible by the contribution of civil engineers who design, plan, build and maintain every part of our modern society. From bridges and roadways to cities and monuments, the impact of civil engineering is felt for generations.
Civil Engineers contribute to the construction and maintenance of bridges, buildings, foundations, dams, sanitary and solid waste disposal systems, highways, airport facilities, transportation systems, waterways, hydroelectric installations, pipelines, coal preparation and loading facilities and many other critical pieces of infrastructure.
We gear our programs to meet industry needs. When you graduate from WVU Tech, your degree and connections through our network of alumni and industry partners will give you the edge in today's competitive job market.
Meaningful design experiences are a critical piece of our world-class curriculum. Our students learn by doing - in the field with hands-on survey and material mechanics courses. Our students receive 20 credit hours in design through a variety of courses before putting their skills to the test in a capstone design course. In the capstone course, student teams tackle a comprehensive civil engineering project with oral and written components.
Learning in the field makes you more marketable and prepares you for the challenges of civil engineering. Our faculty put students in front of the tools they will use in their careers. WVU Tech's civil engineering faculty apply their own industry-leading expertise to guide students through best-practices and the latest techniques in civil engineering.
You're more than just another student at WVU Tech. We keep our class sizes small to ensure you are prepared for your next steps. With an average 13:1 student to faculty ratio, our students get as much or as little assistance, guidance and experience as they want.
The Concrete Canoe project is a great hand-on experience for our civil engineering students. This student-led competition is organized by the Virginia Section of ASCE, where teams from the United States and Canada design, construct, and race canoes made of concrete.
100%
of our responding graduates from 2016 to 2018 found full-time employment or started an advanced degree
“I believe it’s the best education that a person who wants to live and work in this area can get. Engineering gives you a background in many areas, it’s not just math and science.”
— Alan Reed, Class of 1996
Alan came to WVU Tech as a nontraditional student. After dropping out of high school and obtaining his GED, Alan began working in the road construction and mining industries, where he became interested in learning more about engineering. At the age of 32, after taking night classes at the former Beckley College (now home to WVU Tech’s Beckley campus), he enrolled at WVU Tech in Montgomery. He landed his first job after graduating at the West Virginia Department of Highways, where he has moved up the ranks since and now holds the title of State Highway Engineer.
$45,000 - $55,000
Average graduate starting salary range
Most of our graduates are either
employed in their field or go on to graduate school within six to twelve months
following graduation. While they find work with a wide range of
employers, many of our graduates stay in West Virginia. Others take their career
across the globe.
After graduation, those who want to advance their career can seek professional
registration (i.e., become a professional engineer).
Professional registration requires applicants graduate from an ABET-accredited
program like WVU Tech's. In preparing our students academically
for professional registration, our curriculum requires seniors to take ENGR
402, Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Review. This course helps them prepare
for taking the FE exam, a necessary first-step towards professional registration.
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering
Profile: Brian Dickman, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction Management
Profile: Guillermo D. Hahn, Ph.D.
Professor of Civil Engineering
Profile: Dr. Steven Leftwich, Ph.D., P.E., P.S.
Professor of Civil Engineering
Profile: Horng-Jyh (Tigra) Yang, Ph.D., P.E.