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Educational Objectives and Outcomes

The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University is dedicated to providing the highest quality broad-based technical, scientific, and liberal education. We create and maintain an outstanding educational program in a climate that fosters diverse skills designed for professional success.

Our objectives are to prepare our students for:

  • Excellence in engineering decision-making and design,
  • Leadership careers in engineering practice,
  • Graduate professional engineering education,
  • Advanced study and research in engineering, and
  • Diverse, alternative career choices.

Our graduates will bring the following outcomes to the organizations they join:

  • Completion of a broad-based curriculum rich in liberal studies intended to raise awareness of cultural contexts and societal issues,
  • Understanding of engineering fundamentals and their application to the solution of problems,
  • Creation of sound designs subject to uncertainty and to multiple societal and engineering constraints,
  • Experience with the process of research inquiry,
  • Demonstrated skill at learning,
  • Project management skills and an aptitude for management of multiple tasks,
  • Creative, independent thinking and a tolerance for ambiguity,
  • Communication skills, both written and oral,
  • A capacity for leadership, inclusiveness, and teamwork,
  • Professionalism, including ethics,
  • A desire to provide service to society, and
  • An understanding of the contemporary dynamism of the CEE profession and of the need for continued scholarship.