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Session 2003-243

A Comparison of the Civil Engineering Curriculum at the University of Florida and the Catholic University of the North, Chile

Patricio Tapia1, Dr. Fazil T. Najafi 2

Graduate Student University of Florida1, Professor University of Florida2

Abstract

This paper compares the curriculum of the civil engineering undergraduate courses offered by both the University of Florida (UF) and the Catholic University of the North (UCN). The main differences are related to the duration of the programs. The civil engineering undergraduate courses at the UF have a duration of 4 years, whereas at the UCN, more than 7 years are required to complete the undergraduate courses. Even though the content of the courses offered by both universities are similar, the type of classes and the number of courses in each one indicate that students at the UCN receive more that the double of class hours than students at the UF. This situation is strongly influenced by the fact that the UCN, unlike UF, issues the license for working as a professional engineering. On the other hand, the curriculum of the civil engineering undergraduate courses at the UF is significantly more flexible than the UCN curriculum; however several things can be learnt from each other to enrich the civil engineering curriculum in both universities.

Introduction

The Catholic University of the North (UCN), located at the north of Chile, was founded in 1960 and currently offers undergraduate programs in more than 20 different fields. The civil engineering undergraduate program at UCN was created in 1982. The program is offered by the Department of Architecture, Construction and Civil Engineering. The Civil Engineering Department is the unit that provides the most courses1.

The University of Florida (UF), as the oldest university in the state, was founded in 1853 and currently offers more than 52 undergraduate programs in a broad variety of instructional fields. The Department of Civil Engineering was created in 1910 and later merged to the Department of Coastal Engineering in 1999. The civil engineering undergraduate program is widely considered to be among the top programs in the United States2.

At the UCN, undergraduate students’ admission is based on the Academic Aptitude Test (AAT) score and the Average High School Grade (AHSG). Admission at the UF is based on the students high school Grade Point Average (GPA), the Scholastic Aptitude Test 1 (SAT 1) and the

“Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Najafi, F. (2003, June), A Comparison Of Civil Engineering Curriculum At The University Of Florida And The Catholic University Of The North, Chile Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--12181