Get a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time UBC international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all eligibility criteria.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering) website to learn more about Civil Engineering.
View full program detailsProgram information
Civil engineers shape the world we live in by analyzing, planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining the “built” environment. In this program, you’ll take courses and complete lab work in topics such as soil mechanics and foundation design, construction management, design of steel, concrete and timber structures, as well as municipal infrastructure design, coastal engineering and environmental impact studies.
Program overview
- Campus
- Vancouver
- Program length
- 4 years
- Honours This option has additional requirements compared to those required in a Major specialization. Students must maintain high academic standing and may have to write a graduating thesis.
- No
- Co-op Co-op is an optional program where students alternate between academic terms and paid work terms. It’s an opportunity to gain relevant job experience while completing your degree.
- Yes
- Faculty
- Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering)
- Degree
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Engineering)
What you'll learn
Civil Engineering provides you with a foundation in basic sciences and specific civil engineering skills. The first year Engineering program and the second year Civil Engineering program include fundamental courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and structures. In the third and fourth years, the curriculum largely consists of civil engineering courses in various sub-disciplines including Environmental, Geotechnical, Hydraulics, Structures, and Transportation Engineering. Laboratory work is carried out in the third and fourth years. In your final year, you will work in groups on a design or laboratory project. A number of technical elective courses in the final year allow you to take additional courses in a preferred area of civil engineering.
The Civil Engineering Design Studio is a new facility where students can meet with peers and faculty to work on projects and gain a sense of the real-world working environment. The Earthquake Engineering Research Facility has outstanding capabilities, including three shaketables, able to simulate seismic events to a very complex level. Research in the department of Civil Engineering includes major projects in Materials, Coastal & Ocean Engineering, Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Project & Construction Management, Earthquake Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental Geotechnics, Hydrotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Transportation Engineering.
Courses
There are hundreds of courses you can take within Civil Engineering. Here are a few you might like.
Statics of particles, equilibrium or rigid bodies, rigid body statics and internal forces, trusses; kinematics: rectilinear motion; dynamics: Newton’s second law, friction, impulse, momentum, work and energy.
Focus on the interaction between society and the geologic environment. Locating, assessing and developing natural resources; understanding and preparing for natural hazards, design of structures and waste disposal sites. For applied science and forestry students only.
Environmental ethics and legislation; risk assessment; urban water sources and sinks; water pollutants and impacts; mass balance and reactor design concepts; water and wastewater treatment; the environmental impact assessment process.
The Engineers and Geoscientists Act; professional ethics, conflicts of interest, confidentiality and accountability; health and safety; sustainable development and environmental stewardship; equity considerations; design and construction contracts, specifications and tendering; labour and employment law; dispute resolution; evidence and expert witnesses; torts and legal liability.
Outcomes
Your career opportunities will vary widely across a range of fields including construction management, urban and regional planning, transportation and planning, water supply, geotechnical engineering, waste management, mapping and surveying, environmental protection and rehabilitation, and others.
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Program requirements
Choose application type:
English-language requirements
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
General admission requirements
IB Diploma Programme
- Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.
IB Certificate Courses
- IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
- IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.
Degree-specific requirements: Applied Science (Engineering)
- IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, or IB Math Applications and Interpretations HL. (IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, are not acceptable.)
- IB Chemistry
- IB Physics
- Academically strong candidates missing either IB Chemistry or IB Physics may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis
Related courses
The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.
- Language Arts
- Mathematics and Computation
- Sciences
Want to get a feel for campus?
If you’re unable to visit UBC in person, or you just want to get a sneak peek at your new home campus before you arrive, take one of our virtual tours. Current UBC students walk you through UBC’s residences, study spots, recreational facilities, lecture halls, academic buildings, and more.
Related programs
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering) website to learn more about Civil Engineering.
View full program detailsGet a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time UBC international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all eligibility criteria.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering) website to learn more about Civil Engineering.
View full program details