Construction Engineering

Students who choose the construction engineering concentration will complete all the foundational general engineering, civil engineering, and construction management courses, along with elective or advanced coursework in civil engineering, construction management, engineering technology, and business.

• Principles of Construction Management: An introductory survey course in construction management that begins by building a Christian perspective on the task and calling of a construction manager or construction engineer. The course introduces methods of construction project planning, scheduling, delivery, quality, and control. It also introduces construction contract types, construction cost estimating and accounting, along with an overview of construction method, practice, and safety.

• Mechanics of Materials: A solid mechanics course that examines the stresses, strains, and deformations that develop when various loads (tension, compression, torsion, bending, or any combination of these loads) are applied to deformable bodies. Elements of structural design are introduced using safety factors and failure criteria for ductile materials. The mechanics design laboratory provides an introduction to experimental methods, hands-on experience applying and using strain gages and investigating beam loading, and an introduction to finite-element analysis (FEA) software.
  
• Hydrology and Hydraulics: An introduction to hydrology and hydraulics principles, including both classwork and hands-on laboratory work. Topics include basic hydrology (infiltration, runoff, detention, etc.) and basic hydraulics, pumping systems, water distribution systems, reservoirs, groundwater, and storm sewer collection.
  
• Structural Analysis: A study of the analysis of trusses, beams, and framed structures. Students will learn how to determine loads on structures, including dead loads, live loads, and environmental loads. Shear, moment, and deflected shape diagrams will be considered. Deformation calculations, approximate analysis methods, flexibility methods, and stiffness methods for the analysis of indeterminate beams and frames will be considered. Influence lines for determinate and indeterminate beams will be introduced.
  
• Soil Mechanics and Foundation Design: A study of the engineering principles relating to soil properties and foundation design. The material properties of soil including structure, index properties, permeability, compressibility, and consolidation will be explored. Methods of soil testing, identification, and remediation will be covered. Principles of settlement and stresses in soils will be considered. Slope stability, retaining walls, and bearing capacity of shallow foundations will be introduced. The soils lab will provide hands-on opportunities to determine water content, perform sieve analyses, and test liquid, plastic, and shrinkage limits. Soil classification, compaction, compression, and consolidation testing will be explored.
  
• Reinforced Concrete Design: Analysis and design of reinforced concrete beams, columns, one-way slabs, and frames. The design of members for axial load, flexure, shear, deflections, bond, and anchorage will be considered. Design will be based primarily on ACI strength design methods.
  
• Structural Steel Design: A study of design and behavior of steel members and structures. The design of steel beams, columns, tension members, frames, trusses, and simple connections will be considered. Design will be based primarily on AISC specifications related to the load and resistance factor design method. Allowable stress design will be introduced.
  
• Introduction to Transportation Engineering: An introduction to transportation engineering and design. Students will study geometric design of highways, pavement design, traffic flow theory, highway capacity, traffic control devices, and transportation planning. A primary aim of the course is to introduce students to fundamental principles and approaches in transportation engineering. Secondary objectives of the study include gaining a better understanding of how to be an active steward in God’s creation, how to care for the safety of fellow citizens, and learning the basic concepts behind transportation and why it is so important in our culture today.
  
• Construction Communication and Architectural Graphics: This lab studio course introduces architectural and construction communication by practicing methods of construction documentation and preparation. The course will introduce students to basic plan reading. Construction planning computer applications and architectural computer-aided drafting will be explored and practiced.
  
• Geographic Information Systems and Surveying: Even An introduction to the acquisition, analysis, display, manipulation, and management of geographic information. Course topics will include geographical data input, storage, maintenance, analysis, and retrieval. Students will utilize common GIS software and associated hardware. An overview of survey methods used to gather and quantify features of physical geography will be included. The course will meet in two studio lab classes to provide an integral learn-by-doing experience applying GPS technology, survey methods, and GIS applications. Application of GIS to agriculture, business, environmental management, and other disciplines will be provided in this course.
  
• Construction Materials and Methods: A comprehensive study of the properties, sources, processing, methods, sequences, and equipment used in residential and commercial construction projects. Planning and managing of the construction process, including an introduction to structural and finish systems that make up building structures, are investigated. Appropriate application and responsible use of materials for design and functional intent is investigated. The environmental impact of construction is discussed.
  
• Construction Safety and Quality: A study of safety and quality control as it relates to construction management. An emphasis on the legal and financial impacts of safety and quality management is included, as well as a discussion of the ethical and regulatory issues involved. Causes and effects of safety and quality deficiencies in construction and the related methods to minimize these deficiencies.
  
• Project Management: This course is an introduction to the field of project management. The primary objective is to acquaint students with a broad basic overview of project management and the role of a project manager throughout the five primary processes of managing projects. The course will also cover common agile methodologies and principles because of how they relate to project management. The agile project management process encourages frequent inspection and adaptation, teamwork, accountability, self-organization, best practices that allows for rapid delivery and high quality, and a business approach that aligns development with customer needs and company goals. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
  
• Construction Estimating: An introduction to construction estimating and bid preparation with an emphasis on quantity takeoff. Includes a detailed study and application of pricing, subcontract evaluation, and bidding techniques using blueprints and specifications. Project types studied include residential, light commercial, and commercial building projects.
  
• Risk Management for Construction: A study of the systematic process used to minimize the degree of uncertainty and control risks in construction projects. An emphasis on identifying, analyzing, assessing, mitigating, transferring, and monitoring risk is included, as well as processes to implement risk management strategies at all stages in a construction project.

See the course catalog for more information.