The development of wind science and engineering (WSE) for civil engineering applications is still considered relatively young and thus has been taught fairly recently, for about 50 years, in some academic institutions. Therefore, it is unsurprising that there are limited wind engineering tracks within civil engineering programs worldwide, and no semblance of a standard or ideal curricula. An adequate education in wind engineering is of utmost importance to civil engineering, particularly to structural engineering, and ultimately to academia, since natural hazards including extreme wind events have been the main cause of destruction to our infrastructure systems and buildings especially in underdeveloped communities. Thus, such a frequent natural hazard has been threatening people's lives and their well-being. The goal of this research is to identify and propose an ideal path for wind engineering (WE) programs by studying the current state of wind engineering tracks within civil engineering programs offered worldwide and identifying their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). To achieve these objectives, this research (a) analyzed the different civil engineering programs that include wind engineering tracks offered worldwide and identified the academic institutions that have academic expertise and equipment including atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) wind tunnels, a fundamental tool for the research and study of wind events; (b) conducted a survey to all WE faculty and students doing research on these topics at Florida International University to gather information on the courses offered and the intention of the course, as well as information on what they believe could be offered or improved to enhance the courses and ultimately the curricula; (c) compared the programs that include wind engineering tracks to provide a modernized wind engineering curricula; and (d) proposed ideas, tools, and strategies that can be implemented to offer a better wind curricula for students in order to enhance their education and increase research in this paramount topic.
