University of Washington Civil and Environmental Engineering

What University of Washington Civil and Environmental Engineering does

The University of Washington Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) is a public academic department within the UW College of Engineering, headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It delivers ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science programs in Civil Engineering (BSCE) and Environmental Engineering (BSENVE), a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) with six specializations, doctoral (PhD) programs, and online professional master's degrees (e.g., Master of Sustainable Transportation, Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics), along with engineering certificate offerings. The department operates a portfolio of research facilities including the Large-Scale Structural Engineering Testing Laboratory, Air Resources Research Lab, X-ray Computed Tomography Facility, Smart Transportation Applications and Research Laboratory (STAR Lab), Natural Hazards Reconnaissance Experimental Facility, Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC), and Center for Urban Waters. Research spans structural and earthquake engineering, transportation data science, hydrology and water resources, air quality, geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, and coastal/ocean engineering, with notable contributions including the identification of 6PPD-quinone in stormwater (published in Science), digital twin monitoring of the I-90 floating bridge, and active mass damper deployment on Genoa's Torre Piloti.

The department is funded through a combination of state appropriations, tuition, federal and private research grants, and philanthropy. Its customer base comprises prospective and current students (undergraduate, graduate, online professional), industry partners (e.g., Seattle Public Utilities, Concrete Technology Corporation, ISAAC), and government agencies (USDOT via PacTrans, WSDOT, Yakama Nation). Distribution occurs through on-campus instruction at the Seattle campus, online professional master's programs serving a global audience, and centralized UW admissions. Marketing and engagement are driven via the department's official website, The Bridge newsletter, social media channels, info sessions, and an External Advisory Board that advises on curriculum, research priorities, and career pathways. The department is led by Associate Chair Paolo Calvi and senior faculty including Yinhai Wang (STAR Lab/PacTrans director), Edward Kolodziej (Osberg Endowed Professor), and Jessica Lundquist (Mountain Hydrology Research Group), with faculty recognized by NSF CAREER awards, AGU Fellowship, the ASCE Norman Medal, IEEE ITS Outstanding Research Award, and Clarivate Highly Cited designations.

Name

University of Washington Civil and Environmental Engineering

Legal name

UW Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Website

https://ce.washington.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1861

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The University of Washington Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is a public academic department offering ABET-accredited BS, MS, PhD, and online professional master's programs in civil and environmental engineering, supported by research facilities spanning structural, transportation, water, and air quality domains. It serves undergraduate and graduate students, industry partners, and government agencies globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Engineering Programs

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental, Health & Safety / Sustainability (EHS, Environmental Compliance CE) (EDAAALAO)

Keywords

• Civil engineering education
• Environmental engineering research
• Structural engineering testing
• Transportation engineering programs
• Water quality research

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UW Civil and Environmental Engineering is an academic department within the University of Washington's College of Engineering. It delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees (BSCE and BSENVE), a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) with six specializations, doctoral (Ph.D.) programs, online professional master's programs (Sustainable Transportation, Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics), and engineering certificates. The department operates multiple research labs and facilities for structural testing, air quality, water quality, transportation, and natural hazards reconnaissance, and conducts sponsored research with industry and government partners.

Product overview

University of Washington Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) is an academic department offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional education programs. The department provides Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil Engineering (BSCE) and Environmental Engineering (BSENVE), a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) with six specializations, doctoral programs (Ph.D.), and professional master's programs including online offerings. The department operates multiple research facilities including the Smart Transportation Applications and Research Laboratory (STAR Lab), Large-Scale Structural Engineering Testing Laboratory, Air Resources Research Lab, X-ray Computed Tomography Facility, and Center for Urban Waters. Research focuses span structural engineering, environmental engineering, transportation engineering, hydrology, and geotechnical engineering. The department also offers certificate programs for professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Smart Transportation Applications and Research Laboratory (STAR Lab): Transportation engineering research laboratory directed by Professor Yinhai Wang, focusing on traffic sensing, AI applications, and smart urban mobility.
• Winkler Lab
• Sustainable Transportation Lab
• THINK Lab
• Mountain Hydrology Research Group
• Center for Urban Waters

Products and services

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE) ABET-accredited undergraduate degree program preparing students for careers in civil engineering with specialization areas including structural, construction, transportation, geotechnical, and environmental engineering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Blood lead levels in Bangladesh dropped by 30% after CEE alumna Jenna's research led to turmeric safety regulations
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Seattle Public UtilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Seattle Public Utilities to study presence and impact of tire-derived chemicals such as 6PPD-quinone in roadway runoff throughout Seattle. Research aims to improve stormwater treatment strategies and enhance water quality.
• Concrete Technology CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to test stability of long prestressed concrete girders used in highway bridges. Testing of 150-foot girders (largest ever tested) provides critical data on buckling risks during transportation and validates new stability theories.
• ISAACcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with Milan-based company specializing in active vibration control systems. ISAAC provided expertise in mechanical engineering complementary to Calvi's structural dynamics approach for the Torre Piloti active mass damper project.
• University of Washington Tacoma Division of Sciences & MathematicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint appointment and research collaboration through UW Freshwater Science Initiative and Center for Urban Waters at UW Tacoma.
• Washington State University (WSU) PuyallupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on stormwater toxicity and salmon mortality studies, including fish exposure testing at WSU Puyallup.
• University of TorontomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on confirming chemical structures of tire-derived toxicants through research partnership on salmon mortality study.
• Center for Urban Waters at UW TacomacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch center dedicated to improving urban water quality in the Pacific Northwest and protecting the future of Puget Sound.
• Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransportation research consortium focused on transportation research, innovation and workforce development in Washington State.
• Grand Challenges Impact Lab (GCIL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudy abroad program based in Bengaluru, India, focused on environmental health and social issues. Operates like a startup incubator for students to tackle global challenges.
• Yakama NationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Mobile Unit for Sensing Traffic (MUST) technology pilot project that received 2023 Innovative Project award from USDOT's Build a Better Mousetrap Program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford Civil and Environmental Engineering: Elite CEE department with comparable research portfolio across structural, environmental, and transportation engineering. Strong shared focus on sustainability, climate adaptation, and infrastructure resilience, with similar high-impact publication record.
• UC Berkeley Civil and Environmental Engineering: Top-tier public university CEE department offering BS, MS, and PhD programs with comparable research strengths in structural, environmental, transportation, and geotechnical engineering. Highly comparable faculty caliber, ABET-accredited programs, and similar large-scale research lab infrastructure.
• Cornell University CEE: Research-intensive CEE department with parallel emphasis on environmental engineering, structural engineering, and infrastructure. Comparable faculty awards profile and similar applied research engagement with industry partners.
• University of Texas at Austin Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering: Major public university CEE program with comparable structural, environmental, and transportation research strengths. Similar faculty awards profile and substantial research expenditure, serving as a peer benchmark among top-ranked US public CEE departments.
• Purdue University Civil Engineering: Major public university CEE program with comparable structural, environmental, geotechnical, and transportation research. Similar scale of online professional master's programs and ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees.
• MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering: World-leading CEE department with parallel research depth in structures, environmental engineering, transportation, and geotechnics. Comparable faculty awards profile and similarly strong industry and government research partnerships.
• Georgia Tech Civil and Environmental Engineering: Major CEE program with directly comparable structural, environmental, and transportation research output. Shares the public-research-university character, NSF funding profile, and emphasis on transportation systems research (e.g., counterpart to STAR Lab).
• University of Michigan Civil and Environmental Engineering: Top-ranked CEE program with directly comparable faculty research strengths in transportation systems, environmental engineering, and structural mechanics. Similar public-university funding model and ABET-accredited degree offerings.
• Carnegie Mellon Civil and Environmental Engineering: CEE program with directly comparable research strengths in advanced infrastructure sensing, smart transportation, and computational engineering. Similar scale of graduate research output and comparable ABET-accredited undergraduate programs.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign CEE: Top public-university CEE department with parallel research strengths in structural engineering, environmental engineering, and transportation. Comparable scale of graduate programs, ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees, and large-scale structural testing facilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UW
• Facebookfacebook.com/UofWA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/university-of-washington-civil-and-environmental-engineering

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Washington Civil and Environmental Engineering