The Department of Civil Engineering (DTS), established on September 10, 1960, is one of the oldest study programs in the Faculty of Engineering, Hasanuddin University. In its first academic year, the Department was managed by part-time lecturers from the Ministry of Public Works. Due to the difficulty of finding lecturers, in 1964 several senior students were appointed as teaching assistants. At that time, classes were held at the Baraya Campus.
After the Department of Civil Engineering graduated its first graduates in September 1968, the part-time lecturers were gradually replaced by permanent lecturers. These permanent lecturers then managed the DTS, but with the assistance of teaching assistants and staff from various related agencies in Makassar.
The 1970s were challenging times, as amidst a shortage of lecturers, several teaching assistants left for companies or other institutions. However, with tireless enthusiasm, the department management gradually equipped the laboratories and trained laboratory technicians at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and Gadjah Mada University (UGM). Therefore, since 1978, students no longer had to travel to Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) to complete Soil Mechanics and Hydraulics practicums.
The 1980s can be described as a decade of development. Since then, DTS has gradually expanded. In 1985, DTS moved to a new campus in Tamalanrea. Simultaneously, new laboratory equipment was acquired. In addition, new lecturers were recruited to address the high student interest in enrolling at DTS. With the use of these new facilities, in 2000, DTS launched a Master's program in Civil Engineering.
From 2001 to 2005, DTS underwent further major expansion. DTS received funding from the Asian Development Bank through the Technological and Professional Skill Development Sector Project. With this funding, DTS upgraded laboratory equipment and provided scholarships for eight lecturers to continue their education at the master's and doctoral levels. With these improvements, in 2009, DTS launched a Doctoral program in Civil Engineering.
The Faculty of Engineering established its Gowa campus in 2013 with funding from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The Faculty of Engineering used this funding to further upgrade laboratory equipment and send 12 lecturers to Japan for doctoral and postdoc programs. The Faculty then moved to the Gowa campus in 2016.
Currently, the Undergraduate, Master's, and Doctoral study programs have been accredited by BAN-DIKTI with an A accreditation rating. In 2017, the Undergraduate study program received Quality Assurance certification from the ASEAN University Network (AUN-QA). Furthermore, the Undergraduate study program is in the process of obtaining international accreditation from ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology).
