Civil and Environmental Engineering

Why study Civil and Environmental Engineering at Western?

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is dedicated to educating its students by providing them with the necessary tools and programs to ensure that our society enjoys a safer environment and a higher standard of living.

Our research centres and institutes actively participate in the delivery of our graduate programs, and our renowned faculty members have introduced state-of-the-art research methodology into the graduate curricula and the inclusion of real-world problems, case studies and field activities in several of our courses.

Degree Options

Learn more about the degree options available to you.

Master of Engineering (MEng)

Admission average: Minimum 70%
Course based: 10 graduate courses
Project based: Eight graduate courses and a research project
Time to complete: One year (three terms)
4-term (16-months) combined MEng and Graduate Diploma option

Master of Engineering Science (MESc)

Admission average: Minimum 78%
Funded program (supervisor required)
Four graduate courses and a thesis
Time to complete: Two years (six terms)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Admission average: Minimum 78%
Funded program (supervisor required)
Eight graduate courses and a thesis
Time to complete: Four years (12 terms)

Areas of Specialization

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has the following areas of research and graduate education.

Environmental and Water Resources

Research focus areas include:

Acid rock drainage
Coupled liquid, vapour and heat transfer in soils
Electrokinetic dewatering
Soil and groundwater remediation
Detection of soil and groundwater contamination
Resuspension of flooded mine tailings
Landfill leachate treatment

Faculty members specializing in Environmental and Water Resources:

Martha Dagnew, Jason Gerhard, M. Reza Najafi, George Nakhla, Moncef Nehdi, Chris Power, Clare Robinson, Slobodan Simonovic, Ernest Yanful

Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental

Research focus areas include:

Tunneling and underground structures
Dynamics of soils and foundations
Soil-structure interaction
Design, analysis and construction of piles
Machine foundation

Faculty members specializing in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental:

Hesham El Naggar, Jason Gerhard, Bing Li, George Nakhla, Tim Newson, Chris Power, Clare Robinson, Abouzar Sadrekarimi, Julie Shang, Ernest Yanful

Structural and Infrastructural

Research focus areas include:

Effect of earthquakes and wind loads on structures
Structural safety and code calibration
Finite element development
Fluid-structure interaction
Analysis, design and stability of shell structures
Dynamics of structures

Faculty members specializing in Structural and Infrastructural:

Michael Bartlett, Ayman El Ansary, Ashraf El Damatty, Hesham El Naggar, Han-Ping Hong, Moncef Nehdi, Tim Newson, Ayan Sadhu, Maged Youssef, Wenxing Zhou

Wind Engineering and Environmental Fluid Mechanics

Research focus areas include:

Impact of climate variability and change
Manage of water resources under extreme climates (Floods and Droughts)
Risk and reliability
Mitigation of roof collapses due to ponding and snow loads

Faculty members specializing in Wind Engineering and Environmental Fluid Mechanics:

Girma Bitsuamlak, Greg Kopp, Craig Miller, Hassan Peerhossaini

Research Facilities and Centres

Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment (WindEEE) Research Institute

Globally-unique research facility to study a wide range of wind systems including downbursts and tornados and their impact on structures and environment
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Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory

Five wind tunnel test areas
Used to investigate the aerodynamics of buildings, bridges and other structures
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Geotechnical Research Centre

The Geotechnical Research Centre (GRC) strives to conduct geotechnical and related interdisciplinary research with emphasis on interfacing with industry.
The Centre includes the Western Geotechnical Centrifuge facility, which provides crucial geotechnical data and predictive models that will enable the development of safe, economical and robust geotechnical structures and processes in Canada.
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WesternWater Centre

Concentrates on the research leading to innovative solutions addressing all aspects related to clean water supply and water-environment issues, including the protection and management of water resources, resource recovery, and treatment technologies
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To learn more about the key research areas in Western Engineering, visit Western Engineering's Research webpage.

Next steps...

Have questions? To learn more about the research and degree specializations offered in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, visit the department's website, or contact the department’s Graduate Office at civilgrad@uwo.ca for more information and application deadlines.