Civil Engineering

What is Civil Engineering?

Civil engineering is a profession concerned with virtually all aspects of the urban environment and the interactions between built, natural and human environments. The urban environment is the infrastructure that makes civilization possible, including: the design of buildings and bridges, underground spaces, power generation systems, structures that resist extreme events like earthquakes, disposing of waste, providing safe and efficient transportation solutions, and alternative energy sources.

Advances in biotechnology, materials, communications and information technology impact the work of civil engineers in a big way. Many “smart” civil infrastructures using advanced materials technology are already in place. For instance, civil engineers use advanced sensing technologies, remote monitoring and analysis systems to manage many aspects of the transportation sector — from collecting tolls to controlling traffic signals.

Issues like sustainable energy and bioremediation (a process that uses microorganisms to return the environment back to its original state) are critically important on the world stage — and civil engineers are exceptionally well-positioned to have a major impact in these important fields.

What you will learn in Civil Engineering?

The focus of our program is on urban engineering and sustainable global development. Right from your introductory courses in mathematics, computing, chemistry, physics, applied structural mechanics, fluid mechanics, hydraulics, materials, surveying, geology, computer graphics and engineering ecology, your education will focus on providing you with a holistic and sustainable perspective to learning.

In your upper years, you’ll learn by putting your skills to practice in small and large design projects. These design projects often allow you to focus on those areas that interest you most, like urban environmental problems, for instance. We place a strong hands-on and practical emphasis in many upper year courses. For example, in one unique course in surveying, our students travel to the beautiful Kawartha Highlands to learn all about the art and science of surveying and teamwork.

First Year Curriculum

• Engineering Strategies and Practice I & II
• Mechanics
• Physical Chemistry
• Calculus I & II
• Linear Algebra
• Fundamentals of Computer Programming
• Earth Systems Science
• Applied Science: Materials
• Ethics in Engineering

Student Profiles

To get to know some of our students in the Civil Engineering program as well as recent graduates of this program, please visit the Meet Our Students section.

For more information about Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto, please visit the program website: www.civil.engineering.utoronto.ca

Engineering Student Recruitment & Retention Office

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
GB 35 St. George Street, Room 173, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4 Canada

Click here for full contact information.