Our Degrees

California's construction industry continues to experience high growth as it continues to accommodate increasing population and as it faces renewal of much of the infrastructure built by previous generations. At the same time, the construction industry faces challenges of scarce materials, a need for decreased environmental impact in terms of the construction process itself and operation of the completed project, and a more complex operational, regulatory and social context in which it must do its work. The purpose of this minor is to better prepare professional civil and environmental engineers to thrive in this challenging industry, and to improve the efficiency of delivery and sustainability of the civil infrastructure in the state through their future efforts. It is expected that engineering students will enroll in this minor program, including civil, mechanical, chemical and materials science majors. Students from other colleges can also complete this minor, but it is recommended that they review the requirements with one of the advisors before enrolling. Students who are interested in construction of infrastructure in their discipline can make use of the skills that will be learned through completion of this minor.

Mechanical engineering majors use basic science to design and manufacture complex engineering systems.