Welcome to Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo

We are one of the largest combined departments of civil, environmental, geological and architectural engineering in Canada and our community of innovative, engaged students, staff and faculty is more than 1,000 strong.

There’s a lot we’re proud of here, and whether you’re a future or current undergraduate student, interested in graduate studies or just curious about our department, we invite you to explore our programs, research and other information on this site to find out more.

Application Deadlines: Fall Feb 1st, Winter June 1st, Spring Oct 1st

News

Professor Solomon Tesfamariam of the University of Waterloo’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has received the 2025 Engineering Structures Best Paper of the Year Award for his research on the reliability of timber columns under fire conditions, co-authored with Tongchen Han. The international award recognizes the paper’s innovation, rigor, and impact on safer, more resilient timber construction.

A new study by Rebecca Saari out of the University of Waterloo is underlining how North American air quality could deteriorate by the end of the century unless efforts are taken to fight climate change.