POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY 2005-2007

CIVIL ENGINEERING PROGRAM
Recommendations on the results of the
examination are submitted by each student’s
Academic Advisory Committee,
augmented by any departmental faculty
in the sub-disciplines tested. The departmental
faculty, acting as a whole, votes to
accept or reject such recommendations at
a meeting scheduled for this purpose.
DISSERTATION PROPOSAL
Following passage of the Qualifying
Examination and the appointment of a
Dissertation Committee, the PhD candidate
must submit a written dissertation
proposal outlining the subject of the proposed
research. This proposal should be
between 15-20 pages long, and should
address the following specific items:
• Description of the topic.
• Literature review sufficient to insure
that the work contemplated is original.
• Methodology(ies) to be employed in
the research.
• Data and/or laboratory needs, and
their availability to the student.
• Anticipated outcomes.
The Dissertation Proposal must be submitted
within one semester of full-time
study, or before 9 units of dissertation
credit are completed.
The Dissertation Proposal is orally
presented and defended before the
Dissertation Committee and any other
interested departmental faculty. The date
of the oral defense and copies of the draft
Dissertation Proposal must be made
available to departmental faculty at least
two weeks (14 calendar days) prior to the
defense.
When the Dissertation Proposal is formally
accepted, the Dissertation Adviser
enters a letter into the student’s graduate
file indicating this, together with a copy
of the proposal. While the Dissertation
Committee has reasonable flexibility in
modifying the proposal as appropriate
during the course of the research, any significant
change in focus area or methodology
requires that an amended
Dissertation Proposal be written and formally
accepted following the same procedure
noted herein.
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DISSERTATION DEFENSE
The culmination of the student’s PhD
work is the oral presentation and defense
of the final draft dissertation. A defense is
generally scheduled after the Dissertation
Committee has reviewed the draft dissertation
and determined that it is complete
and of sufficient quality to be presented
and defended.
The defense is organized and scheduled
by the Dissertation Committee. All
University faculty members are invited to
observe and ask appropriate questions at
all Polytechnic dissertation defenses.
Therefore, the date of the defense must be
announced University-wide at least one
month prior to the event, and copies of
the draft dissertation must be made available
to any faculty member who requests
one in a timely fashion and in no case less
than two weeks prior to the defense.
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
GENERAL COURSES
CE 1003 Fundamentals of Civil
Engineering 2:3:0:3
This course introduces the student to the
profession and practice of civil engineering.
The course has five primary components:
(1) a review of the principal subdisciplines
of civil engineering and their
relationship to urban and regional infrastructure,
(2) a review of professional
ethics and the responsibilities of engineers
to their profession and to the general
public; this includes a detailed study
and discussion of the American Society
of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and National
Society of Professional Engineers
(NSPE) codes of practice, and the use of
case studies for illustration and discussion;
(3) a study of civil engineering
measurements and the use of surveying
tools and instruments; this will include an
overview of GIS and GPS systems in
civil engineering, (4) the use of
AutoCAD as a tool for computer-based
drawings, and (5) the use of spreadsheets
to develop analytic algorithms to solve
simple engineering problems. Co-requisite:
EG 1004 or equivalent.
CE 4043 Sustainable Cities 3:0:0:3
The purpose of this course is to provide
an overview of the issues that need to be
addressed in making a city sustainable,
beginning with a definition of what is
intended by the concept of sustainability,
and a discussion of what is the essence of
a city. Students will be asked to become
familiar with the major challenges in
making a city sustainable, and to provide,
as part of their homework assignments, a
paper addressing a topic covered by the
course through research and, where
appropriate, proposing solutions.
CE 4034 Introduction to Urban
Infrastructure Systems Management
4:0:0:4
Course provides a descriptive overview
of the key infrastructure systems and
technologies that must be managed, operated
and maintained. Part of a two-course
elective sequence with LA 3024, offered
by the Department of Humanities and
Social Sciences. Systems treated include
bridges and structures, water supply, solid
and liquid waste handling and disposal,
transportation, power, communications
and information systems, health and hospitals,
police and fire protection. The
course also treats the financial, political,
administrative, legal and institutional settings
of these systems and technologies.
Innovative methods using intelligent
monitoring and control systems are also
discussed. A portion of the course features
distinguished guest lecturers who
are experts in some of the systems and
technologies included. The course
includes a case study on a selected urban
project integrating the different dimensions
of urbanism. This project is pursued
throughout the courses of this sequence.
STRUCTURAL AND GEOTECHNI-
CAL ENGINEERING
CE 2114 Statics and Dynamics 4:0:0:4
A thorough treatment of basic statics and
dynamics. Subjects include: vector treatment
of static and dynamic equilibrium
of particles and rigid bodies; equivalent
force and couple systems; distributed
force systems; static analysis of trusses,
frames and machines; friction and
impending motion. Newton’s Laws are
also treated. Co-requisite: PH 1004 or
equivalent.
CE 2124 Mechanics of Materials
3 1 ⁄2:1 1 ⁄2:0:4
Basic principles of stress and deformation
in axial, torsion and bending members
are introduced. Elastic stability of
compression members and an introduction
to mechanics of fracture and fatigue
is included. Stress analysis laboratories
are conducted in which students work
individually and in groups on stress
analysis measurement projects.
Prerequisites: PH 1004, CE 2114 or
equivalents.