Introduction to Civil Engineering Design
MIT OpenCourseWare's 1.012 introduces the theory, tools, and techniques of engineering design as applied to civil engineering. Students work through several design cases centered on built facilities such as buildings, bridges, and roads, weighing technical approaches alongside the existing built environment, natural environment, economic factors, and expected structural lifespan. The course introduces a large design case that carries forward into later specialty subjects on structural, geotechnical, and environmental design, as well as the capstone design course. Materials include lecture notes, design case studies, and assignments as published through MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access with no certificate offered. The course suits students starting a civil engineering curriculum who want a grounded introduction to how real design constraints, cost, environment, and durability interact in practice.