Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Chris A. Gwaltney, PE, Professor of Practice and Academic Chair
David L. Davidson, PE, Professor of Practice
Mark P. McDonald, PE, Professor of Practice
Todd A. Lynn, PE, Associate Professor

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is responsible for the curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in civil engineering.

Building. It’s what civil engineers do. Skyscrapers, bridges, roads, fresh water systems, wastewater treatment plants. Civil engineers have designed and built the structures on which society relies from biblical times until today. As the disciples passed the temple in Jerusalem, one of them said to Jesus, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” (Mark 13:1). Then as now, magnificent buildings were designed and massive stones were positioned by civil engineers.

Graduates of Lipscomb’s civil engineering program will be ready for a wide spectrum of civil engineering job opportunities or for further study in graduate school. Students will be introduced to several civil engineering sub-disciplines (e.g. structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, transportation engineering, construction engineering, hydrology and hydraulic engineering) and explore at least four of those areas in some depth. Even more importantly, civil engineering students will “learn how to learn” and be well prepared for the life-long learning that will sustain them through a professional career filled with technological advancement.

Distinctives of the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department

For several years Lipscomb University has been a national leader in the design and construction of engineering projects for use in developing nations and in support of mission activities within those countries. Engineering mission projects have included pedestrian bridges in Guatemala and Honduras, radio towers and a water tower in Honduras, fresh, clean water supplies to several villages in Guatemala, improvements to a seasonal camp in the Dominican Republic, etc. Civil engineering students at Lipscomb will have unique opportunities to use the engineering skills with which God has blessed them to help other people.

Civil engineering students at Lipscomb also have excellent opportunities to pursue engineering internships and cooperative education positions. A large number of civil engineering companies have major engineering design and consulting practices in Nashville and Middle Tennessee and actively recruit civil engineering students at Lipscomb for summer internships.

Program Educational Objectives for Civil Engineering

Civil engineers conceive, plan, design, construct, operate and maintain facilities and systems that serve the basic needs of our society. The educational objectives for the civil engineering program at Lipscomb University are to prepare and produce graduates who, after the first few years of their professional career, have been successful in:

The practice of engineering by:
- maturing as professionals employed in industrial, governmental, educational or consulting positions with ever increasing responsibilities and influence;
- being recognized as individuals whose interaction with their employers, coworkers and neighbors is characterized as considerate, moral and ethical;
The acquisition of new knowledge and skills by:
- earning advanced degrees in engineering or related fields;
- actively participating in ongoing professional development;
- refining and adapting their fundamental skills to keep pace with a rapidly changing environment;
The application of their talents to serving others by:
- being actively engaged in programs and initiatives which leverage their engineering competence and other skills in ways beneficial to their community, their church, their profession and to society as a whole.

Career Opportunities

Civil engineers provide the infrastructure (water supply and distribution, roads, bridges, wastewater collection and treatment, flood control, etc.) on which every community relies. For that reason, civil engineering job opportunities have traditionally been both strong and stable. A civil engineering degree also provides a solid foundation on which one can continue learning. In addition to pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees, civil engineering graduates are exceptionally good candidates for advanced degrees in business and law.

Employment opportunities for those with a civil engineering degree are numerous and include careers in areas such as:

Construction engineering and management
Environmental engineering
Geotechnical engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic engineering
Land planning and development
Structural engineering
Transportation systems engineering
Water resources engineering
Water and wastewater treatment engineering

Program of Study Requirements

Major

Civil Engineering, B.S.