Structural Engineering

University of California, Berkeley

About the Program

Minor

The Minor in Structural Engineering is designed primarily for students in the College of Environmental Design to experience the engineering approach to the solution of design problems, but it is available to students from any department who meet the following prerequisites to apply:

  1. Understanding of material behavior for structural response and ability to describe such behavior with simple models
  2. Understanding of structures and methods of analysis 
  3. Design of structures made of steel, concrete or timber

These basic fundamental courses are complemented by additional courses in materials and construction and analysis; see below for a complete course listing.

The minor offers to students of the College of Environmental Design access to the joint graduate MS/MARCH Degree of the two departments. With it comes the ability to practice either as an architect or as a structural engineer with a very thorough knowledge of the other field. Whereas engineering focuses on analytical methods for the solution of problems, the visual, socio-economical approach of architecture courses is an indispensable complement. The same is true the other way.

 

Declaring the Minor

To be considered for admission to the minor, students should satisfy the following:

  • Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0
  • Have completed the lower division prerequisite courses with a GPA of 3.0 (for further information regarding the prerequisites, see the Minor Requirements tab on this page)
  • Be able to complete the minor without delaying graduation

Upon admission to the minor, students should:

  • Complete a minimum of five courses, of which no more than one can be counted toward the requirements for the major(s)
  • Earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the minor

After completion of the prerequisite courses, students need to complete and submit to the Civil and Environmental Academic Affairs office (750 Davis Hall) a Minor Program Application form.

Upon completion of the minor requirements, the student must complete and submit to the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s Office of Academic Affairs the Confirmation of Completion form during the first 2 weeks of the term in which the minor will be completed.

Other Majors and Minors Offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Civil Engineering (Major only)
Environmental Engineering (Minor only)
Geotechnical Engineering (Minor only)

Visit Department Website

Minor Requirements

Minor programs are areas of concentration requiring fewer courses than an undergraduate major. These programs are optional, but they can provide depth and breadth to a UC Berkeley education. The College of Engineering does not offer additional time to complete a minor, but it is usually possible to finish within the allotted time with careful course planning. Students are encouraged to meet with their ESS adviser to discuss the feasibility of completing a minor program.

All the engineering departments offer minors. Students may also consider pursuing a minor in another school or college.

All minors must be declared no later than one semester before a student's Expected Graduation Term (EGT). If the semester before EGT is fall or spring, the deadline is the last day of RRR week. If the semester before EGT is summer, the deadline is the final Friday of Summer Sessions. To declare a minor, contact the department advisor for information on requirements, and the declaration process.

Lower Division Prerequisites

Select one of the following math sequences:8
MATH 1A
MATH 1B
Calculus
and Calculus
8
MATH 16A
MATH 16B
Analytic Geometry and Calculus
and Analytic Geometry and Calculus
6
Complete one Physics course:
PHYSICS 7APhysics for Scientists and Engineers4
or PHYSICS 8A Introductory Physics
Complete:
CIV ENG C30/MEC ENG C85Introduction to Solid Mechanics 13

Requirements

CIV ENG 60Structure and Properties of Civil Engineering Materials3
CIV ENG 120Structural Engineering3
CIV ENG 122Design of Steel Structures3
or CIV ENG 123 Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures
Select two additional courses from the following:8
CIV ENG 123Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures3
or CIV ENG 122 Design of Steel Structures
CIV ENG 124Structural Design in Timber3
CIV ENG 132Applied Structural Mechanics3
CIV ENG C133/MEC ENG C180Engineering Analysis Using the Finite Element Method3
CIV ENG 140Failure Mechanisms in Civil Engineering Materials3
CIV ENG 165Concrete Materials, Construction, and Sustainability3
CIV ENG 166Construction Engineering3
CIV ENG 175Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering3
CIV ENG 193Engineering Risk Analysis3

UC and Campus Requirements

University of California Requirements

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by satisfying the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR). The UC Entry Level Writing Requirement website provides information on how to satisfy the requirement.

American History and American Institutions

The American History and Institutions (AH&I) requirements are based on the principle that a US resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

Campus Requirement

American Cultures

The American Cultures requirement is a Berkeley campus requirement, one that all undergraduate students at Berkeley need to pass in order to graduate. You satisfy the requirement by passing, with a grade not lower than C- or P, an American Cultures course. You may take an American Cultures course any time during your undergraduate career at Berkeley. The requirement was instituted in 1991 to introduce students to the diverse cultures of the United States through a comparative framework. Courses are offered in more than fifty departments in many different disciplines at both the lower and upper division level.

 

Courses

Structural Engineering

Contact Information

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

760 Davis Hall

Phone: 510-642-3261

Fax: 510-643-5264

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Mark Stacey, PhD

763 Davis Hall

Phone: 510-643-8739

chair@ce.berkeley.edu

Vice Chair for Undergraduate Studies

Michael Cassidy, PhD

760 Davis Hall

mcassidy@berkeley.edu

Minor Program Faculty Advisor

Matthew DeJong, PhD

777 Davis Hall

dejong@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Staff Advisor

Erin Leigh Inama

750 Davis Hall

Phone: 510-643-6640

cee-ug@berkeley.edu

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