CIVIL ENGINEERING
Mission and Vision
MISSION
To offer the community professionals with a comprehensive and innovative training, capable of developing in any area of the profession with a high social commitment, technical and scientific capacity to respond to the needs and problems of the habitat. Professionals who understand the constant transformations of the engineering discipline, who respond creatively to them and assume leadership roles within the framework of our commitment to excellence. Professionals who act with critical, reflective thinking, initiative, and scientific vocation; That they are aware of their ethical responsibility, before society and the environment, committed to national development. Professionals who are dedicated to creating, producing, using, and disseminating state-of-the-art knowledge in areas such as Construction Management, Roads, Hydraulics and Environmental, Structures, as well as those related to business management, employing an innovation and permanent updating in the professional training appropriate to the needs of the environment and society.
VISION
To be a leading program in the education of Civil Engineers, recognized nationally and internationally for creative contributions in the field of infrastructure development, education, and research, seeking to enhance the quality of life and ensure a sustainable future.
MISSION OF THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
To train the best Engineers and Architects in the country, through an academic model of excellence aimed at the development of skills and an ecological, responsible, ethical and humanistic sense.
Objectives
GENERAL OJECTIVE
To educate professionals with the highest level of knowledge and skills in Civil Engineering, enabling them to practice their profession successfully and make decisions in the face of the complex problems of contemporary society, particularly those pertaining to the physical infrastructure required for the production of goods and services to support and contribute to regional and national development.
PROGRAM EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Civil Engineering (CE) graduates from UPB, after 3 to 5 years of professional practice, will have:
PEO1. The UPB Civil Engineer is an upright and innovative professional with high social commitment capable of proposing sustainable solutions using logical reasoning and applying available technology.
PEO2. The UPB civil engineer is a professional capable of creating, producing, adapting and / or using his knowledge to apply it according to the needs of society promoting national development.
PEO3. The UPB civil engineer is a leading professional whose skills developed during his training help him to face the constant transformations of his professional environment with an ecological, responsible, and ethical sense.
STUDENT OUTCOMES
Below are the desired Student Outcomes intended for students pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering
SO1. Civil engineers graduated from the UPB can solve complex civil engineering problems in the areas of roads, structures, hydraulics and / or sanitary applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
SO2. The construction management and design notions acquired during the undergraduate program make the UPB civil engineer able to apply his knowledge in projects aimed at satisfying the needs of society considering public health, safety, and well-being, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors. Before, during and after the execution of a project.
SO3. The Civil Engineer graduated from the UPB can transmit his ideas to those in charge of the workforce, to professionals specialized in the different areas involved in any construction project and / or the design of civil works, as well as is able to communicate his ideas to people whose training and experience has no relation to the area. In English or Spanish languages
SO4. The Civil Engineer graduated from the UPB proposes safe designs that respect the safety requirements demanded by national and international regulations related to the specific area to which a certain project corresponds, also knows how to identify the impacts that the project implies and propose solutions in global, economic, environmental, and social contexts.
SO5. The Civil Engineer graduated from the UPB can develop in a team fulfilling the role that corresponds to him (leader or part of the team) either in the design or construction of a civil work respecting a work planning and fulfillment of Proposed Objectives.
SO6. The UPB Civil Engineer is trained so that through the analysis and interpretation of data you can choose the best conditions of the materials to be used in a construction project and/ or define the location of this project.
SO7. The civil engineer can acquire and apply new knowledge as needed using learning and research methodologies.
Why enroll at UPB to study civil engineering?
Civil engineering focuses on the design, construction, and maintenance of large-scale projects. Infrastructure works in the fields of buildings, transportation, hydraulics, sanitation, urban development, and the environment are part of the specialties within this engineering discipline.
Our aim is to educate professionals with the necessary knowledge to engage in the practice of civil engineering. These professionals should possess a high capacity to work within multidisciplinary teams, meet the technical demands and infrastructure requirements of society, and act in a committed manner towards the environment, with ethical responsibility and social sensitivity.
Profile of a Civil Engineering Student
The student must have a strong aptitude for learning exact sciences and how they are applied in engineering, as well as aptitude for and enthusiasm in using science and technology to improve society and the environment. The capacity for abstraction, numerical thinking, problem-solving, systemic approach, and decision-making must also be shown. They ought to be capable of working in teams thanks to good communication and a tendency toward leadership.
A strong command of the English language is also necessary to traverse the industry's global and technical lingo, which includes rules, technical requirements, and the use of specialized software.
Employment field
The potential employers for Civil Engineering graduates are:
- In the public sector: Ministries, International Cooperation Organizations, Universities, Water and Land Resources Management Companies, Electric Power Generation Companies, Hydrocarbon Exploitation Companies, Mining Companies, Alternative Development Organizations, and Environmental Sanitation Services.
- Private companies engaged in the design, management, supervision, consulting, construction, and operation of road, hydraulic, sanitary, social development, and environmental infrastructure projects.
Background of the Career
The Civil Engineering program is one of the initial programs offered by UPB. It was established under a Ministerial Resolution dating back to 1993 and has been shaping excellent professionals in the field for 27 years. Starting in 2017, a redesign of the initial academic program came into effect, with the premise of updating and promoting a curriculum that adapts to the changes in our environment, the global industry, new learning methods, etc.
In 2005, the Civil Engineering program was accredited by Mercosur for a period of 6 years. In 2012, it received reaccreditation from Arcu-Sur, and since then, several students from the program have participated in exchange programs with other accredited universities in the region. Both significant milestones highlight the program's focus on continuous improvement.
The Civil Engineering program has excelled in producing excellent professionals who work both nationally and internationally, ensuring the availability of adequate resources for the continuous updating of knowledge. Currently, it has its own laboratories exclusively for students and researchers use. Within the Integrated Civil Engineering Laboratory, various activities related to the study of material strength, concrete technology, surveying, fluid mechanics, soil mechanics, and hydraulics take place. The program is currently working on implementing a structures laboratory and an asphalt laboratory.
Head of Civil Engineering Program
MSc. Fabiana Viscarra
Landline: (591) (4) 4268287 / Extension 439
Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from UPB; MSc. In Physical Land Resources from Free University of Brussels and Ghent University. MSc in Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering granted by the Spanish Ministry of Development's Center for Studies and Experimentation of Public Works.Collaborated as the head of the geotechnical area at Incotec S.A., developing studies for prominent civil works, primarily in the department of Santa Cruz. Conducted consulting studies for national and international companies associated with geotechnics, geographic information systems applications, and slope stability, mainly in Cochabamba, El Alto, and Santa Cruz. Served as a consulting engineer and head of the Soil and Materials Laboratory for a United Nations project related to the implementation of the Flood and Landslide Alert System for the city of La Paz, managed with the Risk Management Secretary of GAMLP. Currently, she is a soil mechanics lecturer and adjunct researcher at the Center for Research in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UPB. She has conducted research on GIS application in geotechnics, implementation of in-situ stress-strain tests, and soil stabilization.
