Civil Engineering, M.S.

The master of science program is structured so that students can attain academic mastery in one of six key areas of study within civil engineering (construction management, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering, structural engineering, water resources engineering). The program can be taken either on a full-time or part-time basis. Some graduate courses are offered in the evening to allow part-time students to complete the degree requirements.

Admission Requirements

Applicants usually have a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. An applicant whose degree is in another field of engineering, or mathematics or the physical sciences, may be accepted, but will be required to remedy any deficiencies by satisfactorily completing undergraduate courses in preparation for graduate study in civil engineering. Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation from academic references, a statement of purpose addressing reasons for graduate study in civil engineering and the area in which they wish to specialize, and GRE scores.

General admission requirements and the process for applying are presented in the Academic Overview  section.

Degree Requirements

There are two options for obtaining the master of science degree: thesis and nonthesis. Students in the thesis program must successfully complete 24 semester credit hours of coursework and six hours of thesis, while those in the nonthesis option must complete 30 semester credit hours of coursework. Students in the thesis option must successfully defend a thesis, while students in the nonthesis option are required to pass a final program examination.