Civil & Environmental Engineering Technology, A.E.

What You’ll Learn

The Associate of Engineering in Civil & Environmental Engineering Technology program is focused and designed to get you ready to pursue a career in the civil or environmental engineering professions. The applied learning curriculum allows you to learn the theory in the classroom and apply that theory in the laboratory. You will become familiar with instruments and techniques you’ll encounter as a professional, which allows you to “hit the ground running” in your chosen job upon graduation.  

Your coursework will build your knowledge and experience in four broad areas: 

• Civil engineering: Civil engineering focuses on infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, airports, canals, culverts, dams, subdivision design and water and wastewater treatment systems. You will learn the fundamentals of materials and their properties, structural design, surveying, mapping, the mechanics of soils, stormwater erosion management, and hydraulics and drainage.  The technical skills civil engineers learn are used to ensure the proper design and function of the human built environment, optimizing how humans use infrastructure while minimizing impacts to the environment. 
• Environmental engineering: Environmental engineering focuses on finding solutions to environmental challenges that impact the health and well-being of society and the environment. The technical skills environmental engineers learn are used to develop and implement strategies to treat and protect the quality of land, air, water and natural ecosystems. Environmental engineers also address emerging global challenges such as the impact of climate change on communities and ecosystems. You’ll study methods of environmental analysis and principles of design for the prevention of water, soil, and air pollution, and methods to manage construction and development to safeguard the environment as well as human health. 
• Software: You’ll gain significant experience with software used in civil and environmental engineering, including spreadsheets, computer-aided design (CAD) applications, and geographic information systems (GIS). 
• Science and math: You’ll study chemistry, physics, environmental science, and calculus to understand the disciplines that underlie your applied knowledge as an engineer.  

Outside the Classroom, In the Community

With an Associate of Engineering in Civil & Environmental Engineering Technology from Vermont State University the career opportunities are endless!  Many of our graduates find careers allowing them to live and work in their hometown communities.   

Topics that are covered in the curriculum include: 

• Field testing of water and soil samples 
• Studying the dynamics of water flow, erosion, and drainage using laboratory simulations 
• Site visits to local civil and environmental engineering projects and facilities 
• Using surveying equipment and techniques in the field 
• Completing realistic design projects for structures like bridges, culverts, water supply and treatment facilities, or roads. You’ll produce graphic presentations, preliminary designs, working drawings, and other plan documents, often using existing real-world sites. 

Special Facilities

As you advance through the program, you’ll be applying your knowledge through lab and field exercises and acquiring experience with the instruments and software used by professionals.  

Our labs are well-equipped and include modern surveying instruments, a high-tech stream table to study water flow and erosion, soils and material testing equipment, and state-of-the-art computer stations with CAD software. 

This program is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, separately for both Civil Engineering Technology and Environmental Engineering Technology. For decades, ABET has established the standards for the training of professionals in engineering-related fields. Accreditation means you can have confidence that you’ll graduate with the knowledge and tools you need for the job.