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Civil Engineering

Mission Statement

To prepare our students as civil engineering professionals who will have the depth and breadth of knowledge, sense of social and ethical responsibility, commitment to a safe and sustainable environment, and a desire to serve society in leadership positions.

Program Educational Objectives

  1. Our civil engineering graduates are engaged in life-long learning to stay abreast of the latest body of knowledge and professional practices in civil engineering and allied disciplines throughout their careers.
  2. Our graduates are excelling in teamwork, interdisciplinary concepts, organizational skills, and problem-solving methodologies in their professional careers.
  3. Our graduates have attained positions of leadership as professional practitioners, government officials, academicians, inventors, researchers, etc., during their professional careers.
  4. Our graduates are committed to excellence, independent thinking, innovation, and modern professional practices throughout their careers.
  5. Our graduates are committed to professional and ethical responsibility during their careers.
  6. Our graduates who pursue careers in engineering have successfully achieved professional licensure in their chosen field.

Student Outcomes

The Civil Engineering Department has established the following set of outcomes that our undergraduate students are expected to achieve by the time of graduation:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Program Description

Civil engineering, earliest of the engineering professions, has evolved into a broad spectrum of specialties: structural, geotechnical, hydraulic, environmental, transportation, urban planning, construction management, sustainable design, urban security, and infrastructure rehabilitation. Depending on his or her interests and abilities, the modern civil engineer may also become involved in research, design, and development related to projects in alternative energy sources, space structures, protection against natural and man-made disasters, etc. The civil engineer also studies and develops new materials, new structural systems, and new strategies for optimizing design. Basic research, especially in the areas of applied and experimental mechanics, often arises either as a preliminary or adjunct requisite to these studies.

The civil engineer who wishes to practice creatively in any of these fields must be thoroughly grounded in the basic sciences, mathematics and applied mechanics, structures and structural mechanics, engineering sciences and computer applications. Members of the civil engineering faculty are actively engaged in research in their specialties, which include modern advances in structural engineering and materials, geotechnical engineering, alternative energy sources, green design of buildings, water pollution control technologies, water resources engineering, and urban security.

As a student at Cooper Union, you’ll have the opportunity to delve into our faculty’s research. Earn up to three credits per semester through Independent Studies or engage in summer research and Graduate Thesis projects.

Internships with Top NYC Firms: Our Civil Engineering department is highly regarded among NYC’s leading design and construction firms. It’s common for our students to land sought-after internships during the summer of their Sophomore, Junior, or Senior years. Our job fairs are a testament to this, with dozens of civil engineering construction and design firms actively seeking our relatively small number of students. 

Global Learning Opportunities: Broaden your horizons with our study abroad program. Spend a summer or a semester at an international university, gaining a global perspective on your studies. Countries include Germany, Iceland, Singapore, Guatemala etc.

Our work-study program offers you the chance to gain practical experience as Teaching and Lab Assistants, Tutors, and contributors to initiatives like Summer STEM, the AACE lab, The Saturday Program, and IT labs. 

Most of our seniors typically apply and gain acceptance into our esteemed Graduate program. You have the flexibility to pursue it full-time, or you can opt for part-time study with our convenient evening graduate classes, allowing you to balance your studies with day-time work.

Our program prepares graduates to apply knowledge of at least four recognized technical areas of civil engineering. This is accomplished through required courses in the following areas:

1.           Structural engineering
2.           Water resources engineering
3.           Geotechnical engineering
4.           Environmental engineering

Additional areas covered through required or elective courses are:

•            Transportation Planning/Engineering
•            Construction Management
•            Urban Security
•            Sustainability

A list of undergraduate courses can be found at this link. Additional courses that can be taken as electives can be found here.

Graduate Program

Completion of the master of engineering degree program with a concentration in civil engineering is important for entry into the profession in any of the specialized areas discussed above. The civil engineering department offers many graduate level courses in the cited areas, such as structural, geotechnical, hydraulic and environmental engineering.  A list of the graduate courses can be found at this link.

Program Accreditation

The Civil Engineering Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for the Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Employers Who Have Hired Our Graduates

Graduate Schools Where Our Graduates Have Been Accepted Over the Past Decade

  • Columbia University
  • MIT
  • Stanford University
  • Technische Universiteit Delft
  • University of California, Berkley
  • University of Texas at Austin
  • NYU Law School
  • Princeton University and many more

 

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.