UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

What UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering does

The UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering is an academic department within the University of California, Davis public research university system, founded in 1965 as one of the original departments of the College of Engineering. The department delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate degree programs (B.S. Civil Engineering and B.S. Environmental Engineering) and graduate programs (M.S. and Ph.D.) through the CEE Graduate Group, serving approximately 500+ undergraduate students (the largest Civil Engineering undergraduate program in the UC system) and 185+ graduate students (109 PhD, 76 MS). Teaching and research span five primary disciplines: structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, water resources, transportation engineering, and environmental engineering.

The department's research enterprise is anchored by several specialized facilities and centers, including the UC Pavement Research Center, the Center for Geotechnical Modeling (housing both 1-m and 9-m centrifuges), the Jaime Amorocho Hydraulics Laboratory, and the Water-Nexus Lab. CEE faculty also direct major campus-wide research centers such as the Center for Watershed Sciences, the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, the Institute for Transportation Studies, the Climate Adaptation Research Center, and the Center for Water-Energy Efficiency. Annual research expenditures exceed $20 million, supported through state appropriations, federal grants, and private donations. The department is led by Department Chair Miguel Jaller (Winter-Spring 2026, succeeding Chris Cappa for Fall 2025), with Vice Chairs for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, a Chief Administrative Officer, and program coordinators for both academic levels.

As a public academic unit, the department operates within a non-commercial funding model: resources flow from UC system budget allocations (approximately $5.7 million), externally funded research grants ($20M+ annually), and tuition set at the University of California level rather than by the department. Distribution occurs through UC Davis undergraduate and graduate admissions, with global reach via international study abroad programs in Iceland, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Belgium. The department has held continuous ABET accreditation since 1977 and is ranked as a Top 10 graduate program nationally.

Name

UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Legal name

UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Website

https://cee.engineering.ucdavis.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering is a public university academic department offering ABET-accredited B.S. and graduate programs in civil and environmental engineering to 500+ undergraduates and 185+ graduate students, supported by $20M+ annual research expenditures and multiple specialized research centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Civil and Environmental Engineering

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Engineering education
• Civil engineering programs
• Environmental engineering research
• Graduate engineering degrees
• Transportation and geotechnical research

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate and graduate education in civil and environmental engineering disciplines, including structural, geotechnical, transportation, water resources, and environmental engineering. The department supports a top-10 nationally ranked graduate program with over 500 undergraduates, 185+ graduate students, and more than $20 million in annual research expenditures. It also houses specialized research centers such as the UC Pavement Research Center, Center for Geotechnical Modeling, and the Jaime Amorocho Hydraulics Laboratory.

Product overview

UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering is an academic department offering educational programs. The department provides undergraduate degree programs (B.S. Civil Engineering and B.S. Environmental Engineering), graduate programs (Master's and PhD), and minors (Construction Engineering and Management, Sustainability in the Built Environment). The department has over 500 undergraduate students and 185+ graduate students, with annual research expenditures exceeding $20 million. Key research centers include the UC Pavement Research Center, Center for Geotechnical Modeling, Center for Watershed Sciences, and Institute for Transportation Studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UC Pavement Research Center: Develops innovations in pavement structures, materials, and technologies
• Center for Geotechnical Modeling
• Center for Watershed Sciences
• Tahoe Environmental Research Center
• Institute for Transportation Studies
• Climate Adaptation Research Center
• Center for Water-Energy Efficiency

Products and services

• B.S. Civil Engineering Four-year ABET-accredited undergraduate degree program preparing students for careers in civil engineering, covering structural design, construction, transportation, water resources, and geotechnical engineering. The Civil Engineering program is the largest in the UC system with over 500 students enrolled.
• B.S. Environmental Engineering Four-year ABET-accredited undergraduate degree program focused on designing processes and infrastructure for safe water, clean air, and healthy ecosystems, with curriculum addressing climate change and sustainable engineering solutions.
• Master's Degree Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate degree program in Civil and Environmental Engineering ranked in the top 10 nationally, offering both thesis and non-thesis options for students seeking advanced engineering knowledge. Approximately 76 students are currently enrolled in the M.S. track.
• PhD Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering Doctoral program with over 109 students pursuing PhD degrees, conducting world-leading research with award-winning faculty across CEE disciplines.
• Construction Engineering and Management Minor Interdisciplinary undergraduate minor covering construction principles, project management, cost estimation, and heavy civil construction practices.
• Sustainability in the Built Environment Minor Undergraduate minor program focused on sustainable design and engineering practices for built infrastructure, addressing environmental and social impacts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ undergraduate students enrolled - largest in UC system
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Purdue University Civil Engineering: Large public CEE school with comparable undergraduate enrollment scale and similarly broad sub-discipline coverage. Competes for international graduate-student talent and transportation/infrastructure research funding.
• UC Berkeley Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Closest peer within the UC system: a public research-university CEE department offering BS, MS, and PhD programs with overlapping sub-disciplines (structural, geotechnical, environmental, transportation, water). Both compete for UC-system talent and federal research funding in California.
• MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Nationally top-ranked CEE program with identical disciplinary breadth (structural, geotechnical, environmental, transportation, water). Competes for top PhD candidates and federal research funding; operates similar large-scale experimental facilities such as centrifuges.
• University of Michigan Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Top-ranked public CEE department with comparable size and disciplinary coverage. Competes for graduate-student talent and federal research funding; uses similarly specialized experimental facilities.
• Cornell Civil and Environmental Engineering: Private Ivy CEE department covering structural, geotechnical, environmental, transportation, and water engineering. Comparable top-10 graduate-program ranking and similar faculty scale; competes for PhD applicants and federal grants.
• University of Texas at Austin Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering: Top-10 public CEE department with comparable disciplinary breadth and large graduate enrollment. Direct competitor for federal transportation, water, and energy research funding, particularly in infrastructure resilience.
• Stanford Civil and Environmental Engineering: Top-tier private California CEE program spanning structural, environmental, and sustainable infrastructure research. Competes with UC Davis for California graduate-student talent and federal research dollars, with significantly larger industrial and alumni funding pools.
• Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Public R1 CEE school with broad sub-discipline coverage, a top-5 graduate program ranking, and large research expenditures (~$50M+). Direct competitor for U.S. News ranking position and large federal infrastructure-research grants.
• UCLA Civil and Environmental Engineering Department: Another UC-system CEE department offering BS, MS, and PhD programs across the same five sub-disciplines. Direct competitor for in-state applicants, faculty hires, and California-based research sponsors; ranked in similar national graduate-program tiers.

Emerging players

• Caltech Civil Engineering (Division of Engineering and Applied Science): Smaller California-based engineering division with overlapping structural and environmental engineering research. Less direct undergraduate overlap due to size, but competes for top PhD candidates and federal grants in earthquake engineering and environmental science.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ucdcee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucdaviscee
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucdaviscee

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering