Welcome to the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Old Dominion University, a department focused on a high-quality student experience and preparing both undergraduate and graduate students for professional practice, life-long learning, and the development of leadership skills. If you are a high school student investigating career options, please be sure to search the BS Civil Engineering and BS Environmental Engineering program information areas. Both of these programs are fully-accredited and the environmental engineering degree is the only BS degree in this discipline offered in Virginia. Please also note that we offer a 5-year BS/Master's degree program that allows students to complete both degrees within a five-year period; a particularly attractive option to students that are interested in advanced-level specialization.
In addition to classroom experience, the program offers a number of outside experiences through site visits, weekend retreats, internships, and paid undergraduate research experiences. Our location in the midst of a large metropolitan area provides us many opportunities for first-hand, field-level experiences in civil and environmental engineering. Our two student chapters are active in a number of activities including state and national competitions and they have received a number of awards. Our students are successful in all areas of professional practice and have received many honors including selection as a Rhode's Scholar, a Fullbright Scholar, and a CEE student was the first (and possibly still the only) undergraduate student in Virginia to receive a patent, one that was based on an idea developed from a civil engineering class.
Research is a key ingredient of our graduate programs and we are focusing more on expanding research in all areas of civil and environmental engineering. This effort includes increasing financial support for graduate students to attend and present papers at major conferences and increasing the number of students that publish their research in scientific and engineering journals prior to graduation. A new program in transportation engineering has begun with the hiring of two new faculty members in transportation engineering and the Coastal Engineering Certificate Program offered on campus and through web casting to students anywhere in the world expands the distance learning opportunities for students in CEE programs.
There is much more that could be highlighted, but I will leave it up to you to explore. Best of luck, and if you can't find the information you are looking for, please drop me an email (gschafra@odu.edu) or call me directly (757-683-4673). Cheers!
Dr. Gary C. Schafran, Department Chair