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Keystone Bridge

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Welcome!

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at South Dakota State University has a long tradition of delivering a rich educational experience that is focused on student success, before and after graduation.

Our academic programs are tailored for breadth and depth in the civil engineering disciplines. Our dedicated faculty and staff are devoted to providing first-rate education and student support. Our state-of-the-art facilities are essential components to learning, research and hands-on experience. Our outstanding student body is committed to scholarship and service.

I invite you to explore our site and learn about the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs, facilities, faculty, research activities and service opportunities. Please do not hesitate to contact me or a member of the faculty and staff for any question regarding our department and academic programs. We are interested in helping you achieve your goals.

Nadim I. Wehbe

John M. Hanson, Professor and Department Head

Civil Engineering: Advancing the Built Environment while Preserving Natural Resources

Civil engineering makes up the earliest branch of the engineering profession. As with all engineering disciplines, civil engineering is founded in mathematics and scientific principles.

Civil engineers are custodians of the built environment. They plan, design, construct and maintain facilities that propel modern civilization. This includes bridges and buildings, water and wastewater networks and treatment, highways and mass transit facilities, earth stabilizing and retaining structures and water resources and hydraulic systems. From simple projects that serve the basic needs of underprivileged communities to signature mega projects around the world, the final results stand witness to the ingenuity of civil engineers and the service they provide to society.

As the world’s demand for natural resources continues to grow, civil engineers constantly pursue the development of advanced materials and innovative designs to create resilient, environmentally friendly and sustainable infrastructure. The civil engineering profession provides boundless opportunities for exciting, challenging and rewarding careers.

CEE Department Fast Facts

  • Sub-disciplines covered in the program:
    • Environmental
    • Geotechnical
    • Structural
    • Transportation
    • Water resources and hydraulics
  • Number of students (2020-2021):
    • Undergraduate: 214
    • Graduate: 34
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 21:1
  • Degrees offered: B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering

The photo at the top of the page shows the Keystone Wye bridges in the Black Hills National Forest.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering News

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Water tower

³ÉÈËÊÓƵ enters into partnership with Maguire Iron

South Dakota State University's Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering has entered into a partnership with Maguire Iron to develop a computer-based program to efficiently design and estimate the cost of water towers.

³ÉÈËÊÓƵ named nation’s top civil engineering student chapter for third straight year

For the third year in a row, the award for the best student chapter of civil engineering students went to South Dakota State University. The Robert Ridgway Student Chapter Award is presented by the American Society of Civil Engineers to the top chapter nationwide. On April 18, adviser Zach Gutzmer learned that the ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ chapter was tops among 416 student chapters nationwide and 26 foreign countries. Before its 2022-2024 streak, ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ also won the award in 1999 and 2004.

Wood first ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ student to win ACI graduate fellowship

Tyler Wood, a 4.0 civil engineering major, has become the first South Dakota State University student to receive a graduate fellowship from the American Concrete Institute. The $10,000 award also includes an all-expenses paid trip to the next two American Concrete Institute national conventions into addition to the one he attended on March 23-27 in New Orleans as part of the application process. The award comes with no strings attached, said Wood, who graduates May 4.