Overview

INTRODUCTION

Civil Engineering deals with the profession that designs, constructs, operates and manages systems and infrastructures for the growth and development of civilization. This discipline evaluates the impact of such systems on the natural environment. Civil Engineering has played a key role in the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the past several decades.

The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CE) at KAU was established in 1975 as Department of Civil Engineering. Due to the increased need to take care of environmental problems and develop engineering solutions to them, in 2019 the department name is changed to Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. The various specializations in the department are: Construction Engineering, Environmental and Water Resources Engineering & Environmental, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Transportation Engineering.

The undergraduate Civil Engineering program at KAU, abbreviated as CE program hereafter, is the only undergraduate program offered by the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. The program is designed to develop knowledgeable and creative engineers with strong capabilities for innovation and management. Civil Engineering graduates have a wide variety of employment opportunities in both public and private sector organizations. Civil engineering has become a field of study with extremely diverse applications.

The CE Program has been repeatedly revised to account for the dynamic growth in the local market as well as the international advancements in the civil engineering fields.

In spring 2002, the program was evaluated for the first time by EAC of ABET based on the Engineering Conventional Criteria and was recognized to be “Substantially Equivalent” to ABET accredited engineering programs.

In November 2008, the program had an EAC of ABET general review visit that requested to submit a report describing the actions taken to correct shortcomings identified in the final statement by July 01, 2010. Subsequently, based on the submitted report, CE program is re-accredited.

In 2015, the program had the last EAC of ABET general review visit that resulted again in the accreditation of the program.

Program Educational Objectives

            Within a few years after graduation, the graduates of the CE program are expected to attain the following program educational objectives:

1.      Engage in successful professional careers and/or graduate studies in civil engineering.

2.      Demonstrate professional skills and actively participate in the sustainable development of society.

3.      Continue to learn and adapt to an evolving professional environment.

Compliance of the Program Educational Objectives with the Mission of the University

            The mission of KAU targets four aspects: Education for Sustainable Development, Community Linked Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Consolidating of Citizenship values. The graduates of CE program, as described in the program educational objectives, promote these aspects of the university mission as indicated in the following table: 

Table 1: Consistency of the CE Program Educational Objectives with the Mission Statement of KAU

Graduates' Employment Opportunities

Graduates of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering have career opportunities in the following organizations:

Governmental Organizations such as: Ministry of Environment ,Water and Agriculture, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Ministry of Health, Saline Water Conversion Corporation, SAUDIA Airlines, Saudi ARAMCO, Municipalities, The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, General Authority of Civil Aviation – GACA.

·    Semi-Government Organizations.

·    Private Organizations.

·    All organizations that have an engineering department.

·    Consultant and engineering offices.

Student Outcomes

            Student Outcomes of the Civil Engineering program are the same as defined by EAC of ABET. These Student Outcomes state that Civil Engineering graduates will have:

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies    

Key of tenth digit in Civil Engineering Department

            The key of tenth digit in Civil Engineering Department courses is shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Key of tenth digit in courses of the Department of Civil Engineering

In each course syllabus, the distribution of contact hours is shown for Theoretical (Th.) for lecture hours, Practical (Pr.) representing lab and tutorial hours, and Training (Tr.) representing out of class activities.