Civil Engineering

The Civil Engineering career trains professionals with high scientific and technological knowledge; with the ability to design, build, supervise and operate Hydraulic, Sanitary-Environmental, Structural, Geotechnical, Roads, and Civil Construction projects, and maintaining a notable sense of social, ethical, economic and environmental responsibility.

Mission
Train competent professionals, with entrepreneurship and leadership capacity in the development of projects related to the design, construction, inspection, and operation of infrastructure, and scientific research in the areas of Civil Engineering. Generate, adapt and transfer knowledge related to Civil Engineering; and carry out technological innovation for the benefit of society. Provide sufficient criteria and knowledge to propose feasible solutions, considering the ethical, moral, social, economic, and respecting the environment.

Career Axes
The Civil Engineering career trains professionals with knowledge of basic, general, professional and specific sciences to design, build, supervise, operate and maintain processes, systems, experiments, or components related to engineering projects.
Civil Engineering in the Hydraulic, Sanitary-Environmental, Structural, Geotechnical, Roads, and Civil Construction axes of buildings; that contribute to the exploitation and optimization of the use of natural and economic resources, understanding the impact of the solutions provided in the ethical, environmental, social and global context; with continuous learning, high bilingual communication skills, use of modern techniques, and the ability to lead and undertake Civil Engineering projects for the benefit of society.

International Accreditation 
The Civil Engineering  degree program is accredited by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission  and the European seal of international quality in engineering EUR-ACE.

* Undergraduate tuition/fees:
The Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador in its Article 356, among other principles, establishes that third-level public higher education will be tuition/fees free.  Zero cost education is linked to the academic responsibility of the students.

Number of students admitted per academic year
Number of graduates per academic year
Number of enrolled students per academic year
780 Total active students in the career

Before 1986, the Faculty of Engineering in Earth Sciences was called the Department of Geology, Mines and Petroleum, IGMP (existing since 1964 as such, and since 1959 as the Department of Mines). In 1977 the Geotechnical Engineering career was created, the same one that replaced, including a new curriculum, the career called Geological Engineering, orientation towards Civil Works. Previously, ESPOL had sent scholarship holders, both to Europe and to the United States of North America, to specialize in Geotechnics, a domain that is little known in the country.

The Geotechnical Engineers who began graduating in 1983 had special training in the fields of Soil Mechanics, Rock Mechanics, Construction Materials, Analog and Numerical Models, and Geohydrology. However, these professionals were not able to enroll in the College of Civil Engineers and thus became part of the College of Mining and Petroleum Geology Engineers.

This situation motivated the directors of the Mining and Petroleum Geology Department to initially propose two changes: first, to transform the IGMP Department into the Earth Sciences Engineering Faculty (FICT) in 1987. On the other, to analyze and study a profound change in the Geotechnical Engineering curriculum in order to expand it towards one of Civil Engineering, taking into account previous recommendations suggested by the Polytechnic Council, based on the ESPOL-BID II project, and the needs of the national labor market at that time.

After the corresponding work and by resolution of the Polytechnic Council of May 9, 1989 (CP-89-5-058), the Civil Engineering career was established in the specialties of Geotechnics and Hydraulics. In addition, it was arranged that the Geotechnics branch work in the ICT Faculty, while the Hydraulics branch, in the Aquaculture and Marine Sciences Faculty. For this purpose, a new group of professors was convened. The initial objective of the ICT Faculty was to allow students, graduates and even geotechnical engineers to take the missing subjects to become graduates of Civil Engineering. This is how the first professionals of the career graduated.

In view of the fact that there were no enrollments of Civil Engineering students in the Faculty of Aquaculture and Marine Sciences, the Course began to be taught, from the mid-90s, only in the Faculty of Earth Sciences Engineering and was generated a unique curriculum of the Career, with the possibility that graduates obtain specializations in Geotechnics, Road Works, Hydraulics, Structures, Sanitary, and Construction. At the same time, ESPOL signed an agreement with the Concrete Technical Center (then La Cemento Nacional, today HOLCIM), so that Civil Engineering students could carry out practices in the subjects of Concrete Technology, Special Concrete, and Similar.

With this new proposal, and following the trend of the construction market (growing at the end of the 90s and after the year 2000), the population of the major gradually increased, from 30 students in the mid-1990s, around 70 until 2004, up to more than 500 students at the moment.

In the Civil Engineering career we look for proactive, creative, analytical students, with a critical spirit, with basic knowledge of experimental sciences and interested in the areas of physics, mathematics and construction; as well as in designing, planning, managing and executing civil works projects.

At the end of their studies at ESPOL, Civil Engineering graduates are expected to achieve the following student outcomes:

SO1. Ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying the principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
SO2. Ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specific needs taking into account public health, safety and well-being, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental and economic factors.
SO3a. Ability to communicate effectively with a large audience in Spanish. AR 3b. Ability to communicate effectively with a large audience in English.
SO4. Ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in situations involving engineering and to make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental and social contexts. 
SO5. Ability to work effectively in a team whose members jointly provide leadership, create an environment of collaboration and inclusion, set goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
SO6. Ability to develop and carry out appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
SO7. Ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as necessary, using appropriate learning strategies.
SO8. Ability to design real solutions with a unique value proposition to address specific needs considered from the point of view of the interested parties.

Civil engineering graduates at ESPOL in a few years will have:

a) Provided adequate civil engineering solutions to society considering technical, economic and environmental aspects.
b) Achieved recognition for excellence in design, construction, or administration of infrastructures.
c) Keeping updated throughout their careers through continuous training, or postgraduate studies.
d) Promoted employment or innovation through leadership initiatives within their organizations.

Occupational Profile

The Civil Engineering form ESPOL is able to work in each of the areas of Civil Engineering: geotechnics, design of structures, construction materials, roads and transportation, management and control of water resources, administration, planning, programming and production of civil works and buildings

Have approved at least 67 credits in Vocational Training and Itinerary.
Have approved at least 23 credits in General and Complementary Education.
Have approved at least 30 credits in Basic Sciences and Mathematics.
Accredit a minimum experience of 336 hours of preprofessional practices, divided into; 96 hours of community internships and 240 hours of professional internships in the industry corresponding to 7 credits.
Pass the graduation project, equivalent to 8 credits.

The Capstone Project is a culminating requirement for graduation. These projects provide students with the experience of applying acquired knowledge and skills to the needs of society, with a focus on sustainability.
The IDEAR Fair showcases all Capstone projects, offering students a valuable opportunity to showcase their work and hone soft skills such as communication and teamwork. It is also a space for students to network with potential clients and future employers.
Explore all of the Capstone projects completed by the Civil Engineering program. 

The Civil Engineering student will be able to carry out the pre-professional business internship considering that the profiles of the intern are: Structures, Geotechnics, Hydraulics and Works.

The student must pass the subject associated with the profile of his/her interest in order to apply for business practice. The associated subjects are:
- Reinforced Concrete (Structure Profile).
- Soil and Rock Mechanics (Geotechnical profile).
- Surveying and Geographic Information Systems (Works profile).
- Hydraulics (Hydraulics profile).

Every 48 hours of pre-professional internship is equivalent to 1 academic credit. The student must complete 5 credits of pre-professional internships in order to take the integrative subject.