Suggested Resources to Take into the Civil PE Exam

It is certainly possible to pass the civil PE exam without having all of the books listed below. What you see here are simply suggestions for resources that may be helpful during the exam, compiled by Civil Engineering Reference Manual author Michael Lindeburg and augmented with recommendations from recent examinees.

The resources are divided according to the five "depth" modules currently found in the civil exam. Remember that none of the modules is "pure"--each has some percentage of problems from several of the other modules.

The core resources for each module are listed first. These are materials that have consistently proven valuable in previous exams (for example, the code-related books). The secondary, "suggested" lists are just that--books that recent examinees have suggested they found useful. (If you would like to add to this list, please send us your recommendation by email.)

Sources for more specialized publications are provided. If no source is given, the publication can be found in better bookstores.

Environmental

Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 21st ed. 2005. A joint publication of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF).

Wastewater Engineering: Treatment, Disposal, and Reuse, 4th ed. (Metcalf & Eddy) George Tchobanoglous and Franklin L. Burton, 2002 (McGraw-Hill).

Previous examinees have also suggested (in alphabetical order):

Applied Hydrogeology. C. W. Fetter. 2000 (Prentice Hall).

Groundwater, 2nd ed. R. Allan Freeze and John A. Cherry. 1979 (Prentice Hall).

Groundwater and Wells, 2nd ed. Fletcher G. Driscol, 1986 (Mower House).

Groundwater Hydrology, 3rd ed. David Keith Todd. 2004 (John Wiley).

Introduction to Environmental Engineering, 4th ed. M. L. Davis and D. A. Cornwell, 2006 (McGraw-Hill).

Geotechnical

Previous examinees have suggested (in alphabetical order):

Foundation Analysis and Design, 5th ed. Joseph E. Bowles, 1996 (McGraw-Hill).

Foundation Design: Principles and Practices, 2nd ed. Donald P. Coduto, 2000 (Prentice Hall).

Foundation Engineering Handbook, 2nd ed. Hsai-Yang Fang, ed., 1997 (Kluwer Academic Publishers).

Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering, Braja M. Das, 2000 (Brooks/Cole).

Principles of Foundation Engineering, 5th ed. Braja M. Das, 2003 (Brooks/Cole).

Structural

Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI-318) with Commentary (ACI-318R). 1999. American Concrete Institute.

Design Handbook: Beams, One-Way Slabs, Brackets, Footings, Pile Caps, Columns, Two-Way Slabs (ACI SP-017). 1997.

LRFD Manual of Steel Construction: Vol. 1, Structural Members, Specifications, and Codes. 2nd ed. 1994. American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)--only if you intend to work in LRFD.

Manual of Steel Construction, Allowable Stress Design. 9th ed. 1989. American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc.

Minimum Design Standards for Buildings and Other Structures. ASCE 7, 1998. American Society of Civil Engineers.

Allowable Stress Design Manual for Engineered Wood Construction. 2005 Available from PPI.

PCI Design Handbook, 6th Ed., 2004. Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute.

Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, 17th ed. AASHTO, 2002.

International Building Code, 2003. Available from PPI.

Transportation

Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, 14th ed. 2002. Portland Cement Association.

Highway Capacity Manual 2000. Transportation Research Board/National Research Council. Available from PPI.

Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices - For Streets and Highways (MUTCD), Millennium edition, 2003. (US Customary Version required.)

AASHTO Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets ("AASHTO Green Book"), 5th ed., 2004. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Available from PPI.

Roadside Design Guide, AASHTO, 2002.

Traffic Engineering Handbook, 5th ed., 1999. Available from PPI.

Trip Generation. Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington, DC. ITE Bookstore.

Previous examinees have also suggested:

Traffic and Highway Engineering, 3rd ed. Nicholas Garber & Lester Hoel. 2001 (Brooks/Cole).

Water Resources

Handbook of Hydraulics: For the Solution of Hydraulic Engineering Questions, 7th ed. Brater, King, Lindell, and Wei. 1996 (McGraw-Hill).

Urban Hydrology for Small Watersheds (Technical Release TR- 55). 1986. United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service). Hydrocad.

Previous examinees have also suggested (in alphabetical order):

Applied Hydrogeology. C. W. Fetter. 2000 (Prentice Hall).

Groundwater, 2nd ed. R. Allan Freeze and John A. Cherry. 1979 (Prentice Hall).

Groundwater and Wells, 2nd ed. Fletcher G. Driscol, 1986 (Mower House).

Groundwater Hydrology, 3rd ed. David Keith Todd. 2004 (John Wiley).

Hydraulic Design Handbook. American Water Works Association, 1999. AWWA.

Hydrology and Hydraulic Systems. Ram S. Gupta, 2001 (Waveland Press).

Unit Operations and Process in Environmental Engineering, 2nd ed. Tom D. Reynolds and Paul A. Richards, 1995 (Wadsworth).

Wastewater Engineering: Treatment, Disposal, and Reuse, 3rd ed. (Metcalf & Eddy) George Tchobanoglous and Franklin L. Burton, 1991 (McGraw-Hill).

Water Resources Handbook. Larry W. Mays, 1996 (McGraw-Hill).

Water Supply and Pollution Control. Warren Viessman et al., 2004 (Addison Wesley Longman).