About the program
Civil Engineering is one of the four disciplines within the school of Engineering under Debre Berhan University. The department is striving to provide Stimulating Environment for the free development and Exchange of ideas.
Undergraduate
B.Sc Program in Civil Engineering
Duration 9 Semester study and six month practice
Requirement 295-7 credit points
1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM
1.1 Background
Debre Berhan University, under the Ministry of Education, was established in 2006. The university has expanded different schools and faculties to fulfill the objective of the university. School of engineering established in 2009 as a five years course of engineering education and started by Civil and Electrical engineering programs.
In September 2010, the school will be expanded to include instructions in Mechanical Engineering and construction technology management programs that the undergraduate program is intended to cover five years.
From the previous established universities’ experience, stakeholders and employers have expressed concerns that the graduates of the engineering Programs lack practical and innovative skills. This lack has been coupled by deficiency in communication and managerial skills of the graduates. It is believed that this curriculum has incorporated the necessary consideration that will address the issues raised by stakeholders and employers.
1.2 Vision and Mission
Vision
We will achieve our mission by:
Devising innovative and customized curricula that prepare for engineering practice, advanced education, and leadership in Civil work sector and technical services
Supporting theoretical instruction by workshop, laboratory practices and Civil work visits and practical instruction;
Arranging obligatory Civil work internship opportunities for all students through summer employment at least for four months
Involving undergraduates and graduate students in applied research
Diversifying graduate programs as per the need of the Civil work sectors and the country
Encouraging extra curricula student professional activities
Students and stake holders’ evaluation of teaching and learning program.
Participation of staff in applied research, consultancy service and training that solves technical problems of Civil work sectors and other technical services in the country
1.3 Strategic Goals
i) Increase relevance of undergraduate program to the Civil work
ii) Diversify the undergraduate programs in the areas related to Civil Engineering
iii) Increase diversity, quantity and quality of academic staff and technical assistants
iv) Increase Civil work supported researches and consultancy activities
v) Increase attractiveness of the Program to students
Achieve high standards for instructional quality
Improve effectiveness of student advising
Provide effective mechanism for student informal feed-back.
Facilitate student access to industrial practice and job placement by working with professionals and entrepreneurs associations.
Support student professional clubs and extracurricular activities
Professional Profile of Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering is an important and learned profession, which is achieved through academic education at recognized institution. Competence can be developed and enriched by extended experience. It is a profession practiced in civil works development projects with direct and vital impact on the livelihood of the community.
More generally, it is useful to provide a framework that gives guideline by which students of civil engineering develop their skills and acquire standardized and relevant knowledge in planning, design, and construction and entrepreneurship concepts during their study time at the university.
CORE SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
Everywhere in the world, Civil Engineers are involved in projects ranging from small scale to sophisticated projects. In particular, they carry out different assignments such as planning, design, construction and maintenance of building structures, roads, bridges, railways, dams, water supply and sewerage schemes and the like. Civil engineering is broad term. It is an umbrella field comprised of many related specialties. The core services of civil engineering are shown in the following sub-sections.
General
-Contract Administration
-Analysis and Design
-Structural Design Activities:
-Water Works Design Activity:
-Transportation Facilities Design:
-Material Testing:
-Construction Management:
-Deciding method of construction
-Devising temporary works
-Selecting appropriate equipment
-Manage construction activities and available resources including planning, scheduling, cost estimating, controlling and reporting.
-Project site exploration
-Identification and classification of material in the field
-Conducting field tests
-Laboratory tests on soils, rocks and construction materials
-Feasibility studies
-Photogram metric and desktop study
-Soil and material investigation
-Environmental impact assessment
-Traffic count and axle load study
-Detailed geometric design
-Pavement design
-Preparation of bill of quantities and engineering cost estimate
-Provisional and final acceptance
-Railway route design
-Design of airfields
-Bridge design
-Pre feasibility and feasibility study
-Water supply scheme for urban and rural areas
-Sewerage and sanitation facilities
-Storm water drainage and flood mitigation schemes
-Dams and other hydraulic structures
-Hydropower development
-Irrigation and related Infrastructure
-Solid waste management
-Environmental protection works
-Water resource development and management
-Pre design study
-Project program development
-Topographic survey
-Scheme design
-Preliminary design
-Final design
-Preparation of bill of quantities and specifications
-Cost estimates, Tendering
-Provisional and final acceptance
-Review and approve design.
-Develop design standards, design aids, guidelines and hand books.
-Consult with architects and specialized design engineers to integrate design in terms of aesthetic and technical requirements.
-Review and approve contractor’s program, method and schedule.
-Supervise projects to ensure that drawings, specifications, materials and workmanship are as specified in the contract.
-Check and approve measurement of work executed.
-Administer claims and disputes.
-Issue engineering instruction and variation order, check and approve variation order.
-Conduct provisional and final acceptance.
-Conduct studies on cost of construction, materials, labor, equipment and productivity.
-Manage construction activities and available resources including planning, scheduling, controlling and reporting.
-Supervise technicians and technologists.
-Plan and organize the maintenance and repair of existing civil engineering construction works
-Teach the fundamentals of civil engineering and undertake basic and applied research activities.
-Provide innovative and economical solutions to problems encountered in the field.
-Working in a multidisciplinary environment and acquire knowledge and skill that allow civil engineers to practice in associated areas of sciences and engineering.
-Keep abreast of new technologies in civil engineering and provide orientation and/or training to subordinates as required.
-Depending on the engineering tasks one is undertaking or the position one is holding, a professional Civil engineer working in Civil work facility can have professional titles and/or job specifications like Structural Engineer, Pavement Engineer, Highway(Road) Engineer, Material Engineer, Utilities Engineer, or management title/job like General Manager, Technical Manager and rendering consultancy services in the field.
2 .GENERAL OBJECTIVES
The general objective of the Civil Engineering Undergraduate Program is to provide broad-based education and training in Civil engineering and its applications leading to a Bachelor of Science Degree, to enable graduates to meet the challenges of the engineering profession in a rapidly changing environment that exists in a developing country. These challenges require the ability to apply existing knowledge in new ways thereby creating new systems and opportunities as well as adapting existing Engineering to local production conditions. These require the ability to manage service, maintain and improve upon existing systems.
Develop applied research programs on country the development policy and strategy
Disseminate the program research and consultancy activities to the Civil work
Accelerate Civil work linkages through Civil work training and consultancy services
Strive to create incentive mechanism for researchers at university level
Strive to make university salary and benefits competitive
Develop and implement a staff development plan that will consider the high rate of staff turnover and practice oriented education
Assure the graduate curricula strengthen the undergraduate program and utilize the School's expertise.
Arrange short term training and visits to the staff
Introduce a full-fledged undergraduate program in Civil engineering through a transitional minor program
Assesses the need for Material Engineering program in five years time
The program gives more emphasis to practical education to increase the relevance of the program to the Civil work, keeping the current capacity of 50 students
The curricula based on needs of the Civil work sector and development to give emphasis to practical education and introduce specialization through electives such as
Earthquake Engineering
Construction Management
Geotechnical Engineering
Road and Transport Engineering
Structural Engineering
Hydropower Engineering
Hydraulic Engineering
Irrigation (and Drainage) Engineering
Water Resource Engineering
Geodetic Engineering
Material Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Safety Engineering
etc.
Strengthen practical instruction in Civil Engineering works, maintenance of machinery and laboratory exercise by employing more technical assistants and improving the quality and quantity of facilities
Introduce a course in entrepreneurship
Develop students skill for modern engineering practice through intensified design projects, CAD, computer based analysis
Increase student visualization ability through audiovisual teaching aid systems.
Introduce a six month compulsory practical work
Send the students in a different projects to the country development strategy
The vision of the Civil Engineering Program, School of Engineering at Debre Berhan University is to be the prime center of Civil Engineering Education and research in Ethiopia
Mission
The mission of the Civil engineering program is to offer an outstanding, professionally oriented undergraduate engineering education and conduct applied research and consultancy service that will bring qualitative change in Civil works and technical services in Ethiopia.
