Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Degree Completion Program

About the Program

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that designs, constructs, and maintains the physical and naturally built environment. Civil engineers work on a variety of projects, including the bridges, roads, canals, dams and buildings that serve our communities. Civil engineering takes place on all levels: in the public sector from municipal through to federal levels, and in the private sector from individual homeowners to international companies. In short, civil engineers play an important role in ensuring that our human environment is safe and functioning properly.

Acquire the skills you need to enter this important field of work with SDSU’s Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Degree Completion Program. You’ll learn how to design and maintain the construction projects and civil infrastructure that shape our communities. You’ll receive comprehensive training in the planning and construction of complex, environmentally friendly systems that supply clean water to our cities, remove sewage, control floods, and perform other functions which are vital to our continued health and safety.

The coursework is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

What’s a Degree Completion Program?

This degree completion program is specifically designed for students who have started, but not finished, their four-year undergraduate degree. If you've completed 60 transferable units, satisfied all CSU requirements, and have a 2.7+ GPA, you can earn a valuable degree from San Diego State University that fits your busy schedule.

Is This Program Right for Me?

Students in the B.S. in Civil Engineering Program tend to be working professionals who’d like to launch a career at the crossroads of construction, engineering, and public safety. The coursework will prepare you for work in several different fields in the public and private sector.

Many graduates also choose to continue their formal studies on a full- or part-time basis. And with growing demand for housing, industrial spaces, and public transportation, especially those that are energy efficient, you can use your degree to start a career in a rapidly growing field.

Visit San Diego, Work in the Field

To help you gain vital hands-on engineering experience, and to provide you with an opportunity to connect with your classmates and instructors, you’ll visit San Diego State University’s beautiful campus for five days to complete one instructional course.

This five-day portion of your program studies is designed to help immerse you in the practice of civil engineering, since textbooks can only teach part of the work. Being out in the field with actual civil engineering tools and doing the work you are studying is the best way to absorb the knowledge and skills of your instructor and fellow classmates. The fact that your on-site portion is held in and around sunny San Diego, with its year-round mediterranean climate and mild temperatures, makes it just that much better.

The remainder of the degree completion program is held online, which makes earning your B.S. in Civil Engineering easier for busy working professionals.

Millions of Americans are unable to complete their degrees on time each year due to having full-time or part-time jobs, families to take care of, and other commitments. This B.S. in Civil Engineering Program removes those barriers, making it easier to earn your degree in civil engineering no matter what your schedule looks like. And best of all, you’ll graduate with the same degree as our on-campus students: a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University.

What Can I Learn

SDSU’s B.S. in Civil Engineering Program is designed to help you build a solid foundation that you can use to launch a successful career in civil engineering.

Through intensive online and in-person courses, you’ll learn how to identify, formulate, and solve a variety of complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics. You’ll learn how 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.

You’ll learn how to communicate complex engineering concepts to a range of audiences with clarity, and you’ll learn how to work on projects ethically and professionally by making informed judgements and understanding the impact of engineering projects in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts. You’ll also learn how to function effectively on a team in order to create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.

The courses you will be taking are taught by the expert faculty from SDSU’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. Many of your instructors are leading researchers in their fields, producing studies and papers on some of the pressing engineering-related issues facing San Diego and the Southern California region. As a student you’re able to draw on their professional knowledge in every lesson, turning the classroom into a unique, research-driven academic community.

Career Outcomes

New job opportunities in civil engineering will result from growing demands in housing, industrial buildings, power generating plants, and more robust public transportation systems. We’re also likely to see an increase in environmentally-friendly construction projects over the next several years.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, graduates holding a BS in Civil Engineering are in a good position to launch a successful career. There have been nearly 375,000 jobs posted over the last 12 months seeking qualified degree-holders with the same skills you’ll learn in an undergraduate civil engineering program, and those numbers are expected to grow by nearly 9% over the next decade. The average salary for someone with a BS in Civil Engineering is over $84,000 per year, compared to an average yearly salary of $64,044 for those with an Associate’s degree or less.

Why Should You Choose Us?

Connections

The SDSU Global Campus civil engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, an industry-leading accreditation body, which is valued highly by employers. We’re proud of our strong connections with local businesses, and we also work closely with national engineering organizations like the Associated General Contractors, the American Public Works Association, the Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Versatility

This innovative program is designed to prepare you for an engineering career in many different types of fields. Through Professional Elective Courses, you’ll learn how to apply the knowledge you’ve learned to different areas of civil engineering, including water-based projects, transportation projects, environmental initiatives, structural and geotechnical projects, and construction. No matter what field you’re interested in, this degree completion program will help you accomplish your professional goals.

Reputation

Through our connections, our research output, and the success of our graduates, the Civil Engineering program at SDSU has developed a reputation that carries weight in the professional world. According to U.S. News and World Report, San Diego State University is also ranked as one of the top 15 best engineering schools in the state of California.