CE 39800 – Introduction to Civil Engineering Systems Design

Credits and contact hours:

  • 3 credits
  • Lecture that meets 2 times per week for 75 minutes per meeting for 15 weeks

Specific course information:

  • Catalog description: Introduces a systematic approach to engineering design, analysis of alternatives, resource allocation and decision making using concepts including engineering economy, statistics, and operations research. Student identifies the engineer’s tasks at each phase of civil systems development from needs assessment to end-of-life, and to acquire the systems analysis and economic analysis tools to carry out these tasks. Last section covers legal issues, ethics, vulnerability, resilience, and sustainability.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Course status: Required course

Specific Goals for the course:

  • Student learning outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course the student shall be able to:
    • Acquire an overall picture of civil engineering systems development, from the initial phase of needs assessment, to planning, design, implementation (construction), operations, maintenance, and termination.
    • Recognize the various tasks and challenges faced by civil engineers at each phase of the systems development process, such as description of system structure and operations, analysis, socially- and environmentally-responsible design, optimization, and evaluation.
    • Acquire the requisite analytical tools to carry out the tasks encountered at the various phases of the system development process, including, engineering economics, life-cycle costing, financial analysis, probability-based and statistical modeling, simulation, optimization, risk and reliability analysis, decision analysis, and systems dynamics.
    • Gain exposure to real life instances and applications associated with each phase of the CE systems design process.
    • Gain exposure to current and emerging issues related to professional ethics, legal issues, civil system vulnerability and resilience, and sustainability.
    • Enhance preparation for the professional licensure by exposure to topics including ethics and economic analysis.
    • Develop vital skills of report-writing and technical presentation.
  •  Relationship of course to program outcomes
    • Outcome 1: An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
    • Outcome 2: An ability 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.
    • Outcome 4: An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
    • Outcome 5: An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.

Topics:

  • Section 1 (Introduction): Civil Engineering Disciplines and their Evolution; What is a System? System Phases, Tasks, and Tools, System Goals and Objectives.
  • Section 2 (The tasks): The Tasks at Each Phase of Systems Development
  • Section 3 (The tools needed to carry out the tasks): Probability; Statistics; Modeling; Simulation; Optimization; Cost Analysis; Engineering Economics; Multiple Criteria Analysis; Reliability and Risk Analyses; Systems Dynamics; Real Options; Decision Analysis; Network Analysis; Queue Analysis.
  • Section 4 (The phases of civil systems development): System Needs Assessment; System Planning; System Design; System Construction, System Operations; System Monitoring; Systems Preservation; System End-of-Life.
  • Section 5 (Other topics related to civil systems development): Threats, Exposure, and Resilience; Sustainability; Legal Issues and Ethics.