BSc in Civil Engineering - Geotechnical Engineering in Davis United States | University of California Davis

Civil engineers create the essential infrastructure that enables society to operate: highways, bridges spanning bays, buildings resistant to earthquakes, drinking water purification systems, and reservoir networks. They are increasingly tasked with protecting environmental health by overseeing and enhancing air, land, and water quality through treatment systems for air, water, and waste. To address climate change challenges, civil engineers apply sustainable development principles, which involve weighing the social impacts of their projects. As a civil engineering student, you will start with a comprehensive set of foundational courses in science and mathematics. At the advanced level, you will enroll in specialized courses covering topics like structural analysis and design, water resources management, and transportation systems design.

Geotechnical Engineering deals with civil infrastructure and environmental issues that involve analyzing and using geologic materials (soils and rocks) to devise, plan, assess, and simulate engineered solutions. This area includes foundations for buildings and bridges, retaining structures, earthworks (such as dams, tunnels, and highways), pavements, impacts of earthquakes and other natural hazards (like ground motions, liquefaction, soil-structure interaction, landslides, and tsunamis), ground enhancement techniques (e.g., compaction and cement mixing), and geo-environmental concerns (such as groundwater flow, subsurface contaminant movement, and cleanup).