Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

College of Science & Engineering

Engineering is about building propulsion systems that send people to Mars, making zero-emission cars that run on electricity, creating a medical device that removes a blood clot in a beating heart, establishing a super-cold storage system to store vaccines, constructing structures and transportation systems that are safe and eco-friendly, and coming up with the next ubiquitous, low-power-consumption communications system that connects humans across the world at low cost.

Some highlights:

CE (Civil Engineering) develops a strong theoretical and practical foundation for developing engineering solutions for structural, geotechnical, environmental, and transportation systems.
CE faculty are first-rate educator-scholars from top PhD programs with outstanding industry experience.
CE faculty received grants and funding from the NSF, NIH, Dept. of Education, NASA, LBL, City of San Francisco, Federal Highway Administration’s University Transportation Center, State Department of Transportation, and private companies.
Research lab features: real-time hybrid simulation testing facility, mobile remote shake table laboratory, smart floor vibration testing facility, 3D printers, laser cutters, and Transportation Planning & Engineering Lab.
The CE program has a complete suite of design software including SAP2000 and ETABS.
CE program features SF State Scholars program which students can earn BS and MS in 5 years.
CE senior design projects have won numerous awards including the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute’s Best Seismic Performance Award and National Timber Bridge Design Competition.
CE students’ research efforts have demonstrated in project showcases and research competitions including 1st place in CSU research competition and SFSU CoSE showcase.
CE program has specific scholarships, Femineers, American Public Works Association, Filanc Leadership and active internships.
CE Alums work for Caltrans, BART, City and County of San Francisco, KPW, AECOM, Shimmick, ENGEO, Hensel Phelps and many other public and private companies.
CE Alums are accepted into first-rate graduate programs such as UCs, Stanford, Virginia Tech, and numerous other institutions.

Access the list of the major requirements to better understand the structure of the major.

Major Requirements (Bulletin/Catalog)

The roadmap puts all of your graduation requirements into an easy-to-follow semester-by-semester plan so you know what to take to stay on track. Whether you are a freshman or a transfer student, you'll be able to find a roadmap that best fits you.

Freshmen Roadmaps

SF Scholar's Roadmap

Besides your major requirements, students must complete their GE and University requirements. Be sure to make sure you've completed all of these requirements for graduation.

General Education Requirements

To learn more about this major, check out the major department’s website below. You can also find out how you can access their faculty advisors who can assist you not just with course choices, but also answer questions about the field and discuss your career plans.

School of Engineering

Hensil Hall Building, Room 807B
Phone: (415) 338-1228
Email: engrasst@sfsu.edu
Website: https://engineering.sfsu.edu/, https://engineering.sfsu.edu/civil-engineering
Student Services Coordinator: Raul Contreras III

After choosing “Basic Subjects” GE courses in Steps 1-3 of your Orientation process (if you haven’t done so, log onto your Orientation Profile page to follow the “Pre-Orientation Advising Module”), STEP 4 Choosing Major Classes will show you if there are any classes you can take to satisfy major requirements for your first and/or second semester.

Once you have determined your Roadmap above, review the first section below and write down any course recommendations based on your corresponding major roadmap on your Freshmen Class Planner worksheet.

What major course(s) should I prioritize and successfully complete in my first semester?

First Semester Course Recommendations

All Roadmaps

Major Class & Title	Units	Other Requirement Area(s) Met
ENGR 100 - Introduction to Engineering	1 unit	Major Core
ENGR 101 - Engineering Graphics	1 unit	Major Core
MATH 226 - Calculus I^{#1, #2, #3, #4} OR MATH 197 - Prelude to Calculus I^{#3, #4} OR MATH 199 – Pre-Calculus^{#3, #4}	4 units OR 3 units OR 4 units	Major Core Prerequisite for MATH 226 Prerequisite for MATH 226
If there are any course(s) listed above, please enter this information onto “Step 4” of your Freshmen Class Planner.

Advisor Footnotes:

^#1AP Calculus AB (or AB subscore), or BC score of 4 or 5 (but not 3) satisfies Math 226 requirement (4 units)
^#2Prerequisite for MATH 226 is high school pre-calculus with “B” or better, or high school calculus with a grade of “C” or better; or a college-level pre-calculus course with a “C” or better
^#3Take the First-Year Math Advising Exercise before choosing this course
^#41-unit Supplemental Instruction courses (SCI) are offered for these classes as additional support. These courses can be found in the SFSU Class Schedule (https://webapps.sfsu.edu/public/classservices/classsearch) by searching for the "SCI" department prefix.

If any of the class(es) above ends up being FULL by the time you register, consider choosing more General Education courses to build up your schedule

Alternate Major Course(s)

There are no other alternate courses for this major

If more units are needed, consider General Education courses from the areas suggested in the "GE Area Recommendations" section below

GE Area Recommendations

Once you have made your course choices for Steps 1-4, you may already have between 12-15 units chosen for your first semester—about 4 to 5 classes.

If more units are needed, you will proceed to "Step 5 - Choosing GE Courses" from your Orientation Advising Module after considering the following recommendations...

GE Area	Advisor Notes
A1 Oral Communication	Covered in “Step 3” on the Freshmen Class Planner
A2 Written English Communication	Covered in “Step 1” on the Freshmen Class Planner
A3 Critical Thinking	Covered in “Step 3” on the Freshmen Class Planner
B1 Physical Science	Met within major core courses
B2 Life Science	Choose any
B3 Laboratory Science	Met within major core courses
B4 Quantitative Reasoning	Covered in “Step 2” on the Freshmen Class Planner
C1 Arts	Choose any
C2 Humanities	Choose any^#1
D Social Sciences	Choose any^#1
D US History	Choose any^#1
E Lifelong Learning & Self-Development (LLD)	Covered in “Step 1” on the Freshmen Class Planner
F Ethnic Studies	Choose any^#1
US/CA Government	Choose any

Advisor Footnotes:

^#1Metro Academy students—these areas may be covered in your Metro Ed Plan

What major course(s) should I prioritize and successfully complete in my second semester?

Second Semester Course Recommendations

If MATH 226 is completed in the first semester…

Major Class & Title	Units	Other Requirement Area(s) Met
CHEM 115 – General Chemistry I: Essential Concepts of Chemistry OR^#1 CHEM 180 - Chemistry for Energy and the Environment	5 units 3 units	Not GE GE: Area B1 & B3 SF State Studies: ES
ENGR 271 – Introduction to MATLAB	1 unit	Major Core
MATH 227 - Calculus II	4 units	Major Core
PHYS 220 - General Physics with Calculus I^#2 & PHYS 222 - and General Physics with Calculus I Laboratory^#2	4 units	Major Core GE: Area B1 & B3

If MATH 226 is NOT completed in the first semester…

Major Class & Title	Units	Other Requirement Area(s) Met
CHEM 115 – General Chemistry I: Essential Concepts of Chemistry OR^#1 CHEM 180 - Chemistry for Energy and the Environment	5 units 3 units	Not GE GE: Area B1 & B3 SF State Studies: ES
MATH 198 – Prelude to Calculus II^#3 OR MATH 226 - Calculus I^{#4, #5}	4 units OR 4 units	Prerequisite for MATH 226 Major Core Course

Major Class & Title

Units

Other Requirement Area(s) Met

CHEM 115 – General Chemistry I: Essential Concepts of Chemistry

OR^#1

CHEM 180 - Chemistry for Energy and the Environment

5 units

3 units

Not GE

GE: Area B1 & B3
SF State Studies: ES

MATH 198 – Prelude to Calculus II^#3
OR
MATH 226 - Calculus I^{#4, #5}

4 units
OR
4 units

Prerequisite for MATH 226

Major Core Course

Advisor Footnotes:

^#1Most Engineering students take CHEM 180 instead of CHEM 115
^#2Take both Physics Lab and Lecture at the same time
^#3Prerequisite for MATH 198 is MATH 197 with a “C” or better
^#4AP Calculus AB (or AB subscore), or BC score of 4 or 5 (but not 3) satisfies Math 226 requirement (4 units)
^#5Prerequisite for MATH 226 is high school pre-calculus with “B” or better, high school calculus with a grade of “C” or better; or a college-level pre-calculus course with a “C” or better (i.e. MATH 198 or MATH 199)

If any of the class(es) above ends up being FULL by the time your register, consider choosing more General Education courses to build up your schedule

What major requirements can be met with Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests and their qualifying scores?

AP exam (score 4 or 5)	Course Equivalencies
Calculus AB (or subscore) or BC	Math 226 (4 units)
Physics C: Mechanics	PHYS 220 and 222 (4 units)

Is it necessary for me to also meet with a major department/faculty advisor in the first year?

Engineering has mandatory advising every semester during the advising weeks in November in the Fall semester & in April in the Spring Semester.

What are some career fields and/or opportunities commonly associated with this major program?

Some career fields are:

Structural engineers
Construction engineers
Water resource engineers
Environmental engineers
Transportation engineers
Bridge engineers
Geotechnical engineers

Please see the box above labeled “Major Curriculum/Roadmaps & GE/University Requirements” for information on what courses to take in your first semester at SF State. View our Frequently Asked Questions for Transfers for helpful tips and additional information.