2006-07 Catalog Archive (Archived July 31, 2006)
One College Avenue, Williamsport PA 17701 · (570) 326-3761 or (800) 367-9222
Civil Engineering Technology (BCT)
Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.)
This curriculum is designed to equip graduates to face the challenge of modern engineering practice. The major emphasizes applications-based engineering studies involving the planning, analysis and design of civil engineering/surveying projects. Modern approaches to the planning, analysis, and design of highways, structures, hydraulic systems, and site development will be emphasized.
This technical instruction with modern instrumentation, hardware and software will be reinforced with foundation courses emphasizing written and oral communication, and physical sciences. All the instruction is presented with problem solving in mind and strong emphasis on applications and critical thinking. The major prepares students for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, which is the first step in the process for registration as a professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Career Opportunities: Graduates can seek employment in a wide range of civil engineering and surveying specialties. These include the design of steel and concrete structures, stormwater runoff and hydraulic design, soils testing and geotechnical design, construction inspection and highway design. To accomplish these and other activities, people apply skills in surveying, map making and the synthesis of geographic information with other data types such as demographic, taxation, transportation and census data. Employment opportunities will exist with private consulting firms, design/construction businesses and government agencies including PennDOT, DEP, USGS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the uniformed services. Local municipality planning and engineering agencies will also offer opportunities for employment. People seeking self-employment opportunities will be aided by education leading to licensure as a land surveyor or a professional engineer.
Recommended High School Subjects: Strong preparation in mathematics; sciences; communication skills. Course work in computer usage, drafting and surveying at the high school level would be helpful but not necessary.
Special Admissions Requirements: The major is designed so that first year students can enter the curriculum once prerequisites are satisfied. Students with associate degrees in Surveying or Civil Engineering Technology can also enter the BCT curriculum as juniors.
Remediation Strategies: Students should remediate any deficiencies prior to enrollment. It is recommended that students remediate deficiencies in the following order of priority: mathematics, English, reading. Students testing below MTH 240 must remediate all math up through MTH 190 or MTH 182 in order to be enrolled in the BCT major. Students testing below MTH 190 or MTH 182 who cannot remediate prior to enrollment, must enroll in the CT major and then transfer to the BCT major after completion of the CT major. It is suggested that students thinking about entering this major be tested in mathematics early enough so that remedial precalculus course work could be taken the summer before enrollment at Penn College.
Transfer Procedures: This major will subscribe to the transfer standards established by the College. Individual transfer records will be reviewed by the Office of Admissions. Discrepancies and deviation from standards must be approved by the Office of Admissions and/or the Dean of the School of Industrial and Engineering Technologies.
Program Goals: A graduate of this major should be able to:
- distinguish among various types of surveys and select and use the proper instruments and methods for each type of survey. These will include control, construction and topographic surveys.
- construct cartographic and topographic maps using recognized mapping procedures.
- apply and use the engineering properties of the basic construction materials such as steel, concrete, wood, and soil.
- calculate the loading condition, stresses and deflection for structural members.
- analyze and design steel components of a structure using the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Specifications for Load Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) methods.
- analyze and design reinforced concrete beams, slabs, columns, footings, and walls using the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Code.
- evaluate the subsurface conditions for a construction site and design shallow foundation systems, earth slopes subsurface drainage and retained-earth components.
- demonstrate a working knowledge of the mechanics of compressible and incompressible fluid flow and their applications in piping systems, pumps, open channels, and reservoirs.
- predict the effects of rainfall runoff on engineering systems; design inlets, gutters, retention/detention basins, and sedimentation control devices using accepted procedures.
- design water supply and wastewater systems including treatment, distribution, and collection components.
- use aerial photographs in making engineering measurements.
- use common coordinate systems and Geographic Information System (GIS) databases to create features and attribute tables and perform queries of the GIS.
- perform quantity takeoffs and cost estimates for bid preparation; perform project planning and scheduling activities to determine the critical sequence of operations.
- demonstrate fundamental skills and knowledge in the use of Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD), and perform basic drawing functions with CAD equipment to create engineering drawings.
- function as a contributing member of a planning and design team for a capstone project to include data gathering, design, drawing preparation, and written and oral communications regarding work accomplished.
| First Semester | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| CET113 | Introductory Surveying | 2 | |
| CHM111 | General Chemistry I | 4 | |
| CSC110 | Introduction to Information Technology | 3 | |
| ENL111 | English Composition I | 3 | |
| MTH240 | Calculus I | 4 | |
| 16 | |||
| Second Semester | Credits | ||
| CET122 | Topographic Drawing and Cartography | 3 | |
| CET123 | Plane Surveying | 3 | |
| CET125 | Engineering Problem Solving with Modern Tools | 1 | |
| ENL201 | Technical and Professional Communication | 3 | |
| MTH242 | Calculus II | 4 | |
| PHS201 | General Physics I | 4 | |
| 18 | |||
| Third Semester | Credits | ||
| CET230 | Statics | 3 | |
| CET238 | Origin, Distribution and Behavior of Soils | 3 | Writing Enriched Requirement |
| CET215 | CAD-Based Applications in Civil Engineering and Surveying | 2 | |
| FIT | Fitness and Lifetime Sports Elective | 1 | |
| PHS202 | General Physics II | 4 | |
| SOC111 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 | |
| 16 | |||
| Fourth Semester | Credits | ||
| CET242 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| CET243 | Strength of Materials | 3 | |
| CET246 | Materials of Construction | 3 | |
| MTH160 | Elementary Statistics with Computer Applications | 4 | |
| SPC101 | Fundamentals of Speech | 3 | |
| 16 | |||
| Fifth Semester | Credits | ||
| CET234 | Highway Engineering | 3 | |
| CET237 | Route Surveying | 3 | |
| CET311 | Structural Analysis | 3 | |
| CET312 | Hydraulics/Hydrology | 3 | |
| ECO111 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 | |
| OEA | Open Elective | 3 | |
| 18 | |||
| Sixth Semester | Credits | ||
| CET321 | Structural Steel Design | 3 | |
| CET322 | Water/Sewer Design | 3 | |
| CET348 | Dynamics | 3 | |
| MET315 | Engineering Economics | 3 | |
| OEA | Open Elective | 3 | |
| HSC | Humanities/Social Science Cultural Diversity Elective | 3 | |
| 18 | |||
| Seventh Semester | Credits | ||
| CET411 | Geotechnical Engineering Technology | 3 | |
| CET412 | Reinforced Concrete Design | 3 | |
| CET413 | Civil Engineering Estimating and Scheduling | 3 | |
| CET414 | Geographic/Land Use Information Systems | 3 | |
| CET495 | Senior Capstone Design - Planning | 2 | |
| 14 | |||
| Eighth Semester | Credits | ||
| CET496 | Design for Capstone Project | 2 | |
| MET321 | Engineering Ethics and Legal Issues | 3 | Writing Enriched Requirement & Science, Technology and Society Requirement |
| ART | Art Elective | 3 | |
| HUM | Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| FIT | Fitness and Lifetime Sports Elective | 1 | |
| 12 | |||
NOTE: Approved transfer students may substitute PHS 115 for PHS 201, PHS 125 for PHS 202.
Students desiring to meet current Pennsylvania licensure requirements for surveyors should take CET 239 and CET 247 as electives.
CET 496 - Cooperative education possibility.
The cultural diversity elective in the seventh semester should be selected from a 200 level or higher Humanities or Social Science.
Accreditation: Accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Technology Accreditation Commission, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202, Telephone (410) 347-7700.