Associate of Science - Transfer Degree - Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Civil and Environmental Engineering pathway is designed to meet Associate in Science Track 2 degree requirements with a concentration in Civil and Environmental Engineering. This pre-major pathway is designed to prepare students to transfer at the junior-level into an engineering program at a four-year college or university. The civil engineering profession is concerned with design and construction of the built environment. Civil engineers plan, design, and construct major facilities, including highways, transit systems, airports, dams, water and wastewater treatment systems, tunnels, energy facilities, harbors, canals, buildings, and bridges. Civil Engineers work on projects on many scales from single homes and roads to complex transportation networks and city planning. Environmental engineers manage air, water, and energy resources and protect society from natural catastrophes, such as earthquakes, and the hazards society itself generates in the form of toxic wastes.

Because these functions are often crucial to the day-to-day lives of most people and the facilities involved are physically substantial, civil engineers bear an important responsibility to the public. Their role is often more than just technical, requiring also a high degree of communicative skills and an ability to work cooperatively with other types of engineers, designers, and clients.

Students completing this pathway receive the foundational knowledge to pursue a bachelor’s or higher degree in this area while also gaining valuable skills in problem-solving, systems design, and data modeling. They will also get an opportunity to design, develop and test challenging projects with peers outside of class in South Seattle College's MakerSpace and innovation lab. For students who enjoy focusing on solutions to make human activity more sustainable, safer and more efficient, civil and/or environmental engineering may be the right career path for them.