COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & SCIENCE

Civil Engineering at Louisiana Tech University

Who Are Civil Engineers?

Civil engineers are leaders and problem solvers who build and improve much of the infrastructure that we use on a daily basis. They plan and oversee the design, construction, and maintenance of roads, railways, airports, bridges, dams, levees, harbors, irrigation projects, power plants, and water and sewage systems, ensuring that these systems can withstand extreme weather conditions. Civil engineers are skilled in using design software and applying sustainable construction methods. Because of the breadth of the civil engineering field, successful civil engineers are also skilled in a variety of other disciplines, including design, math, communication, organization, and decision making.

What Does a Civil Engineer Do?

Most civil engineers work as consultants or contractors in one of six sub-disciplines: construction, environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, or water resource engineering. Consultants design projects: Contractors implement the designs during construction. Both consultants and contractors work on public and private sector projects, completing technical and feasibility studies, designing detailed plans, conducting complex calculations, assessing sustainability and environmental impact, and resolving design and development problems. They also use project management skills to budget and schedule projects, coordinate between clients and construction professionals, and ensure a project meets legal and regulatory requirements.

Required Courses

Trenchless Technology at Louisiana Tech

Students enrolled in Louisiana Tech’s Civil Engineering program perform research through the University’s Trenchless Technology Center (TTC), a national leading research center that coordinates projects between academia, government, and industry. Its numerous labs give students access to equipment, faculty expertise, and other resources and foster a sense of collaboration among students within the growing field of trenchless construction, or the installation and rehabilitation of underground utility systems with minimal surface disruption and destruction.

The Center’s mission is to advance trenchless technology by serving as a source of knowledge, research, and education in the field. The TTC utilizes a three-pronged approach to accomplish its mission: research and development, education, and technology transfer. Student projects include novel research to develop new technologies and materials for underground construction, and many students conducting research with the center earn awards and scholarships from organizations like the North American Society for Trenchless Technology.