School of Civil Engineering grew out of the former Department of Building Engineering, which was formed in 1956 by integrating the civil engineering departments of Northeastern Polytechnic University, Northwestern Polytechnic University, Tsingdao Polytechnic University, and Southern Jiangsu Polytechnic School. In 1999, the School of Civil Engineering was finally established on the basis of the former Department of Building Engineering and the Institute of General Planning and Industrial Transportation. At the beginning of its establishment, there were many famous professors in the field of structural engineering and mechanical engineering.

Currently there are eight teaching and research groups, eleven research institutes and four laboratories including a provincial/ministerial key laboratory — the Structure and Seismic Laboratory. In addition, the school also has subsidiary bodies such as the school library, teaching archives and school website. At present, the school has one post-doctorate station, one national key discipline, one Ph.D program in the general field of civil engineering, seven Ph.D programs and seven Master programs in its sub-field.

The school now offers three specialties for undergraduates: Civil Engineering, Traffic Engineering and General Planning and Industrial Transportation. Civil Engineering is the National Distinctive Specialty and is a provincially famous specialty. Traffic engineering is one of the Shaanxi Provincial Distinctive Specialties.

Presently there are 168 teachers and administrative staff members in the school, of whom there are 36 professors, 50 associate professors, 32 PhD supervisors and 71 Master Instructors. One teacher has been awarded the National Outstanding Youth Science Foundation. One teacher has been selected as a member of the National Hundred Talents Project. Two teachers have been selected as members of the Third Five Talents Project of Shaanxi Province. Three teachers are Master Teachers of Shaanxi Province. Two teachers have been awarded as Teaching Moral Model for Shaanxi Province. One teacher obtained the Huo Yingdong Foundation Award from the Ministry of Education. One teacher is a member of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee. One teacher was selected as a member of the first "Hundred Talents" of Shaanxi Province.

At the school there are now 1,523 undergraduates and 1,148 postgraduates, among whom 128 are doctoral students and 1020 are masters students. There is one National Teaching Team, one National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center, and one Provincial Talent Training Model Innovation Experimental Zone in the school. Three courses have been selected as the National Courses. One second prize national teaching achievement has been awarded to the school.

In recent years, the school has undertaken 993 scientific research programs. The contractual monetary value of these programs has reached 128,945,300 Yuan, of which 111,719,900 Yuan has been allocated to the school. Twenty-one programs have been given the national, provincial or Ministerial Science and Technology Progress Award. The school has forty-one patents and has published 95 specialist books. The school also has published 1877 high-level academic papers, among which 433 are indexed by SCI, EI, ISTP.

With its unique location and long history in the field, the school has cultivated a large number of professionals in civil and traffic engineering, general planning, and industrial transportation for the whole nation in the past 50 years. The school has completed a group of significant regional scientific programs with Shaanxi characteristics and has solved numerous key technical problems for major projects. Accordingly, the school has contributed significantly to the national economic growth and the social development in Shaanxi Province.