During the junior year, students typically complete the BSCE 300-level Core Curriculum in a pre-arranged sequence of courses, called Track I or Track 2. In the senior year, students explore their areas of interest while taking courses to meet Technical Elective and Engineering & Science Elective requirements. Seniors also complete a spring capstone design course in a focus area of their choice, typically in spring quarter of their senior year.
Students complete roughly 90 credits of major coursework, depending on course options selected. A minimum of 84 major coursework credits are required.
BSCE major coursework
Core curriculum (40 credits)
| COURSE | TITLE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| CEE 307 | Construction Engineering | 5 |
| CEE 317 | GeoSurveying | 5 |
| CEE 327 | Transportation Engineering | 5 |
| CEE 337 | Construction Materials | 5 |
| CEE 347 | Introduction to Fluid Mechanics | 5 |
| CEE 357 | Environmental Engineering | 5 |
| CEE 367 | Geotechnical Engineering | 5 |
| CEE 377 | Introduction to Structural Design | 5 |
Capstone & professional practice: 7 credits
- CEE 440 Professional Practice (2 credits)
- Typically taken SPR Qtr. of junior year.
- Capstone Design Course (5 credits)
- The Capstone is typically taken SPR Qtr. of senior year.
Technical electives (TE): 15 credits
Technical Electives are CEE 400-level courses that provide students with in-depth knowledge and design experience.
For breadth, students are required to satisfy the area requirement by taking at least one core course from three of the six designated areas of emphasis (Construction, Environmental, Geotechnical, Hydrology/Hydrodynamics, Structural, and Transportation).
Any additional 400-level CEE courses taken, whether from the Technical Electives list or not, will count toward Technical Electives credits until 15 credits is reached. Any additional credits from 400-level courses will count toward the Engineering & Science Electives requirement below.
Engineering & Science Electives (E&S): 12 credits
BSCE students are required to complete 12 credits of Engineering and Science Elective coursework (CEE 400-level courses or non-CEE courses from a department-approved list). Included in these 12 credits, students must include one basic science course. See the BSCE Engineering and Science Electives list for complete details.
What are Engineering and Science Electives?
Upper Division Engineering and Science Electives are courses that require substantial college-level preparation on the part of the student. The intent is to require courses that provide in-depth learning in a particular subject as opposed to an introductory and/or survey course. All CEE technical elective courses meet this standard and can count towards requirements in this section. Beyond this, the department maintains a list of non-CEE courses that meet these standards. However, new courses are continually developed at UW, some of which may meet these requirements. Seminars generally do not meet these requirements. If a student identifies a course that they believe meets these requirements but is not on the departmental list, they may submit a course petition to have it count toward their upper division engineering and science elective requirement. The following definitions are provided to help students identify such courses:
- Engineering course: Offered by the College of Engineering or its departments.
- Science course: Offered by a department, not in the College of Engineering, that addresses the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world. This excludes courses such as math, social sciences, business, anthropology, music, and others that do not meet the definition.
- Substantial college preparation: The course contains a recommended college-level background as indicated by prerequisites, minimum credit requirements to enroll, required academic progress (e.g., junior/senior standing) to enroll, required permission, or entry code to enroll). These courses are typically offered at the 300- and 400-level, although some 100 and 200-level courses meet this definition.
General electives
General Electives can bring the balance of credits to 180, which is required to complete the degree.