BS Engineering in Civil Engineering with Urban and Regional Planning

Students pursuing the BSE in Civil Engineering with an Urban and Regional Planning focus at the University of Iowa combine civil engineering fundamentals with planning-oriented coursework that connects infrastructure, transportation, land use, sustainability, and community development. The curriculum includes applied options such as Surveying and Remote Sensing, Applied GIS for Planning and Policy Making, Designing Sustainable and Healthy Cities, and Transportation, Urban Form, and Sustainability, while the senior Project Design & Management in CEE course provides an opportunity to integrate engineering knowledge into a substantial design experience.

Practical opportunities and facilities include:

• Applied GIS: URP:4225 Applied GIS for Planning and Policy Making gives students an applied route into geographic information systems and planning analysis.
• Surveying and remote sensing: CEE:3783 Surveying and Remote Sensing is an available Urban Studies focus elective, connecting civil engineering with spatial data collection and infrastructure-related analysis.
• Urban sustainability projects: Students can select URP:4253 Designing Sustainable and Healthy Cities, URP:4266 Transportation, Urban Form, and Sustainability, and URP:4280 Planning for Disaster Mitigation and Recovery, allowing them to explore practical urban challenges through the curriculum.
• Transportation applications: URP:4260 Transportation Policy and Planning and CEE:4763 Traffic Engineering provide opportunities to connect transportation engineering with planning and policy.
• Civil engineering design: The program culminates in CEE:4850 Project Design & Management in CEE, where students apply their accumulated engineering knowledge to project design and management.
• Internships and co-ops: Engineering Career Services coordinates professional opportunities ranging from 10-week summer internships to multi-term co-ops in business, industry, education, and government. Students can use Handshake, career fairs, employer connections, and career advising to pursue opportunities.
• Professional engineering experience: Qualified internships and co-ops can be documented on the student's transcript, and the university notes that documented engineering work experience can count toward Professional Engineering (PE) licensure requirements.
• Urban planning progression: Students interested in deeper planning practice can progress into Iowa's BSE/MS in Urban and Regional Planning, a five-year combined program jointly offered by the College of Engineering and School of Planning and Public Affairs.
• Community-focused planning: The University of Iowa's planning programs use the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities, which connects students with Iowa communities on planning problems and community-engagement projects.
• Engineering computing: The College of Engineering provides computing resources and engineering software through its technology infrastructure, supporting students' technical coursework and project work.
• Engineering career facilities and resources: Students have access to Engineering Career Services, employer recruiting, career fairs, professional advising, and the university's Handshake recruiting platform. 

The Civil Engineering BSE with an Urban and Regional Planning focus prepares graduates for careers that combine engineering, infrastructure, transportation, public works, and community planning. The University of Iowa identifies career paths including City/County Engineer, Civil Engineer, Construction Engineer, and Transportation Engineer, while its combined BSE/MS pathway provides a direct route into advanced urban and regional planning study.

Career pathways and professional development include:

• Career Services: Engineering Career Services works with the Pomerantz Career Center to provide individual advising on resumes, job and internship searches, interviewing, and evaluating job offers, while also connecting students with employers through career fairs and recruiting activities.
• Employer connections: The College of Engineering hosts career fairs attended by 100+ companies and 800–1,400 students at each in-person fair, and employers can recruit through Handshake, on-campus interviews, industry presentations, site visits, and student organizations.
• Internships and co-ops: The University’s engineering co-op and internship program offers experiences ranging from 10-week summer internships to multi-term co-ops in business, industry, education, and government. Qualifying engineering internships and co-ops can be documented on the transcript and may count toward Professional Engineering (PE) licensure experience requirements.
• Industry exposure: In 2025, Iowa engineering students reported 120 professional experiences with 63 unique employers, including Collins Aerospace, John Deere, MSA Professional Services, and Skyworks Solutions.
• Employment outcome: The University of Iowa reports that 95% of Iowa graduates are employed, continuing their education, or not seeking work within six months of graduation.
• Civil engineering salary: The University of Iowa’s Civil and Environmental Engineering department reports a $77,370 mean annual wage in Iowa, citing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
• Professional accreditation value: The Civil Engineering BSE is ABET-accredited, providing an established professional accreditation framework for civil engineering education and supporting graduates pursuing professional engineering careers.
• Senior design and community impact: Iowa Civil Engineering highlights a Senior Design Experience involving 200+ projects in 80 communities, giving students opportunities to address practical engineering needs in communities.
• Planning progression: Students can continue into the University of Iowa’s combined BSE/MS in Urban and Regional Planning, a five-year pathway offered jointly by the College of Engineering and School of Planning and Public Affairs. Students earn the BSE after four years and the MS in Urban and Regional Planning after the fifth year, preparing for public- or private-sector planning careers.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the BSE in Civil Engineering, students can pursue the University of Iowa’s MS in Urban and Regional Planning, including the combined five-year BSE/MS pathway, or continue into graduate study in civil engineering and related areas. The university specifically notes that civil engineering graduates may continue their education in engineering, planning, public policy, or law, allowing students to build further specialization around infrastructure, transportation, community development, or public-sector decision-making.