CE Undergraduate Courses

Exploration of current civil engineering topics. Course may be repeated for credit, topics are not repeatable.

Activities undertaken by the Civil Engineering student club at Boise State University. Students enrolled in this course will work on special projects such as design and construction of concrete canoes, steel bridges and sustainable infrastructure. Special emphasis will be given to teamwork; discussions will also focus on project management activities such as task scheduling and cost estimation. May be repeated for credit.

May serve to satisfy 1 credit of the CE-EC course requirement.

Fundamentals of environmental chemistry, equilibrium, kinetics, reactors, modeling, and environmental measurements. PREREQ: CHEM111.

Review of projects, historical and ongoing, from various aspects of Civil Engineering. PREREQ: ENGR 180.

Laboratory exercises, presentations, and field trips to investigate different aspects of civil engineering. COREQ: CE280.

Introduction to programming and computational methods in civil engineering. PREREQ: MATH 175

Introduction to engineering drafting and computer-aided design for civil engineering applications. The course covers mechanics and standards used to create and interpret engineering drawings made by hand, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D.

Treatment of domestic and industrial water supplies. Disposal of domestic sewage and industrial wastes. Environmental considerations in water management, water use, wastewater generation, and water quality. Design of water and wastewater treatment systems. PREREQ: CE 220. COREQ: CE 323. PRE/COREQ: ENGR 205.

Introduction to water-based environmental systems. Properties of water and basic fluid flow experiments. Assessment of environmental quality parameters. COREQ: CE320, ENGR205, CE332.

Physical properties of fluids, fluid mechanics, measurements, viscous flow, turbulent flow, momentum, lift, drag, boundary layer effects, pipe flow, and open channel flow. PREREQ:  MATH 333.

Principles of the hydrologic cycle and water flows in open channels. Emphasis on the physics of free-surface flow and includes open channel flow design principles, uniform flow, gradually varied flow, steady and unsteady flows, mechanics of sediment transport. Includes computer aided analysis and design. PREREQ: CE330 and upper-division status in civil engineering.

Physical and engineering properties, behavior, design, and utilization of various civil engineering construction materials. PREREQ: CE350 and upper-division status in civil engineering. COREQ: CE346.

Characterization and evaluation of soils and materials used in civil engineering. COREQ: CE340, CE360, ENGR205.

Principles of stress, strain, and deformation applied to the analysis of engineering structures including beams, shafts, and columns. PREREQ: ENGR 210 and MATH 175.

Survey of codes and related works influencing the design and construction of projects. Requirements generated by the IBC, ASCE-7, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Determination of structural loads, resolution of conflicts among governing codes, and interpretation of documents. PREREQ:  upper-division / junior standing.

Analysis and design of statically determinate and indeterminate structures, under static or moving loads, using classical methods. Equilibrium, stress-strain relations, and compatibility. PREREQ: CE 350 and upper-division status in civil engineering.

Analysis and design of structural systems. Stiffness method including the development of element properties, coordinate transformations, and global analysis theory. three-dimensional building systems and an introduction to the Finite Element Method. PREREQ: CE352.

Descriptive terminology, physical and engineering properties, measurement techniques, and behavior of soils. PREREQ: CE 350 and upper-division status in civil engineering. COREQ: CE 346.

Planning, design, and operations of multi-modal transportation systems. PRE/COREQ: CE 270, MATH 275 and upper-division status in civil engineering.

Introduction of numerical methods to solve Civil Engineering problems with emphasis on Geotechnical Engineering problems. In-depth treatment of finite difference and integrated finite difference. Brief introduction to finite element methods and programming using MATLAB. PREREQ: CE 360, MATH 333,
knowledge of programming, or PERM/INST.

Introduction to the hydrologic cycle focusing on subsurface water and its relationship to surface water. Physics of flow through porous media, physical properties of aquifer systems, methods to determine aquifer characteristics, groundwater modeling and relationships between groundwater and streamflow. May be taken for either CE or GEOS credit, but not both. PREREQ: PHYS 111 or PHYS211, MATH 175 and GEOS 212 or CE 330.

Chemical principles of water and wastewater treatment processes and reactions in receiving waters. Topics include chemical thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, acid-base equilibra, mineral precipitation/dissolution, and electrochemistry. PREREQ: CE 320 or PERM/INST.

Physical, chemical, and biological treatment of hazardous wastes. Consideration of legal and political issues. PREREQ: CE 220 or CHEM 112.

This course surveys the sources, fates, effects and control of air pollutants. Industrial, agricultural, and municipal contributions to acid rain, smog, and toxic air pollutants in fish and humans are covered. Students will demonstrate skill in the use of mathematical and computer predictions for the fate of air pollutants in the design of air pollution control systems and be able to communicate engineering concepts in oral presentations and in writing. PREREQ: CE 320 or PERM/INST.

Theoretical and practical engineering aspects of advanced chemical and physical phenomena and processes applicable to the design for removal of impurities from ground and surface water sources, including experimental problem analysis, conveyance systems and optimal treatment solution reporting. PREREQ: CE 320, PRE/COREQ: CE 330, or PERM/INST.

Theoretical and practical engineering aspects of advanced chemical, physical and biological phenomena and processes applicable to the design for removal of impurities from wastewater and industrial wastes and to their transformation in receiving waters, including experimental problem analysis, collection system conveyance and optimal treatment solution reporting. PREREQ: CE 320. PRE/COREQ: CE 330.

Applied principles of fluid mechanics, pipe flow, open channel flow, flow nets, and hydraulic machinery. Design. PREREQ: CE 330 and CE 332.

Applied Applications of geographic information systems (GIS) in pre- and post-processing of model inputs and outputs, digital elevation models, flow direction and flow accumulation, spatial analysis and interpretation, Model builder, data model, tools, functionality and examples of real-world water and natural resource problems and integration of external models (e.g., SWAT). PREREQ: GEOG 360 or PERM/INST.

Flood frequency analysis, reservoir characteristics and design, open channel flow applications, probability, risk and uncertainty analysis, water project design, model studies, water resources planning and management, and system analysis. PREREQ: CE 330.

Pavement design processes, materials selection and characterization methods, design of flexible pavements, design of rigid concrete pavements, condition survey and ratings, distress evaluation, and maintenance and rehabilitation techniques. PREREQ: CE 340, CE 341, and CE 370.

Basic properties of cements and mineral aggregates and their interactions in concrete from a microstructural perspective. Special emphasis on: properties of hydrated products and hardened concrete; modifications through admixtures; production, handling, and placement problems; specifications; quality control and acceptance testing; lightweight, heavyweight, and other special concrete mixtures. Project topics will include design and testing of advanced concrete concepts for durable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure. PREREQ: CE 340 or MSE 245.

Design of reinforced concrete structures, such as beams, columns, one way slabs, and simple footings, in accordance with latest ACI Code for Reinforced Concrete. PREREQ: CE 352.

Design of steel structures, such as beams and columns, in accordance with latest AISC Manual of Steel Construction, LRFD edition. PREREQ: CE 352.

Design of wood, and wood composite, structures and systems based on mechanical and structural characteristics and specifications. PREREQ: CE 352.

Design of masonry structures and systems based on mechanical and structural characteristics and specifications. PREREQ: CE 352.

Subsoil exploration and site investigation methodologies. Soil mechanics in design of earth retaining structures, shallow and deep foundations, embankments, slopes, and excavations. PREREQ: CE 360 and either CE 361 or CE 346

Application of Soil Mechanics In the design of embankments slopes and excavations. PREREQ: CE 360 and either CE 361or CE 346 or permission of instructor.

Introduction to ground improvement techniques for various problematic soils necessitated by the growing demand for construction in challenging geologies. Emphasis on understanding methods available to strengthen existing ground as alternative to costly foundation designs. Exploration of pros and cons of multiple ground improvement techniques, under four, broad categories: mechanical, hydraulic, chemical/thermal, and physical. Design and implement the most appropriate ground improvement technique for a given geological condition. PREREQ: CE 360 and either CE 361 or CE 346.

Planning, geometrics, location, and design of urban and rural highway systems. Use of software is required. PREREQ: CE 360 and CE 370.

Theory and practice of transportation planning at the metropolitan as well as regional levels. Use of software is required. Recent advances in transportation planning will be introduced. PREREQ: CE 370 or PERM/INST.

The course covers the theory and practice of traffic operations, control, and management. Topics covered include traffic signal systems, isolated and area-wide signal system operations, and traffic simulation. Use of software is required. PREREQ: CE 370 or PERM/INST.

Capstone design experience integrating previous coursework with modern design theory and methodology. Creation of teams and proposals to be carried out in CE 483. PREREQ: CE 320, CE 330, CE 332, CE 340, CE 352, CE 360, and CE 370.

Capstone design experience integrating previous course work with modern design theory and methodology. Applied through a comprehensive individual or group project, integrating criteria based on customer, code, and engineering requirements. Includes a series of progress reports and a final formal presentation.
PREREQ: CE 481.

Review of basic engineering and science material covered in civil engineering curriculum. (Pass/Fail.) PREREQ: Senior standing or PERM/INST.

Short description: Review for Fundamentals of Engineering Exam