Civil and Environmental Engineering Department

Contact Information

Dr. Scott J. Kenner, P.E.
Interim Head and Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil/Mechanical 122
(605) 394-2513
E-mail: Scott.Kenner@sdsmt.edu

Faculty

Professors Kenner and Stone; Associate Professors Robinson, Capehart, Benning, and Gadhamshetty; Assistant Professors Arneson-Meyer, Shearer, Whitaker, Geza, and Waterman; Instructor Bienert.

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Civil and environmental engineers are problem solvers, meeting the needs for environmental stewardship, renewable energy, sustainable design solutions, and community planning for a better tomorrow. Civil and environmental engineers serve the public by designing a wide variety of infrastructure systems such as dams and waterways, harbors, bridges, buildings, water supply and wastewater systems, highways and airports, tunnels and pipelines, and renewable energy facilities.

Students interested in a career in civil or environmental engineering follow a curriculum that culminates in a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering that is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

The undergraduate curriculum provides a comprehensive education for students who wish to pursue a professional career directly after graduation. The B.S. program in civil engineering also serves as a preparation for graduate study in any of the specialized branches of civil and environmental engineering, construction engineering and management or other professional degrees such as medicine or law.

Curriculum

The civil and environmental engineering curriculum begins with students gaining fundamental understanding of humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and basic sciences. Students may also pursue a minor in environmental engineering , sustainable engineering , or global engineering . In the senior year, a capstone design course allows students to work in multi-disciplinary teams to develop alternative solutions, incorporate sustainable design principles, perform feasibility and economic analyses, and create detailed designs. The capstone design experience culminates with a formal final written report and a presentation to the faculty and student peers.

Graduate programs in civil and environmental engineering or construction management afford opportunities for motivated students to pursue advanced studies. An accelerated Master of Science (B.S./M.S.) degree program is available for qualified seniors enrolled in engineering B.S. programs at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The accelerated master’s degree program allows B.S. engineering students to take up to nine (9) graduate-level credits to simultaneously meet undergraduate and graduate degree program requirements. For more information about the accelerated master’s degree program, see the Civil Engineering M.S. section of the catalog or contact CEE Graduate Coordinator Dr. Marc Robinson (Marc.Robinson@sdsmt.edu).

Department Approved Electives

The undergraduate curriculum includes 12 credit hours of Department Approved Electives (15 for environmental emphasis students) that students may use to gain knowledge and skills in a specialized area to meet their individual career goals. Students may participate in undergraduate research or scholarship, which may include international design projects, design activities associated with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) steel bridge or concrete canoe competitions, or cooperative education. Students must apply for the cooperative education program prior to starting work. For more information about the cooperative education program, contact Dr. Scott Kenner (Scott.Kenner@sdsmt.edu).

Department Approved Electives include the following:

At least 9 credits of CEE 400 (or above) level coursework not applied to another CEE graduation requirement.
Up to 6 credit hours of CEE 498 (Undergraduate Research/Scholarship), CEE 491 (Independent Study) or CP 497 (Cooperative Education); not more than 3 credits may be CEE 491 or CP 497.
Up to 3 credit hours of 300 or 400 level courses in engineering, science, math or computer science not applied to another CEE graduation requirement (9 credits for environmental engineering emphasis students).

Professionalism

Students are encouraged to participate in the ASCE student chapter, Engineers and Scientists Abroad, CAMP, (Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing and Production) that involves designing, building, testing, and competing in a variety of engineering challenges, or any other of the many student organizations on campus. During the senior year, students are strongly encouraged to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (F.E.) examination. Passing the F.E. examination is the first step toward registration as a Professional Engineer (P.E.). The second and final step in the registration process is the successful completion of the Professional Engineering examination, which is normally taken after working under the supervision of a P.E. for at least four years.

Minor in Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineers design systems and solve pressing global problems in all areas related to the environment and public health: sustainable design of drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment, and solid and hazardous waste disposal systems; development of air quality monitoring and pollution prevention programs; design of site remediation and mining reclamation programs; and development of ecosystem protection and restoration efforts, among others. For more information, contact Dr. Ramana Gadhamshetty (Venkata.Gadhamshetty@sdsmt.edu).

Environmental Engineering Minor

Minor in Sustainable Engineering

Sustainable Engineering is a developing field that seeks to move traditional engineering practice toward approaches that can solve complex classes of emerging social problems such as competition for limited supplies of resources and water, land conservation, global climate change, and human exposure to toxic chemicals in air, water, and food. For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Benning (Jennifer.Benning@sdsmt.edu).

Sustainable Engineering Minor

Minor in Global Engineering

An immersion experience in a different culture is the best way to learn to meet cross-cultural challenges in the areas of communication, values, beliefs, politics, language, and ethics. Students will gain this experience by creating and completing an engineering project in a culture that is significantly different than their own. The project will develop skills in verbal and non-verbal communication and working on multicultural teams. For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Benning (Jennifer.Benning@sdsmt.edu).

Global Engineering Minor

SD Mines Honors Program

Students can apply to be accepted into the Honors program when they enter as a freshman through the end of their sophomore year. Challenging academics is a given at Mines, where most of our entering students would qualify for the academically-oriented honors programs at most universities. That’s why our Honors program is different. It’s designed to challenge and develop exceptional students beyond academics: developing leadership by solving problems that benefit others.

EPICS

EPICS is an academic program where undergraduate students earn course credits for participation in teams that tackle real-world projects and benefit real communities. Students can participate in EPICS at any time during their degree program.