Overview:

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has a long history within the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). It was first authorized as one of four branches of the Polytechnic Department, founded in 1867, and became an independent department in 1871. The research activities of the department became internationally known more than 70 years ago.

Today, the department is consistently ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top programs in the country and attracts the best students and faculty. Many of the faculty members hold positions of influence and responsibility in national and international engineering organizations, and serve on advisory councils and commissions on the local, state, and federal level. They are leaders in their fields in environmental, structural, construction, transportation, hydraulic, and geotechnical engineering. The faculty combines civil engineering practice with the education of the next generation of civil engineers.

No less significant are the accomplishments of our alumni, who have been involved with the major civil engineering achievements recognized throughout the world, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the trans-Alaska pipeline, the Sears Tower, and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. They are also involved with less visible side of civil engineering: developing new materials and improving the ones we use, building on ways to keep our water supplies clean, ensuring the safety of transportation systems, retrofitting buildings and bridges to withstand earthquakes, and so on. Many of our alumni continue close collaborations with our faculty in research and practice.

Our students and student organizations are recognized nationwide for their high academic achievement, as well as their philanthropic and social activities. Chi Epsilon, the civil engineering honor society, began here. Students from this department are in demand.

Vision Statement:

We are a large, comprehensive civil and environmental engineering department committed to excellence in education, research, and public service. We believe that our excellence derives from high-quality students and faculty, a dedicated and capable support staff, a collegial and cooperative spirit, well-equipped and maintained experimental and computational facilities, the achievements of our graduates, and research that makes a difference for the engineering community and society at large. Our goal is to be the preeminent department of civil and environmental engineering worldwide as measured by the quality of our faculty, students, the impact of our scholarly output, and our reputation for excellence.

Mission Statement:

Our mission is education. We achieve this mission through our teaching, research, and public service activities by:

• Educating, inspiring, and mentoring future leaders of our profession and society that are prepared to meet 21st century challenges in a global economy.
• Performing forward-looking research — both applied and theoretical — that will positively impact and improve our profession and society.
• Serving as a reliable, highly capable resource for society, the profession, and the university through activities in professional organizations, campus committees, consultancy, and continuing education.