About CEIE
The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering educates, trains and motivates young, talented minds in the civil engineering disciplines. For 4,000 years engineers have shaped and influenced our physical environment, and we continue to design and develop the complex infrastructure necessary for harmonious urban living. Infrastructure which includes the construction and maintenance of: intelligent transportation systems; water supply systems; water treatment plants; structural engineering of public works—dams, bridges, roads, canals, tunnels, harbors and buildings; environmental protection systems; and security systems. Infrastructures based on sound, sophisticated civil engineering principles and technology-based best practices.
The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering at George Mason University offers four degree programs to prepare graduates for engineering practice. These include a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering (BS-CIE) that prepares students for registration and practice as Professional Engineers; a Master of Science in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering; a Master of Engineering in Geotechnical, Construction, and Structural Engineering; and a Ph.D. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering.
The Department’s signature educational experience leverages our special relationship with the local civil engineering industry in Virginia and the Washington DC metropolitan area. This partnership creates a synergistic relationship for our students who benefit both in the classroom and through internships from exposure to engineering practice. This early exposure positions our graduates for stable, well-paid careers in a profession with a projected job growth rate of 24% over the next ten years.
The critical-thinking skills developed in our program, as well as the engineering science and design education can also serve as a foundation for other fields of study. These may include, for example, other areas of engineering; architecture; law; business; economics; public policy; and international relations. The possibilities, then, are broad.
As an important complement to the classroom learning and the internship opportunities in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, our students develop their own leadership opportunities through some of the most active student organizations on campus, organizations that also create a community for our students. For the past several years, the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers has sent a team to the ASCE Virginias competition held each spring at a Virginia or West Virginia university. While the competition involves a number of civil engineering challenges, the primary focus of their effort is the steel bridge competition for which they work tirelessly through the academic year to design and then build a steel bridge to meet contest specifications. The GMU Engineers for International Development also undertakes real projects. Their first project in 2010-2011 involved the design of a solution to water quantity and quality problems in the village of Compone in the Peruvian Andes, and then they travelled to Peru in summer to build that design, living and working alongside the villagers; they continue with other projects. The student chapter of the Society of American Military Engineers focuses on career development through its excellent partnership with the local parent chapter, adding charitable work to their efforts. The GMU chapter of Design-Build Institute of America has a strong affiliation with its local parent chapter, and regularly sends representatives to DBIA conferences, as well as to landmark construction projects underway. Chi Epsilon, the civil engineering honors society, inducts new members each year who have met the criteria for academic excellence.
Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering at George Mason University offers great opportunities for students with high ambitions. Look through our site. Check out our programs. Come by and visit us. We may be just the right choice for you and your future.
