The Master of Science degree is awarded after the completion of 30 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students are also required to obtain a B- or better in all technical core courses. Specific requirements may vary depending on whether a student pursues the thesis or non-thesis option, but a final comprehensive exam is required for all students.
Students pursuing the M.S. thesis option must complete at least 24 credit hours of coursework beyond the bachelor's degree. A minimum of 12 credits must be at the 600-level or above, and students must complete at least 12 credits of technical division courses. Students must also register for at least 6 credits of ENCE 799: Master's Thesis Research. To determine your advisor's section number, contact Anna Damm, assistant director of graduate student services.
A student's thesis should make a contribution to the advancement of civil and environmental engineering research. Work performed for the M.S. thesis should be of such quality and extent that it would be suitable for publication as at least a technical note in an archival journal.
Additional information and specific requirements for the M.S. thesis can be found in The Graduate Guide.
Students pursing an M.S. without a thesis must complete at least 30 semester hours beyond the bachelor degree. A minimum of 21 credits must be at the 600-level or above, and at least 12 credits must be satisfied through courses in the student’s technical division.
In addition to the comprehensive exam, students must complete a scholarly paper under the advisement of a faculty member. This can be done in conjunction with or independent of a course. Approved forms of work include a critical literature search, a piece of original research less extensive than a thesis, and a replication of published work for more in-depth understanding.
Additional information and specific requirements for the M.S. non-thesis option can be found in The Graduate Guide.
This program focuses on computing, communications, sensing, and materials science to enable students to contribute to the design of a new generation of large scale civil engineering systems. Related research will concentrate on how to optimize system efficiency, reliability, cost, and other factors.
Students must complete one course in three core areas as well as three courses from six specialty areas and two approved electives. Visit the Courses page for available courses and descriptions. Core areas include:
- Systems—ENSE 621: Systems Modeling and Design or ENSE 622: Systems Requirements, Design and Tradeoff Analysis
- Operations research/optimization—ENCE 603: Management Science Applications in Project Management or ENCE 677: OR Models for Transportation Systems Analysis
- Sensing and controls—ENCE 688A: Sensing and Systems Control
Faculty working in this technical division include:
For more information, visit the Civil Systems website.
This program provides a core background in water chemistry, environmental biology, and process dynamics. Advanced course work and research opportunities in water and wastewater treatment, bioremediation, pollutants and risk, ground and surface water hydrology, and air pollution is available in CEE and allied departments. Learn more about research from this division on the Environmental Engineering Laboratories website.
Students must complete the following core courses, along with three additional environmental and water resources courses. Remaining electives must be approved by your advisor. Visit the Courses page for available courses and descriptions.
- ENCE 637: Biological Principles of Environmental Engineering
- ENCE 650: Process Dynamics of Environmental Systems
- ENCE 651: Chemistry of Natural Waves
Faculty working in this technical division include:
This program will help you to understand and create the surfaces that we walk and drive on every day. Related research areas include soil properties and behavior, earth retaining structures, geomechanics, highway and airfield pavement engineering, materials characterization and behavior, foundations, dynamics, earthquake engineering, nondestructive evaluation, and geoenvironmental engineering.
Students in this program select from program course offerings in consultation with advisor. Visit the Courses page for available courses and descriptions.
Faculty working in this division include:
This program provides basic, advanced, and specialized project management knowledge necessary for graduates to be proficient in recognized specialties of project management. In addition to general and technical education, the educational program stresses professional and ethical responsibilities, an awareness of societal issues, and the need for life-long learning.
Students must complete the following five core courses as well as a series of electives. Visit the Courses page for available courses and descriptions.
- ENCE 627: Project Risk Management
- ENCE 661: Project Cost Accounting and Finance
- ENCE 662: Introduction to Project Management
- ENCE 664: Legal Aspects of Engineering Design and Construction
- ENCE 665: Management of Project Teams
Faculty working in this technical division include:
For more information, visit the Project Management Center for Excellence website.
This program focuses on the design, construction, and maintenance of the load carrying components of civil engineering infrastructure: buildings, bridges, dams, protective structures, and more.
Students in this program select from program course offerings in consultation with advisor. Visit the Courses page for available courses and descriptions.
Faculty working in this division include:
This program provides students with in-depth knowledge in a range of topics critical to the field— from the more traditional areas of transportation planning, travel behavior, traffic operations, safety, and design to system optimization, transportation economics and policy, infrastructure vulnerability and protection, emissions estimation, and sustainability analysis. Research in this program is interdisciplinary, incorporating elements of mathematics, computer science, architecture and urban planning, operations research and management science, logistics, economics, and psychology.
Students in this program select from program course offerings in consultation with advisor. Visit the Courses page for available courses and descriptions.
Faculty working in this division include:
For more information, visit the Transportation Engineering Program website.
This program helps students understand and apply analytical, computational, and experimental methods for studying water in natural and engineered systems. Related research areas include watershed hydrology, geographic information systems, urban water resources systems, water quality modeling, and hydraulic and river engineering.
Students must complete the following core courses in addition to electives. Visit the Courses page for available courses and descriptions.
- ENCE 431: Hydrologic Engineering
- ENCE 630: Environmental and Water Resources Systems I
Faculty working in this technical division include: