Construction

Department of Civil Engineering and Construction

Construction Program

The baccalaureate program in construction is accredited by the American Council for Construction Education and is a charter member of the Associated Schools of Construction.

FACULTY Emeritus Professors Al-Khafaji, Rebholz; Professors Elhouar (chair), Maillacheruvu, Schattler; Associate Professors Hossain, Khodair, Lee; Assistant Professors Ashraf, Soltani, Spelman, Terreno; Assistant Professors in Residence George.

The Department of Civil Engineering and Construction offers undergraduate programs in both civil engineering (B.S.C.E.) and construction (B.S.C.)

Mission and Objectives

Produce graduates who possess a keen awareness of the national and global dimensions of the construction industry, leadership skills required to serve our society, and the technical knowledge to pursue multiple career paths including advanced degrees. To achieve our mission, the Construction program will strive to achieve the following objectives:

Leadership in Construction. Graduates understand the need for teamwork, communication, skills, integrity, good citizenship, and service. They have the needed knowledge to become leaders in the construction industry.
Professional Achievement. Graduates have the needed understanding of ethical responsibilities, certification, the necessity for continuing education, and contemporary issues required for placement and career advancement.
Globalization. Offer programs to ensure that graduates have the needed awareness of global construction issues and cultures to help them thrive in an emerging world market.
Industry Partnerships. Partner with the construction profession to offer an innovative program that promotes cultural diversity and responds to the needs of the profession and society in the areas of sustainability, infrastructure, and emerging technology.

The Department

Facilities. The curriculum is supported by a specialized construction classroom and 11 cutting-edge laboratory and computer facilities equipped with modern hardware and software. Laboratories include fluid mechanics/hydraulics, concrete, asphalt pavement, construction, structural, geotechnical, design projects, machine shop, and a research laboratory. In addition, the college has three computer classrooms with a wide range of up-to-date software available through the university VDI platform. Laptops are also available to students for senior project courses and student competitions. Available software includes AutoCAD, Revit, Microstation, Visual MODFLOW, Biowin, PCSWMM, MATLAB, Photoshop, Fireworks, SAP 2000, Robot, word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, database management programs, etc. The computer facilities are available to CEC students on a 24-hour basis.

Internationalization. The CEC department strongly believes that exposure to different world cultures can expand the professional capabilities, stimulate intellectual growth, and broaden the personal perspective of all participants. The CEC department and the university are committed to giving all of our students the opportunity to study overseas. Arrangements have been made with universities around the world to send our students overseas either for short courses, a semester, or an entire year. Students with financial need have received financial support that enables them to study abroad for equal to or less than what it would cost to study on campus. Financial aid is available to students choosing to study for a semester or a year overseas at another institution. Through the CEC department’s Global Explorer Program (GEP) initiative, groups of up to 42 students and faculty have visited various countries including England, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Egypt, Jordan and Malta to study under the guidance of CEC faculty. Since 1995, more than 250 CEC students have studied overseas.

Scholarships. Currently nearly 30 annual and endowed scholarships are available to students through the department. The total endowed scholarship from industry of about 2 million is dedicated specifically to CEC students. This reflects the faith and trust that industry has in the quality of our programs.

Placement. For the past 20 years job placement in CEC has been over 95% and has been 100% placement for most of those years. Starting salaries for CEC graduates are very competitive nationwide. Employers recognize that our students have the knowledge, experience, and intellectual curiosity to succeed in their profession. High placement and scholarship opportunities for our students are a direct benefit from the strong partnerships that CEC has developed over the past 30 years with our professional partners in industry, government, and academe.

Leadership. A focus of the department is the development of leadership skills in our students. Students are encouraged to participate in student professional organizations and academic honorary organizations by being officers or committee chairs. Leadership skills are also developed through service and outreach programs that teach good citizenship. Our students have designed and built playgrounds and running tracks and have done work for Women’s Strength, and the South Side Mission. Many of our students, both in civil engineering and construction, participate in the outstanding “Bridge Pal” program designed to foster an interest in engineering by high school and middle school students. CEC is the only department that offers scholarships for leadership. This scholarship is offered to applicants whose academic and leadership skills meet the standards.

Faculty Qualifications. The CEC award winning faculty have published more textbooks than any other civil engineering or construction department of a similar size in the United States. These textbooks are used at a large number of highly regarded institutions. CEC faculty have received numerous awards for teaching excellence and scholarship, as well as for their professional contributions. They have conducted research for national, state, and local sponsors, benefitting society and our students.

Graduation. To graduate, students must meet all university and college graduation requirements. Additionally, Construction students must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 in college of engineering courses. Every academic year, Construction students are required to attend a number of seminars and other events that promote leadership and service.

Graduate Program. In addition to the undergraduate program described above, the Department offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree. Details of this program may be found in the Graduate Catalog. The graduate program allows talented undergraduate students to engage in scholarly research activities and to enroll in advanced courses to meet their special interests and needs.

Construction

The construction industry is large, varied, and complex. It is intimately interwoven with, and exerts significant influence on, the overall economy of our nation. Constructors—the modern construction professionals—are educated in engineering and architectural principles in the building process, allowing effective communication with the many persons with whom contact is necessary: the design professionals (engineers and architects), specialty subcontractors, manufacturers and distributors of construction materials and products, financiers and others. Additionally, and most importantly, the constructor is a manager. The constructor’s education must include the essentials of contemporary management philosophy, sound business and construction practice, emerging trends in sustainable development, and enlightened human relations. This multidisciplinary curriculum has been developed from these aims which are in consonance with the goals of the Associated Schools of Construction, and with the philosophy of the American Institute of Constructors.

The program described below was developed for the typical student interested in general preparation for a construction career. A minor in Business Administration is achievable with no additional hours by careful selection of electives, and a minor in Management and Leadership is possible by careful selection of electives and a total of 131 semester hours.

The Bachelor of Science in Construction (BSC) degree requires a minimum of 125 approved semester hours. (Courses taken to remove deficiencies, e.g., MTH 109, MTH 110, and PHY 100, must be taken in addition to the approved 125 semester hours.)

Degree Requirements

¹See Bradley Core Curriculum list in the Schedule of Classes each semester.
² Electives must be chosen from list available from the academic advisor. Students wishing to enroll in a CEC graduate-level course must have a minimum 2.75 GPA overall.

Accreditation criteria are met by the following groups of courses:

Group I—Bradley Core Curriculum

Communications (9 Credit Hours)

¹ENG 101 English Composition - 3 hrs. (Bradley Core – W1)
¹ENG 300, 301, 304, 305, or 306 Advanced Writing - 3 hrs. (Bradley Core – W2)
¹COM 103 Oral Communication Process - 3 hrs. (Bradley Core – OC)

Mathematics (7 Credit Hours)

¹MTH 115 or 121 Calculus I - 4 hrs. (Bradley Core – QR1)
QM 262 Quantitative Analysis I - 3 hrs. (Bradley Core – QR2)

Physical Science (8 Credit Hours)

¹PHY 107 or 110 Physics I - 4 hrs. (Bradley Core – NS)
²Science Elective - 4 hrs.

Group II—Business Management (26 Credit Hours)

¹ECO 221 Microeconomics - 3 hrs. (Bradley Core – SB1)
¹ECO 222 Macroeconomics - 3 hrs. (Bradley Core – SB2)
ATG 157 Accounting-Financial - 3 hrs.
ATG 158 Accounting-Managerial - 3 hrs.
BLW 342 The Legal Environment of Business - 3 hrs.
MIS 173: Information Systems and Business Applications - 3 hrs
M L 350 Managing for Results in Organizations - 2 hrs.
²Business Electives - 6 hrs.

Group III—Construction (51 to 52 Credit Hours)

CON 100 Introduction to Construction - 1 hr.
CON 114 Ethics in Construction - 1 hr.
CON 132 Construction Graphics - 2 hrs.
CON 224 CADD in Construction - 3 hrs.
CON 262 Mechanical and Electrical Systems I - 3 hrs.
CON 270 Construction Materials and Methods I - 3 hrs.
CON 320 Soil Mechanics - 3 hrs.
CON 326 Construction Estimating - 3 hrs.
CON 342 Construction Equipment - 3 hrs.
CON 356 Construction Safety - 3 hrs.
CON 372 Construction Productivity - 3 hrs.
CON 380 Construction Contracts 2
CON 392 Construction Scheduling - 3 hrs.
CON 487 Design of Steel and Concrete Structures - 3 hrs.
CON 489 Design of Wood and Masonry Structures - 3 hrs.
CON 493 Senior Project Planning - 1 hr.
CON 498 Senior Project - 3 hrs.
CE 150 or IMT 222 Statics - 3 hrs.
CE 206 Surveying - 2 hrs.
CE 270 or IMT 324 Strength of Materials 3 - 4 hrs.

Minimum semester hours required for BSC Degree: 125

Areas of Emphasis

Students may choose to take their electives in one of the following areas of emphasis.

Internationalization

Students take two courses through the CEC Department Global Explorer Program and/or Bradley’s Study Abroad program and take an approved semester abroad.

Sustainability

Students take four courses, chosen from:

CON 272 Materials and Methods of Construction II
CON 352 Sustainable Urban Environment
CON 368 Mechanical and Electrical Systems II
CON 452 Green Construction and LEED
CE 393 Sustainability and Public Policy
CE 555 Environmental Regulations and Policy
ME 537 Building Energy Management

(Note: additional options may be available.)

Infrastructure

Students take four courses, chosen from:

BLW 395 Real Estate Law
CON 352 Sustainable Urban Environment
CON 435 Heavy and Highway Construction
CE 356 Pavement Design
CE 580 Highway Safety and Risk Management
ECO 325 Urban Economics

Typical Curriculum

Note: Students must make sure that among the courses they take to meet graduation requirements, at least two are designated as Writing Intensive courses. With some exceptions, a course approved to satisfy an Area of Inquiry may also carry Core Practices tags. However, courses approved for an Area of Inquiry may not also carry the tag of a cognate Core Practice, e.g., courses satisfying the Communication writing requirement cannot also carry the writing intensive tag. A list of courses approved for the Writing Intensive tag can be obtained from the advisor.

First Year

First Semester

CON 100 Introduction to Construction - 1 hr.
Bradley Core - Communication (OC): COM 103 Oral Communication Process - 3 hrs.
Bradley Core – Quantitative Reasoning (QR1): MTH 115 or MTH 121 Calculus I - 4 hrs.
¹Bradley Core - Multidisciplinary Integration (MI) – 3 hrs.
²Science Elective - 4 hrs.

15 hours

Second Semester

CON 132 Construction Graphics - 2 hrs.
Bradley Core - Communication (W1): ENG 101 English Composition - 3 hrs.
¹Bradley Core - Humanities (HU) - 3 hrs.
Bradley Core – Knowledge and Reasoning (NS): PHY 107 or Physics 110 - 4 hrs.
MIS 173: Information Systems and Business Applications - 3 hrs
CON 114 Ethics in Construction - 1 hr.

16 hours

Sophomore Year

First Semester

CE 150 Mechanics I - 3 hrs. (IMT 222 Statics may be substituted for CE 150)
Bradley Core – Social and Behavioral Sciences (SB1): ECO 221 Microeconomics - 3 hrs.
ATG 157 Accounting—Financial - 3 hrs.
CON 270 Construction Materials and Methods I - 3 hrs.
CE 206 Surveying - 2 hrs.
CON 224 CADD in Construction - 3 hrs.

17 hours

Second Semester

CE 270 Mechanics - 3 hrs. (IMT 324 Strength of Materials may be substituted for CE 270)
Bradley Core – Social and Behavioral Sciences (SB2): ECO 222 Macroeconomics - 3 hrs.
ATG 158 Accounting-Managerial - 3 hrs.
CON 262 Mechanical and Electrical Systems I - 3 hrs.
Bradley Core – Quantitative Reasoning (QR2): QM 262 Quantitative Analysis I - 3 hrs.

15 hours

Junior Year

First Semester

Bradley Core - Communication (W2): ¹ENG 300, 301, 304, 305, or 306 Advanced Writing - 3 hrs.
CON 326 Construction Estimating - 3 hrs.
CON 342 Construction Equipment - 3 hrs.
CON 372 Construction Productivity - 3 hrs.
BLW 342 The Legal Environment of Business - 3 hrs.
15 hours

Second Semester

CON 320 Soil Mechanics - 3 hrs.
CON 356 Construction Safety - 3 hrs.
CON 380 Construction Contracts - 2 hrs.
CON 392 Construction Scheduling - 3 hrs.
M L 350 Managing for Results in Organizations - 2 hrs.
²Construction or Construction Science Elective - 3 hrs.

16 hours

Senior Year

First Semester

CON 487 Design of Steel and Concrete Structures - 3 hrs.
CON 493 Senior Project Planning (WI) - 1 hr.
¹Bradley Core – Fine Arts (FA) - 3 hrs.
¹Bradley Core – Global Perspective (GP) - 3 hrs.
²Construction or Construction Science Elective - 3 hrs.
²Management Elective - 3 hrs.

16 hours

Second Semester

CON 489 Design of Wood and Masonry Structures - 3 hrs.
CON 498 Senior Project (WI) - 3 hrs.
²Construction or Construction Science Elective - 3 hrs.
²Construction or Construction Science Elective - 3 hrs.
²Management Elective - 3 hrs.

15 hours

Total Hours 125

This is the official catalog for the 2021-2022 academic year. This catalog serves as a contract between a student and Bradley University. Should changes in a program of study become necessary prior to the next academic year every effort will be made to keep students advised of any such changes via the Dean of the College or Chair of the Department concerned, the Registrar's Office, u.Achieve degree audit system, and the Schedule of Classes. It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of the current program and graduation requirements for particular degree programs.

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