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Advising

Learning is a process that looks different for everyone. There is no “one size fits all” civil engineering student. Each student starts (or restarts) at a different level of foundational knowledge and builds upon that knowledge at Boise State. The following information is meant to help you find your starting point in civil engineering, as well as how to succeed once you are working towards your civil engineering degree.

The civil engineering academic advisor can help traditional students, transfer students, second degree-seeking students, and even graduate students. Reach out!

Civil Engineering Academic Advisor

  • Briceland McLaughlin

    Briceland McLaughlin

    Academic Advisor

    All students are strongly encouraged to meet regularly (at least once per semester) with our Civil Engineering academic advisor, Briceland McLaughlin. You can email Brice directly, or schedule an appointment online:

    Include your name, student ID number and email address when submitting questions.

    Please note that due to COVID-19 precautions, in-person appointments are not currently available. Meetings can be scheduled via Zoom, phone, or email. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

    Civil Engineering | RUCH 338A

    All students are strongly encouraged to meet regularly (at least once per semester) with our Civil Engineering academic advisor, Briceland McLaughlin. You can email Brice directly, or schedule an appointment online:

    Include your name, student ID number and email address when submitting questions.

    Please note that due to COVID-19 precautions, in-person appointments are not currently available. Meetings can be scheduled via Zoom, phone, or email. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Before You Arrive

Advising Topics

Success Strategies

The transition from high school or working full time to college can be challenging and believe it or not, most students were never taught how to learn efficiently. There are many resources available to you on the Boise State campus and we highly suggest taking advantage of everything possible. Here are a few strategies that will help you succeed during your time in the Civil Engineering program.

  • Attend Faculty Office Hours
  • Get Involved – Join the Civil Engineering Club (Mondays @ 6pm in RUCH 103)
  • Read a Book About Academic Success Strategies (Learn Like Einstein (Hollins), Teach Yourself How to Learn (McGuire), A Guide to Effective Studying and Learning: Practical Strategies from the Science of Learning (Rhodes))
  • Listen to “Learning How to Learn,” an online lecture series.
  • Form a study group.
  • Put together a detailed study/work plan.
  • Start studying early and utilize spaced repetition to retain information.
  • Test Yourself – Complete practice exams and problems to test your knowledge before an official exam.
  • Take notes by hand in class. You will remember more. It’s science!
  • Schedule an Appointment with Your Academic Advisor (She is also a learning specialist).
  • Attend Learning Assistant (LA) Sessions

Common Minor Programs

The Boise State Civil Engineering program offers areas of focus within the realms of geotechnical, water resources, transportation, infrastructure systems, and structural engineering.

Minors can be a wonderful way to supplement your education within your area of specialty. The Civil Engineering degree plan does not leave much room to take on large minor programs, but students who come into Boise State with college credit or those who are willing to take on summer coursework can easily obtain a minor. Start planning early as there are many courses required that can overlap with CE degree requirements.

The number to the right of each minor is the number of extra courses required to add the minor taking into account course overlap with CE.

Applied Mathematics Minor (1)

Climate Studies Minor (4)

Construction Management Minor (5)

Engineering Design Certificate (3)

Environmental Studies Minor (4)

Hydrology Minor (2-3)

Sustainability Minor (2-3)

Urban Studies and Community Development Minor (6)

High School Planning

It is not required that you take AP courses or complete any college level courses while in high school, but with the opportunities available to many high school students it can be overwhelming to make decisions. If you are interested in civil engineering as a potential career, the following coursework at the high school level may be helpful when you enter Boise State.

  • Concurrent Enrollment Courses
  • Independent Study Idaho (Contact Civil Engineering Advisor before enrolling)
  • AP Calculus AB or BC (Score of 3)
  • AP Chemistry (Score of 4)
  • AP Art History (Score of 3)
  • AP English Language Composition (Score of 3,4 or 5)
  • AP Environmental Science (Score of 3)
  • AP Physics C/Mechanics (Score of 3)
  • AP Psychology (Score of 3)
  • AP US Government and Politics (Score of 3)
  • AP United States History (Score of 3)
  • AP World History (Score of 3)
  • AP Language (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish Language and Culture (Score of 3)

More information can be found about Credit for Prior Learning at the Boise State Registrar’s website.

Accelerated Masters Program

The Department of Civil Engineering offers the ability to begin a masters program during your senior year at Boise State. You may take up to 9 credits of your undergraduate Design and CE technical electives for graduate credit. This allows you to complete your bachelors and masters in a total of 5 years.

In order to qualify for the Accelerated Masters Program, you must have a 3.25 GPA after completing 75 credits towards your Civil Engineering BS.