Specialty Areas

Architectural Engineering

Architectural Engineering (ArchE) deals with integrated design, construction and operation of buildings. It includes all engineering aspects related to the built environment: building envelope, mechanical systems (HVAC), electrical systems, lighting systems, construction, indoor environmental quality and human comfort- and is therefore related to multi-disciplinary research and education. Buildings in the U.S. account for more than one third of the total energy use and associated Greenhouse Gas Emissions. With increasing concern about climate change and energy prices, Architectural Engineers have a critical task for the following decades. In Civil Engineering's Architectural Engineering area of emphasis, students have the opportunity to study the integration of different building systems and to learn how to design for sustainability and energy efficiency.

The Architectural Engineering group has unique, state-of-the-art facilities to study building performance in terms of energy and indoor environmental quality. These include several room-scale facilities at the Architectural Engineering Laboratories, located at the Bowen Lab, as well as whole building-scale facilities at the Center for High Performance Buildings, located in Herrick Labs.

Construction Engineering

Construction engineers are helping build a better world. In Purdue's Construction Engineering program you will design and plan engineering methods, which includes research and education opportunities in the Web Critical Path Method (CPM) program, Web CYCLONE program, Construction Safety (CSA and NIOSH organizations), Emerging Construction Technologies, Multimedia Development for Construction, Simulations of Construction Operations along with studies in business and management, humanities and social sciences. Employing the classic construction elements of materials, machines, workforce, money, and information along with respect for the natural environment and the needs of the customer, the construction professional ensures that quality of designed facilities is completed according to schedules and budgets.

Environmental Engineering

With only one world to live in, environmental engineers are helping make sure we handle it with care. The skills of environmental engineers are becoming increasingly important as we attempt to protect the fragile resources of our planet. Students in Purdue's Environmental Engineering will have the opportunity to apply science and engineering principles to improve the environment, water, air and land. This program offers research and education on a wide range of issues, including remediation of contaminated soils and sediments, industrial and solid waste treatment, water and wastewater treatment, air pollution measurement and control, urban and agricultural air and water quality management, understanding the environmental fate of pollutants, and sustainable engineering.

Geomatics Engineering

Geomatics engineers go beyond traditional boundaries. In Purdue's Geomatics Engineering program you will develop skills and knowledge to design, develop, and operate systems for collecting and analyzing spatial information about the land, the oceans, natural resources, and the environment. You will have opportunities for research and education on cartography, GPS surveying, real property boundary determination, digital mapping, geodesy, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), hydrography, land information management, land surveying, mining surveying, photogrammetry, and remote sensing.

Geotechnical Engineering

Dams, levees, embankments, and slopes are constructed with the earth. The Geotechnical Engineering program deals with the analysis, design and construction of foundations, slopes, retaining structures and other systems that are made of, or are supported by, soil or rock. The research ranges in nature from analytical and numerical analysis of geotechnical problems to constitutive modeling, experimental modeling or design-oriented research. Historically, the geotechnical group has continuously maintained a balance between theoretical, experimental, and design-oriented research, and this tradition remains true today.

Hydraulics and Hydrologic Engineering

If you've ever watched big waves roll in from the ocean, you know something about the power of water. Hydraulics and hydrology engineers work to prevent floods, to supply water for cities, industry and irrigation, to treat wastewater, to protect beaches, or to manage and redirect rivers. When dealing with problems involving the flow and storage of water, hydraulic and hydrologic engineering are essential disciplines required in a wide range of civil engineering projects. This Purdue program places emphasis on the understanding and application of basic principles that facilitate the analysis of and approaches to novel challenges facing tomorrow's water resources engineer. These may include surface water flows in natural or engineered channels, groundwater flows in aquifers, as well as mixing and transport processes with implications for water quality. The faculty members are especially interested in detailed experimental characterization of turbulent flows, sediment transport including erosion and deposition processes, and the description and modeling of spatially heterogeneous hydrologic phenomena in surface-water and groundwater applications.

Materials Engineering

Material engineers improve the road you travel on, the coal you use to fuel a factory, and the sidewalk in your neighborhood. Through their study of asphalt and bituminous materials, roads and sidewalks last longer and fuels, like coal, are more energy efficient. The materials program at Purdue provides freedom for students to develop a plan of study that will meet individual goals. Students take a broad range of courses including chemistry, construction, geology, mathematics, mechanics, and other engineering disciplines. Historically, the area has continuously maintained a balance between theoretical, experimental, and practice based approaches to solving problems. Research is divided into two broad themes: Asphalt and Bituminous Materials and Portland Cement and Concrete.

Structural Engineering

Structural engineers are designing infrastructure, critical to the 21st century. Purdue's Structural Engineering provides a total program balanced with respect to basic and applied research, ranging from solid mechanics to high-performance computing and earthquake engineering. These involve both theoretical and experimental investigations pertaining to the science, mechanics, risk and reliability for inelastic response and behavior of reinforced concrete (RC), prestressed concrete (PC), structural steel, and structural composites.

Transportation Engineering

Transportation engineers are designing better and safer ways to get there. When you opt for Transportation Engineering at Purdue you will study highways, airports, railroads, and public transit. This includes research in design and operations; traffic flow and control; demand analysis and planning; and related work in economics, finance, and administration.