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Civil Engineering Education At The University Of Florida And The Middle East Technical University, Republic Of Turkey

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Conference

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Honolulu, Hawaii

Publication Date

June 24, 2007

Start Date

June 24, 2007

End Date

June 27, 2007

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Engineering Education in the Arab World / Mid-East Region

Tagged Division

International

Page Count

13

Page Numbers

12.358.1 - 12.358.13

DOI

10.18260/1-2--1766

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/1766

Download Count

822

Paper Authors

biography

Ulas Toros University of Florida

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ULAS TOROS

Ulas Toros is a PhD student at the University of Florida majoring in Civil Engineering. He earned his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Eastern Mediterranean University, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He earned his Master of Science degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso, and Master of Engineering degree in Construction Engineering and Management from the University of Florida

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biography

George Younis University of Florida

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GEORGE YOUNIS

George Younis is a PhD student at the University of Florida majoring in Civil Engineering. He earned his undergraduate degree in Quantity Surveying with honors from University of Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom. He earned his Mater of Engineering degree in Construction Engineering and Management from the University of Florida

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biography

Fazil Najafi University of Florida

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Dr. Fazil T. Najafi

Dr. Najafi is a professor of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida. He earned his BSCE from the American College of Engineering, Kabul, Afghanistan, and his BSAE, MS, and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He has worked for 35 years in government, industry, and education. Besides teaching during the last 14 years, Dr. Najafi has conducted research, has been a participating member of several professional societies including ASEE, has published numerous refereed and non-refereed articles, and has presented many technical papers to international, national and local organizations.

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Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Civil Engineering Education at the University of Florida and the Middle East Technical University, Turkey Abstract

Civil engineering is a discipline that amalgamates art and science to create and refine infrastruc- ture work, provides solutions according to the needs of modern civilization, and protects the environment. The dynamics of the current global marketplace suggests that civil engineers are among the best-positioned professionals to be able to utilize the cutting edge technology. Civil engineers find numerous opportunities in industry, be it through consulting practices, research or development.

However, for civil engineering to maintain its importance in a global business setting, it is imperative that institutions’ curricula be regularly revised to meet the world’s perpetual evolving social and environmental needs.

Both the civil engineering programs leading to a bachelor’s of science degree are four-year programs. The College of Engineering at the University of Florida has 11 academic departments, while the College of Engineering at the Middle East Technical University has 14. Civil engineering is one of the departments in the College of Engineering at both universities.

However, the required credits required between the programs are quite varied. The curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree at the University of Florida consists of 131 credits, while that of the Middle East Technical University consists of a minimum of 152 credits. The University of Florida allows for 52 general education credits while the Middle East Technical University provides for 39. In terms of core engineering credits, the University of Florida requires 79 engineering-based credits, while the Middle East Technical University requires 85.

This paper compares and analyzes the current civil engineering undergraduate curriculum at the Middle East Technical University with that of the University of Florida’s. The results of this study indicate that both curricula meet the educational requirements of both the United States and that of the Republic of Turkey.

Introduction

The Middle East Technical University (METU) is located in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. METU was founded in 1956 under the name of Middle East High Technology Institute to help contribute to the development of Turkey and Middle East countries by graduating skilled workforces in the fields of natural and social sciences. There are currently 47 undergraduate programs divided into five faculties, namely the Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Faculty of Education. There are 152 graduate programs in graduate schools of natural sciences, social sciences, informatics, applied mathematics and marine sciences. The official language utilized by instructors at METU is English. The civil engineering undergraduate program at METU was founded between 1957 and 1958 during the establishment of the Faculty of Engineering.

Toros, U., & Younis, G., & Najafi, F. (2007, June), Civil Engineering Education At The University Of Florida And The Middle East Technical University, Republic Of Turkey Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--1766

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