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Department: Civil Engineering

Professor Ann E. (Beth) Wittig, Chair • Department Office: ST 119 • Tel: 212-650-8000

What Can I do with This Major

Civil engineers design, build, and manage the infrastructure of civilization, which includes buildings, bridges, highways, water supply systems, and other public works. These services are the cornerstone of the discipline, although no longer the limiting scope.

A civil engineering background provides a broad-based education that can be applied to many areas of interest within both the private and public sectors. In addition to the traditional engineering practice involving the design and construction of buildings and bridges using conventional materials, experience in new construction technology has led many civil engineers to obtain employment in areas as varied as the aerospace, computer and biomedical fields. No longer a matter of simply building roadways, transportation engineering now develops systems to move people and products with previously unforeseen efficiency using advanced computer and monitoring technology. Environmental engineering, once limited to the construction and maintenance of water quality and waste management systems, is now an integral part of world-wide efforts to preserve and restore the health and welfare of our air, land and water resources.

Civil engineers start their professional employment in any number of positions at organizations ranging from small consulting firms to large contractors and government agencies. It is not uncommon for civil engineers to begin at the analysis and design level, and achieve in time managerial positions overseeing projects with enormous regional and national economic impact. Alternatively, the civil engineering curriculum enables graduates to pursue careers in other fields such as medicine, law and business administration.

To pursue any of these objectives, the curriculum offers three options: Environmental Engineering/Water Resources; Structural Engineering; and Transportation Engineering.

Mission Statement

Inspired by a tradition of access and excellence, the mission of the Department of Civil Engineering is:

  • To rigorously train a diverse body of students, including underrepresented minorities and women, to be capable and intellectually motivated future leaders confidently addressing modern civil engineering challenges;

  • To conduct innovative, high-quality, and impactful research in traditional and emerging areas of local, national, and global importance;

  • To develop strong instructional and research collaborations with stakeholders such as local and federal agencies and firms;

  • To serve the community and the Civil Engineering profession; and

  • To stand at the forefront of Civil Engineering education, research and service.

ABET Accreditation

The CCNY Civil Engineering (C.E.) Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, https:// www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Civil Engineering (and Similarly Named Engineering) Program Criteria.

Program Educational Objectives

Program Educational Objectives are broad statements describing the abilities and accomplishments of our alumni within a few years of graduation. They reflect the needs and priorities of our program’s constituencies, which include our alumni, their employers, our faculty, and our Advisory Board. The PEOs for our Bachelor of Engineering program are:

  • Advance in a career as a professional in Civil Engineering or in a related field;

  • Uphold the highest level of integrity in decision-making;

  • Understand and meet the evolving multidisciplinary challenges and needs of the multiple stakeholders and communities in which they work and live; 

  • Build on their academic preparation through lifelong learning, graduate study, engagement in professional societies, and/or professional licensure; 

  • Act as stewards of the profession who protect and advance the health, safety, and welfare of the public; and

  • Serve the community and the Civil Engineering profession.

Student Outcomes

Student Outcomes are the abilities our students will develop as they advance through our curriculum, that we believe lay the groundwork for them to achieve the PEOs listed above. The SOs for our Bachelor of Engineering program are:

  • An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics;

  • An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet the specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors;

  • An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences;

  • An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgements, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and social contexts;

  • An ability to function collaboratively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives;

  • An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgement to draw conclusions; and

  • An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Faculty

Anil Agrawal, Professor
B.Tech., IIT (India); M.E., Univ. of Tokyo; Ph.D., Univ. of California (Irvine); P.E. (New York)

Mahdieh Allahviranloo, Associate Professor
B.E., Sharif Univ. of Tech.; M.S., Iran Univ. of Science and Tech.; Ph.D., Univ. of California (Irvine)

Alison Conway, Professor
B.S., Univ. of Delaware; M.S., Ph.D., Univ. of Texas (Austin)

Julio Davalos, Professor
B.S., M.S., Ph.D. (Structural Mechanics), Virginia Tech

Naresh Devineni, Professor
B.E., Osmania University, India; M.S., Ph. D., North Carolina State University (Raleigh)

Vasil Diyamandoglu, Assistant Professor
B.S., Bogazici Univ. (Istanbul, Turkey); M.S., Ph.D., Univ. of California (Berkeley)

Balázs Fekete, Associate Professor
M.S. (C.E.), Tech. Univ. of Budapest; Univ. of New Hampshire, Ph.D. (Earth Sciences)

John Fillos, Professor
B.E., CCNY; M.S., Ph.D., New York Univ.; P.E. (New York)

Michel Ghosn, Professor
B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Case Western Reserve Univ.

Camille Kamga, Professor
B.S., Univ. of Moncton (Canada); M.E., CCNY; Ph.D., City Univ. of New York

Reza M. Khanbilvardi, Professor
B.S., Pahlavi Univ. (Iran); M.S., Ph.D., Pennsylvania State Univ.; P.E. (New York, Connecticut)

Nir Krakauer, Associate Professor
B.S.E. (Engr. Physics), Univ. of Michigan (Ann Arbor); M.S. (Geochemistry), Ph.D. (Geochemistry), California Inst. of Technology

Yiqiao Li, Assistant Professor
B.S. (Traffic Engineering), Beijing University of Technology; M.S. (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Ph.D. (Civil and Environmental Engineering), University of California (Irvine)

Feng–Bao Lin, Associate Professor
B.S., National Taiwan Univ.; M.S.; Ph.D., Northwestern Univ.; P.E. (New York, Connecticut)

Michael Piasecki, Associate Professor
Engr. Dipl., Univ. of Hanover (Germany); Ph.D., Univ. of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

Te Pei, Assistant Professor
B.S., Southwest Jiaotong University; B.S., Oklahoma State University; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

Hansong Tang, Professor
B.S. (M.E./E.E.), Wuhan Univ.; M.S., D.Sc. (Math), Peking Univ.; Ph.D., Georgia Tech.

Linda Tseng, Assistant Professor
B.S. (Earth & Environmental Science), B.S. (Environmental Engineering), Univ. of California (Irvine); MS. (Environmental Engineering and Science), Stanford Univ.; PhD. (Engineering), Univ. of California (Irvine).

Ann E. (Beth) Wittig, Associate Professor and Chair
B.S. (Chem.E.), Univ. of California (Los Angeles); Ph.D. (Chem.E.), Univ. of Texas (Austin); P.E. (New York); L.E.E.D. A.P.

Ardavan Yazdanbakhsh, Associate Professor
B.S., Azad Univ. (Central Branch); M.S. (C.E./Structural Engr.), Univ. of Sharjah (UAE); Ph.D., Texas A&M Univ.

Professors Emeriti

J. E. Benveniste

G. Donald Brandt

Carl J. Costantino

Norman C. Jen

Claire E. McKnight

Norbert Oppenheim

Rober E Paaswell

Gerald Palevsky

George Papoulas

Ming L. Pei

Joseph Pistrang

Eli Plaxe

Morris D. Silberberg

James R. Steven