The Civil Engineering Department was established in September 1996 under the Building Technology (BT) Department to train professionals to take up the  middle-level supervisory role in Civil Engineering and its allied industries. Following accreditation in 1997, the Civil Engineering Department was separated from the BT Department. The Department, since its establishment, has been offering Higher National Diploma (HND) program in Civil Engineering and has trained many professionals in all the Civil Engineering disciplines.

The Department was privileged to get NUFFIC funding in 2006 to introduce the Competency-Based Training (CBT) concept of learning in the Polytechnic – a concept that allows students to undertake six months industrial attachment with any reputable Civil Engineering establishment to enhance their know- how, practical skills and knowledge, and to have a better understanding and appreciation of industry. The CBT concept is therefore an avenue to achieve a highly knowledgeable and skilled workforce for socio-economic development. The precondition for institutions to run four-year BTech programmes based on the  CBT concept as a requirement for migration to Technical University status suggests that it will be replicated across Departments shortly.

The Department was further accredited in 2009 to run a two-year top-up part-time program leading to the award of Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in Civil Engineering to upgrade the Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates and to address the progression gap created under the HND system. The top-up program is to further strengthen and increase the competencies of middle-level construction staff to meet the demand for highly qualified personnel for the  country’s growing socio-economic and manpower development challenges.