Bachelor in Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering deals with the planning, design, construction, assessment, monitoring, maintenance and management of structures and infrastructures, including buildings, bridges, tunnels, dams, water collection, distribution and drainage systems, transportation systems such as roads, railways, harbours, airports, and other engineering works that play a fundamental role for the economic growth and sustainable development of the modern society and resilient communities.

The Bachelor programme (BSc) in Civil Engineering aims at providing future professionals with sound theoretical principles of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computer science, together with the fundamentals of the core subjects of Civil Engineering (including surveying, mechanics of fluids, solids, soils and structures, hydraulic engineering works, transportation infrastructures).

In Italy, Civil Engineering education teaching started in Milan in 1862, when the “Istituto Tecnico Superiore di Milano” was founded; in 1923 it became “Regia Scuola di Ingegneria di Milano,” or “Regio Politecnico”. In that context, the degree program followed the European standards of that time: a two-year period, in which mathematics and basic sciences were extensively taught, was followed by a three-year period devoted to the study of typical engineering subjects, starting with topics belonging to the domain of engineering sciences (structural mechanics, hydraulics, surveying, etc.) and then moving on to disciplines dealing with the design of engineering works (steel and concrete structures, foundations, road design, etc.).

At the turn of the XXI century, the social changes and the evolution of the labour market in Italy brought about a reorganization of the Degree Programs, by introducing a “two-tier system”: the 1st level degree program is the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE), having a duration of 3 years, and the 2nd one is the Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE), having a duration of 2 years.

Civil Engineering is offered at approximately thirty Italian Universities. Although the degree programs have a similar layout in all of them, they possess an imprint peculiar to each University according to its history and size, and to local needs. According to international University rankings, Politecnico di Milano is an institution of excellence, both on a national and international level.

The Bachelor’s degree program is conceived so as to enable graduates either to find an employment in the industry or in consulting engineering offices, or to undertake graduate studies, or even both. Even though a BS graduate is capable of operating as a civil engineer, within the limits set by current legislation and the engineers’ professional register, Politecnico also aims at producing fully-qualified engineers, graduated from the five-year programme. The degree programme puts strong emphasis on the theoretical fundamentals of basic scientific disciplines, according to the tradition of the Italian engineering schools. The programme is quite demanding, so that full-time commitment is recommended. In exchange for this commitment, graduates from Politecnico di Milano will be surely highly considered by society, and will usually find a job suitable for their background and studies without any significant difficulty. BS Civil Engineers from Politecnico are appreciated even abroad, meaning that graduates having a good knowledge of English will have many employment opportunities.

The Polytechnic is a public scientific and technological university that trains engineers, architects, and designers. It has always focused on quality and innovation in teaching and research, developing a fruitful relationship with the economic and productive reality through experimental research and technology transfer. It also aims to be a solid, recognizable, and reliable reference point for sustainable development in Italy and in Europe.

Research is increasingly linked to teaching and constitutes a priority commitment that allows the Polytechnic of Milan to achieve high-level international results and to facilitate the meeting between the university and the business world. Research activities also represent a parallel path to cooperation and alliances with the industrial system.

Understanding the world in which one will operate is an essential requirement for student training. Engaging with the needs of the productive, industrial, and public administration sectors helps research to explore new grounds and to confront the necessity of constant and rapid innovation. The alliance with the industrial world, often fostered by the Polytechnic Foundation and consortia involving the Polytechnic, allows the university to support the vocation of the territories in which it operates and to stimulate their development.

The challenge being faced today projects this tradition of strong territorial roots beyond the country's borders, in a dialogue that develops primarily at the European level with the aim of contributing to the creation of a "single market" for education. The Polytechnic participates in numerous research and training projects collaborating with the most qualified European and international universities, from North America to Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe. Today, the push for internationalization sees the Polytechnic of Milan participating in the European and global network of leading technical universities and offering numerous exchange programs and dual degree opportunities, as well as various study courses entirely in English.