The School undertakes teaching and research in the specialist disciplines of engineering construction and management (civil engineering systems, engineering economics, project planning and management and civil engineering construction), geotechnical engineering (foundation, soil, rock, dam and pavement engineering, geomechanics and environmental geomechanics), structural engineering (structural analysis and design, concrete, steel and composite structures, and concrete and materials technology), transport engineering (planning design and operation of transport systems, land use and transport modelling, statistical analysis, economic evaluations and environmental impact studies), and water engineering (hydraulics, hydrology, groundwater, water resources, water and wastewater treatment, waste management and public health engineering).

The School comprises specialist staff with a broad spectrum of expertise across the disciplines of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The School conducts both fundamental and applied research and development across a broad range of sub-disciplines, including Engineering Construction and Management, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transport Engineering, Water Engineering and Waste Management. Much of the research is funded externally by nationally competitive government grants or by the Civil and Environmental Engineering industries.