The Geotechnical Engineering Track to fulfill the BS in Civil Engineering degree emphasizes specialized coursework in applied soil mechanics and foundation engineering, as well as civil engineering sub-disciplines with strong geotechnical engineering connections such as structures, water resources, construction, transportation, environmental, and coastal and ocean engineering. This track is appropriate for those wishing to pursue careers in engineering design and management of infrastructure in a wide array of sectors that can include energy, transportation, and water resources.

The freshman year is identical for degrees in aerospace engineering, architectural engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, data engineering, electrical engineering, electronic systems engineering technology, environmental engineering, industrial distribution, industrial engineering, interdisciplinary engineering, manufacturing and mechanical engineering technology, mechanical engineering, multidisciplinary engineering technology, nuclear engineering, ocean engineering, and petroleum engineering. The freshman year is slightly different for chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering degrees in that students take CHEM 119 or CHEM 107/CHEM 117 and CHEM 120.  Students pursuing degrees in biological and agricultural engineering should refer to the specific curriculum for this major. It is recognized that many students will change the sequence and number of courses taken in any semester. Deviations from the prescribed course sequence, however, should be made with care to ensure that prerequisites for all courses are met.

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A grade of C or better is required.

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Entering students will be given a math placement exam. Test results will be used in selecting the appropriate starting course which may be at a higher or lower level.

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Of the 21 hours shown as University Core Curriculum electives, 3 must be from creative arts (see AREN curriculum for more information), 3 from social and behavioral sciences (see DAEN and IDIS curriculum for more information), 3 from language, philosophy and culture (see CVEN, EVEN and PETE curriculum for more information), 6 from American history and 6 from government/political science. The required 3 hours of international and cultural diversity and 3 hours of cultural discourse may be met by courses satisfying the creative arts, social and behavioral sciences, language, philosophy and culture, and American history requirements if they are also on the approved list of international and cultural diversity courses and cultural discourse courses.

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BMEN, CHEN and MSEN require 8 hours of fundamentals of chemistry which are satisfied with CHEM 119 or CHEM 107/CHEM 117 and CHEM 120; Students with an interest in BMEN, CHEN and MSEN can take CHEM 120 second semester freshman year. CHEM 120 will substitute for CHEM 107/CHEM 117.

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For BS-PETE, allocate 3 hours to core communications course (ENGL 210, COMM 203, COMM 205, or COMM 243) and/or 3 hours to UCC elective. For BS-MEEN, allocate 3 hours to core communications course (ENGL 203, ENGL 210, COMM 203 or COMM 205) and/or 3 hours to UCC elective.

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A total of 35 hours of technical coursework is required. Technical coursework is divided into five categories: breadth courses, design courses, focus courses, a science course, and a capstone design course. The total number of hours between breadth, design, and focus courses must add up to 29 hours. The choice of courses to be taken in each of the five categories depends on the track chosen and must be made in consultation with the student’s advisor and/or the Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Student Services Office to ensure pre- and co-requisites are satisfied. Capstone design courses must include more than one civil engineering context.

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All students must take at least two courses in their major that are designated as writing intensive (W). CVEN 207 and CVEN 424 taken at Texas A&M satisfy this requirement. Other CVEN courses may be approved as W courses at a later date. A grade of C or better is required in these courses.

A grade of C or better is required in all science, mathematics and engineering courses taken to satisfy degree requirements.

Total Program Hours 128

Geotechnical Engineering Track - Technical Coursework

Technical coursework electives for the BS in Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering Track are composed of breadth courses (15-18 semester credit hours), design courses (6-12 semester credit hours), focus courses (2-5 semester credit hours), a science course (3 semester credit hours), and a capstone design course (3 semester credit hours), as delineated below, for a total of 35 semester credit hours. A substitution for any course in the track must be approved in writing by the Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Student Services Office.

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The following courses satisfy the laboratory course requirement, CVEN 342 or CVEN 343, CVEN 365.

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Only one of the following courses, CVEN 314 or CVEN 315, can be used to meet the focus elective.

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Up to 2 hours of CVEN 485 or CVEN 491 may be used.