In 1939, the then Colegio de San Carlos offered a four-year Civil Engineering program as a fledgling College of Engineering laid its foundations under its first dean, a civil engineer, Almancio Alcordo. By 1940, there were 50 freshmen and 32 sophomores enrolled in the program, which was unfortunately interrupted by World War II. After the war, the program resumed with 80 students in 1946 under dean Jose A. Rodriguez, another civil engineer, who led the reconstruction of the Colegio’s buildings as well as other edifices in Cebu City. One year after becoming a University in 1948, Teodoro P. Ruiz, Angelus Dakay, and Nemesio A. Llenos became the first engineering graduates in 1949. Victorino L. Gonzales Jr. placed 5th in the civil engineers’ licensure examination in 1950, which all examinees from USC passed; since then, the Civil Engineering program has produced a number of top ten placers in the board examinations and consistently has a higher passing rate than the national average. The program transitioned into the five-year curriculum in 1954, and in 1964 moved to the Fr. Lawrence Bunzel building in Talamban Campus.
Growth in the department was bolstered by partnerships with government and engagement in international programs including the Educational Development Project Implementing Task Force (EDPITAF), the Engineering and Science Education Project (ESEP) of the Department of Science and Technology, the Integrated Water Resources Engineering Project (IWRE) and Water-Plus Project under the Netherlands Joint Financing Program in Higher Education (MHO), the Tri-Sectoral Forum for Technology Excellence (Tri-Tech), and the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) consortium funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
Currently, the Department of Civil Engineering offers a five-year Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a two-year Master of Science in Civil Engineering (M.S. C.E.) with specializations in Structural Engineering or Water Resources and Environment. The M.S. C.E. program is offered with strong collaborations from the Delft University of Technology and the Larenstein University for Professional Education, both in the Netherlands. Beginning in AY2014–15, the then College of Engineering offered the Doctor of Engineering program with a focus on Food and Health Engineering, Water Engineering, Waste Engineering, and Energy Engineering. Graduate programs in the School of Engineering and the Department of Civil Engineering are supported by the DOST-ERDT, as well as the Commission on Higher Education Development Program (CHED HEDP). The program is also designated by CHED as a Center of Development and is a Level II program accredited by the Federation of Accrediting Associations of the Philippines (FAAP) through a Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU) evaluation. The Civil Engineering program is also accredited by the Philippine Technological Council-Accreditation and Certification Board for Engineering and Technology (PTC-ACBET).
Programs offered
Master of Science in Civil Engineering (M.S. C.E.) with specialization in Structural Engineering (M.S. C.E.-STRE) with specialization in Water Resources and Environment (M.S. C.E.-WRE)
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (B.S. C.E.)
Career tracks
Civil engineering graduates are distributed across ten industry sectors. As expected, the major employer is construction (47%), followed by professional, scientific, and technical activities (16%), real estate activities (12%), and education (7%).
Research groups
Structural Engineering and Construction Materials cluster For details, contact Engr. Imadyl Damuag. Water Resources, Environmental, and Geotechnical Engineering cluster For details, contact Engr. Ricardo Fornis. Surveying, Transportation Engineering, and Construction Management cluster For details, contact Engr. Joey Cyndell T. Atillo.
Facilities and equipment
Facilities
Civil Engineering workshop laboratory
Computer laboratory
Construction Materials and Testing laboratory
Fluids Mechanics laboratory
Soil Mechanics laboratory
Surveying laboratory
Equipment
Bernoilli’s Theorem apparatus
Falling sphere apparatus
Hydraulics bench
Hydrodynamic trainer
Multi-purpose teaching flume
Soil oven
Liquid limit devices
Permeability apparatus
Triaxial apparatus
California bearing ratio tester
Vane shear tester
Cone penetrometer
Los Angeles abrasion machine
100-ton capacity Universal Testing Machine
Student life
The USC Civil Engineering Council is the student organization of the department. It looks after the welfare of all civil engineering students. Every year, the council organizes the freshmen assembly, acquaintance party, Christmas party, Civil Engineering Days celebration, and elections. The council has a representation in the Collegiate Engineering Council.
There are two extra-curricular student organizations for civil engineering students, namely the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE)-USC Student Chapter and the Association of Civil Engineering Students (ACES). Membership to these organizations is by application.
