Established in 1915, Civil Engineering was one of the founding departments when the University of British Columbia opened its doors to the first students. The first UBC Civil Engineering degrees were conferred in 1922, and the first woman graduated from the Department in 1973.
UBC’s Department of Civil Engineering is located at the Vancouver ʔəlqsən (Point Grey) campus, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. As one of the oldest and most established engineering programs in Western Canada, our department is home to over 500 undergraduate students, 200 graduate students, 32 tenured and tenure-track faculty, and a dedicated team of lecturers, emeriti, adjunct professors, postdoctoral researchers, and staff who support our academic, research, and operational excellence.
Today, UBC Civil Engineering is widely recognized as a top-ranked department. The 2024 QS World University Rankings places UBC Civil Engineering at number two in Canada and top 25 in the world. Combining reputation with performance, these rankings attest to the Department’s strong history and the significant accomplishments of students, faculty, and administration.
Whether it’s advancing climate-resilient infrastructure, designing inclusive cities, or building safer communities, our faculty and students are engaged in research and education that make a real-world impact.