Civil Engineering Technology Certificate Engineering and Applied Technology Total Units: 25.0

Term Effective: Fall 2020

The requirements for this program of study are effective beginning the semester shown above. If you began working on this program before the effective semester, you may not be affected by the changes. Consult with the program contact person or the department chair to determine your eligibility to complete the program under previous requirements.

Term Inactive: Summer 2025

Previous Versions:

Civil Engineering Technology - effective Fall 2017
Civil Engineering Technology - effective Fall 2016
Civil Engineering Technology - effective Spring 2010
Civil & Surveying Technology: Civil Engineering - effective Fall 1981

Description:

Civil Engineering Technology Program Certificate of Achievement "Your Career by Design!"
The Civil Engineering Technology program prepares students for variety of technical positions in the civil engineering and engineering construction professions. The program recommended course sequence is set up to allow the student to progress through four semesters and achieve an Associate’s Degree or Certificate of Achievement.

A career in Civil Engineering?
In general, people who like civil engineering also like math—primarily geometry and trigonometry. The field attracts people with geology, surveying, computer science, and construction backgrounds, too. Civil engineering curriculum includes courses in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, computer-aided drafting (CAD), surveying, geospatial technology (GIS), geology and problem solving.

What is Civil Engineering?
Civil engineering is the oldest, largest and most diverse disciplines of the engineering profession. The civil engineering technician will help plan, design, build, develop, and maintain public works facilities, subdivisions, urban and regional planning projects, land developments, land and geographical information systems, transportation systems, water distribution systems, waste treatment facilities and many other types of civil engineering projects.

What do Civil Engineering Technicians do?
The technician may be involved in civil engineering design, soil and materials testing, construction inspection, estimating, scheduling, data and information systems, plan checking, planning, environmental and geotechnical work.

Today's Technology
The civil engineering technician will use state of the art equipment and applications of high technology to translate the ideas and directions of the engineer, planner and surveyor into meaningful information used by industry.

A successful civil engineering technician should possess good communication skills, mechanical and computational aptitude, the ability to work in different environments, and a desire to answer tomorrow’s challenges.

Career Options
Civil engineering is a career field in high demand throughout industry, government and the private sector. As a land surveyor you will provide services for planned communities, schools, shopping centers, highway projects and more.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects job opportunities in the surveying field to grow steadily through 2014, and the areas of urban planning, architecture, construction, and disaster and emergency planning will be particularly strong.

The following are examples of career paths for the Civil Engineering Technology Certificate or Major (AS). Note that some positions require licensing or certification by the state, not just a degree or certificate of achievement.

Civil Engineering Career Ladder

  • Principal Civil Engineer (Owner or Principal in company, Professional Engineer License)
  • Associate Civil Engineer (Supervisor, PE License)
  • Assistant Civil Engineer (Lead Person, Engineer-in-Training (EIT) Certificate)
  • Civil Engineering Technician I, II, III (Certificate of Achievement from SRJC and experience)
  • Civil Engineering Aide (Part time employees without certificate)

Engineering Construction Career Ladder

  • General Manager
  • Project Manager/Administrator
  • Estimator

Public Works Career Ladder

  • Resident Engineer (Similar to Civil Engineering ladder)
  • Public Works Inspector (Similar classifications as Civil Engineering ladder)
  • Soils and Materials Technician (Similar classifications as Civil Engineering ladder)

Urban Planning Career Ladder

  • Principal Planner
  • Associate Planner
  • Assistant Planner
  • Planning Technician
  • Plan Check Technician

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:

  1. Define and describe civil engineering terminology, methods, procedures, standards and technology;
  2. Perform mathematical, computer and statistical computations related to location, elevation, grade, distance, direction, area, volume and properties of civil engineering materials;
  3. Communicate clearly and effectively in oral, written and graphic formats;
  4. Prepare basic civil engineering documents and drawings using computer-aided drafting and geographic information systems technology;
  5. Research, file, retrieve, analyze, locate and prepare basic drawings, maps, documents, records, reports and correspondence related to civil engineering projects;
  6. Demonstrate basic analytical, critical thinking and decision-making skills in civil engineering, land surveying and development; and
  7. Describe the influence/effect civil engineering, land surveying and development has on the local, regional, national and global communities.

Program Requirements:

The requirements for the Civil Engineering Technology program are:

  • Complete 25.0 units from
    • Civil Engineering Technology Core Requirements

Civil Engineering Technology Core Requirements - complete 25.00 units
APTECH 191Problem Solving in Civil Engineering Technology3.00
CEST 51Civil Drafting Technology3.00
CEST 63Subdivision Planning3.00
CEST 64Public Works Inspection and Testing3.00
CEST 65Public Works Plans and Estimating3.00
CEST 85CADD for Civil, Surveying and Land Development3.00
CEST 192Non-Technical Skills for the Civil Engineering Technician3.00
GIS 40Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)4.00

Course Prerequisites and Advisories:

Courses in a program of study may have prerequisites or advisories; that is, courses that must or should be completed before taking that course. Please check for prerequisites or advisories by clicking on the course numbers in the Program Requirements section.

It is important that students who are completing an Associate Degree and desire to transfer to a four-year institution meet with a counselor to plan their lower division coursework. While many majors at SRJC are intended to align with lower division major preparation required by California public universities, specific lower-division major requirements vary among individual campuses. See a counselor, visit the Transfer Center, and check Guides For Transfer in Specific Majors, and ASSIST to review transfer preparation guides for specific schools and majors.

Notes:

It is recommended that students who have not had high school courses in mathematics through plane geometry and second-year algebra/trig take the Math placement test self-assessment and consider enrolling in an appropriate course, PRIOR to enrolling in certificate program courses. Those students are also encouraged to contact the CESGT Program Coordinator to discuss their concerns.

As the CESGT Program is rigorous and extremely computer and technology-intensive, for students with limited computer literacy, CS 5 is recommended. Please contact the program coordinator or a counselor for more information.

Contact
Information
Phone Email Website
(707) 527-4603
rparks@santarosa.edu