A Warm Welcome from our Department Chair
Welcome to Columbia University’s Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics — one of the oldest civil engineering programs in the country, with a research and teaching agenda shaped by where the field is headed.
We work at the intersection of forces reshaping the built environment: the urgent need for resilient, sustainable infrastructure, in an increasingly urbanized and connected world and the rapid integration of AI, robotics, and digital tools into how we design, build, and maintain it. From our vantage point in New York City — one of the most complex built environments on Earth — our faculty, students, and partners are advancing work in resilience, smart cities, autonomous construction systems, next- generation aerospace structures, and more.
This work doesn’t happen in isolation. We’re proud of our long-standing collaborations with peer institutions, national labs and research centers, and with the range of global- leading firms whose engineers teach in and partner with our program bringing real engineering practice directly into our classrooms and research programs. We also work closely with government and public agencies confronting the infrastructure challenges facing us today, from aging systems to climate resilience to the responsible integration of AI into civil infrastructure.
For students, this means direct access to people actively shaping skylines and infrastructure systems right now, plus the resources of an Ivy League research institution — including the state-of-the-art Carleton Laboratory, where real materials and structures are tested. For our research partners and collaborators, it means access to a faculty and student body deeply engaged in rigorous, field-relevant work, and eager to build on it together.
Whether you’re a prospective student, a fellow researcher, an industry partner, or a public-sector leader working on the infrastructure of tomorrow, we welcome the chance to work with you — and we look forward to what we’ll build together.
Andrew Smyth
Chair of Columbia University’s Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
Civil engineering is about much more than buildings and bridges. It is the engineering of the physical systems that allow communities, cities, and societies to function.
At Columbia, our department brings together two closely connected areas of study: Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics.
Civil Engineering
Civil engineering encompasses the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the built environment and the infrastructure that supports society.
Our work spans areas including structures, transportation, construction, environmental engineering, water systems, and infrastructure resilience. Civil engineers design and maintain everything from buildings, bridges, and transportation networks to water systems and energy infrastructure.
Today, civil engineering is also addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges: adapting infrastructure to climate change, creating more sustainable and resilient cities, and developing new ways to design and construct the places where people live and work.
Engineering Mechanics
Engineering mechanics focuses on the science of forces, motion, materials, and structures — and how those principles can be applied across engineering and scientific disciplines.
Our research and teaching encompass areas including structural mechanics, materials, dynamics and vibrations, fluid mechanics, aerospace structures, micro- and nano-mechanics, and the mechanics of biological and energy systems.
Because mechanics is fundamental to so many fields, our work extends well beyond traditional civil engineering — from aerospace and automotive systems to advanced materials, energy technologies, and biomedical applications.
New York City is part of our classroom and laboratory.
Few places offer a more compelling environment for studying the challenges of the built environment. The city’s bridges, tunnels, subway systems, buildings, water infrastructure, waterfronts, and dense urban neighborhoods provide opportunities to study engineering challenges at an extraordinary scale.
Our location also connects students and researchers with one of the world's largest concentrations of engineering firms, construction companies, technology organizations, government agencies, and infrastructure professionals.
At Columbia, students can connect fundamental engineering principles with the complex, real-world systems they see around them every day.
Our goal is to give students a strong technical foundation grounded in theory, while providing the breadth and flexibility to pursue many different paths.
A CEEM education can prepare students for careers in engineering and advanced technical fields, graduate and professional study, research, entrepreneurship, public service, and many other pursuits.
The principles of civil engineering and mechanics apply wherever people design, build, move, power, protect, and sustain the physical world.
Columbia University was founded as King’s College in 1754, making it the fifth-oldest university in the United States. Engineering education at Columbia began with the establishment of the School of Mines in 1864, the first school of its kind in the United States. Civil engineering was added to the curriculum in 1868.
Over more than 150 years, the department has contributed to the development of civil engineering and engineering mechanics through influential research, teaching, and practice.
Our alumni and faculty have designed landmark infrastructure, advanced the science of engineering mechanics, led major engineering organizations, and contributed to fields ranging from bridge design to aerospace.
During the mid-20th century, Columbia became particularly renowned for its work in engineering mechanics. Faculty such as Raymond Mindlin, Richard Freudenthal, Mario Salvadori, Richard Skalak, Hans Bleich, Donald Burmister, and Maciej Bieniek helped shape entire areas of research and trained generations of engineers and scholars.
Today, that tradition continues through a department focused not only on the engineering challenges of today, but on the technologies, infrastructure, and scientific questions that will shape the future.
Our Faculty
Meet the researchers and educators whose work spans civil engineering, mechanics, materials, infrastructure, and more.
Our Research
Explore the research areas and technologies shaping the future of the built environment.
Our Academic Programs
Learn about undergraduate and graduate study in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics.
Careers & Opportunities
Discover how CEEM prepares students for careers in engineering, research, industry, public service, and beyond.