The Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Kanpur is producing since 1961, high quality technical manpower needed by industry, R&D organizations, and academic institutions.

The Department offers B. Tech., B. Tech. - M. Tech. Dual degree in Civil Engineering, and M.Tech degree in Civil Engineering with six specializations, i.e., Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Geoinformatics, and Engineering Geosciences. An interdisciplinary M. Tech program in Environmental Engineering and Management, offered by the Department is a unique programme across the country. The Department also has a vibrant PhD programme in all the above mentioned specializations, including Environmental Engineering. The academic activities of the Department emphasizes deep understanding of fundamental principles, development of creative ability to handle the challenges of Civil Engineering, and the analytical ability to solve problems which are interdisciplinary in nature. The Department also encourages its students to engage in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, essential for development, nurturing of team spirit, and developing organizational skills. The faculty members of the department are involved in high quality research and consultancy activities, and they continue to enjoy academic leadership role in the country.

The broad objective of the department is to achieve international recognition for excellence in research and teaching, such that it is ranked as the top Civil Engineering department in the country and, thus, it becomes the top choice of graduate students for higher education and of prospective faculty for their career.

Since then the department has been producinghigh-quality technical manpower needed by industry, R&D organizations, and academic institutions. The Department offered B. Tech. degree in Civil Engineering, B. Tech. - M. Tech. Dual degree in Civil Engineering, and M. Tech. degree in Civil Engineering with six specializations, i.e., Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Hydraulics & Water Resources Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Geoinformatics, and Engineering Geosciences. An interdisciplinary M. Tech. programme in Environmental Engineering and Management, offered by the Department is a unique programme in the country. The Department also has a vibrant PhD programme in the above-mentioned specializations, including Environmental Engineering.

The Institute has recently (2014) created Department of Earth Science by carving out the Engineering Geosciences (EG) group of the Department. As a result, the Department will not offer M. Tech. programme in EG specializationwith effect from the academic session 2014-15.