Civil Engineering

402. Engineering Practice. Engineering economy: time value of money, interest, equivalency; present worth, future worth; depreciation; economic comparison; benefit-cost ratio; investment and bonds. Codes of ethics and professional conduct; professional practice; liability and client relationships. Engineering project management; plans and specifications; engineering and construction contracts; CPM and PERT. Three lectures.  (Cr.3) 

Prerequisite: Senior Status.  

Course Goals:     

  1. To prepare civil engineering students in their final semester of undergraduate education, to go out into the workforce, whether it be for engineering firms, construction companies, municipal public works departments, or any other segment of the design and construction industry, so that they will be able to understand their first professional assignment, knowledgeably, confidently and in context with the overall workings of the construction industry and their own professional career path. 

  2. To cover the basics of engineering economy, an increasingly important and meaningful need of the modern design engineer. 

  3. To give formal attention to ASCE Code of Ethics and Professionalism, plus other similar codes. 

  4. To cover construction management in a nutshell so it will be not simply a set of acronyms and an undecipherable jargon to our graduating students. 

  5. To acquaint students with the difference between a construction contract (which may be bid) and a contract for engineering planning and design (which may not logically be bid) 

  6. To familiarize students with the various possible career paths open to civil engineering graduates and acquaint them with the prerequisites to a successful career, including consistent and diligent effort, graduate and other continuing engineering education, continuing education in complementary fields such as management, public administration, etc., professional registration and activities in professional and civic associations.

Course Objectives:

The student will be able to:

  • Understand the concept of professionalism and have a working familiarity with the codes of professional responsibility as promulgated by American Society of Civil Engineers and by the National Society of Professional Engineers;

  • To be able to analyze factual situations involving questions of engineering ethics, with specific reference to the Codes of Ethics.

  • Recognize the professional credentials and other elements of a successful career in engineering, including consistent and diligent effort, graduate and non-matriculating continuing engineering education, continuing education in a complementary field such as management or public administration, rotating through a variety of assignments in the field and the office, professional licensing and active participation in professional and civic organizations.

  • Understand the roles and responsibilities of each "player" in the design process and the construction industry, including engineer, architect, sub-consultant, private and public owners, construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors, specialty contractors, suppliers, labor unions, etc.

  • Be completely conversant in the jargon/vocabulary of engineering and construction and know the definitions of all important terms.

  • Understand the basic principals of planning and scheduling and be familiar with the uses and limitations of the critical path method of scheduling as a planning and management tool.

  • Understand the process by which contracts are awarded for both professional services and construction services, in both the public and private sectors; be able to prepare and/or analyze competitive bids for both lump sum and unit price-type construction contracts.

  • Perform economic analyses of engineering and construction issues by developing options and comparing them on the basis of present worth analysis or other appropriate bases; develop a familiarity with the non-quantifiable or intangible aspects of engineering economic analysis.

  • Use and understand basic construction documents including Agreements for Design Services, Owner-Contractor Agreements on Both Lump Sum and Unit Price Bases; Subcontracts, Purchase Orders, Requisitions, Change Orders, Addenda, General and Technical Specifications, Drawings, Shop Drawings, Schedules, Meeting Minutes, etc.

  • Understand basic concepts of construction law, including contract formation, dispute avoidance and resolution (partnering, arbitration, mediation, etc.), preparing or defending claims, mechanic's liens, performance bonds and payment bonds. 

Course Syllabus

Textbook: Due to the vast number and the diversity of topics covered in this course, there is no one text available. Students will be directed to the web pages of several resources on the Internet, including those of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers; the Instructor will provide handouts including publications prepared by NSPE (e.g.- Opinions of the Board of Ethical Review), various publications of the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration relating to jobsite safety, various construction administration and contract documents, as prepared by the Engineer=s Joint Contract Documents Committee and the American Institute of Architects, the Construction Industry Dispute Resolution Procedures, as published by the American Arbitration Association, compound interest tables and tables of economic analysis equations and formula, examples of Critical Path Method Construction Schedules prepared with the Primavera Scheduling Software Package, excerpts from the New York State Education Law as it pertains to the licensing and discipline of professional engineers, etc.  Excerpts from New York State Statutes applicable to public works bidding and contract administration.

Topics:

  1. Ethics, professionalism, licensing and career planning and development. 12 lecture hours

  2. Planning and scheduling of design and construction, CPM, PERT, etc.  6 lecture hours

  3. Engineering economic analysis.  9 lecture hours

  4. Design and construction processes.  9 lecture hours

  5. Contract documents and applicable law.  9 lecture hours

Computer Usage:  Students will be required to access the internet as a resource for their research for projects and presentations regarding various topics.  Students will use calculators and/or computers to solve engineering economic problems and assignments.  Students will be introduced to such currently-available computer software packages as Primavera Projects for CPM Scheduling and schedule analysis and updating.

ABET category content as estimated by faculty member who prepared this course description:  Other: 3 credits (100%)

Prepared by: Thomas H. Welby, P.E., Esq.           Date:  January 24, 2001