The Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics offers a graduate program leading to the degree of Master of Science (MS) in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. The Master of Science degree is awarded upon the satisfactory completion of a minimum of thirty (30) points of credit of approved graduate study extending over at least two semesters.
There is no requirement for an MS thesis, but students have the option to work for a total of up to six (6) points of credit on independent research that can be considered as the equivalent of an MS thesis.
Program Details
The MS program is very flexible and allows students to choose a formal concentration from a number of areas within the department. Students who choose to pursue a concentration must meet certain core and concentration requirements. Every student is assigned a faculty member as an academic advisor. Student and advisor meet regularly and plan together the sequence of courses that best fit the student’s interests. While a suitable MS program will necessarily entail some degree of specialization, the program of study established between the student and the advisor should be well balanced, including basic subjects of broad importance as well as theory and applications. Students may take graduate-level courses from across various concentrations within the department.
An MS applicant who lacks essential undergraduate training in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics will be required to strengthen or supplement her/his undergraduate work by taking certain undergraduate courses before proceeding to graduate study. No graduate credit (that is, credit toward the minimum 30-point requirement for the Master of Science degree) will be allowed for such subjects. As part of the application review process, the department determines if an applicant would be required to complete undergraduate courses.
All degree requirements must be completed within five years of the beginning of graduate study. Under extraordinary circumstances, a written request for an extension of this time limit may be submitted to the student’s department for approval by the Department Chair and the Vice Dean. A minimum grade-point average of 2.5 is required for the M.S. degree.
Some of the best companies in the world in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics are directly involved with our MS program by teaching a number of highly specialized design-oriented and management courses, providing internships to our students, and offering opportunities for independent research.
Students can fulfil the 30 points of credit requirement of the MS degree without doing any independent research. However, for students interested in conducting research, numerous opportunities are provided for up to a maximum of 6 points of credit. Interested students should talk with their academic advisor and/or with individual faculty members in the department about research opportunities.
Students are allowed to take up to a maximum of 12 points of credit of coursework outside the department. In consultation with the student’s advisor, courses can be taken from any other department within the School of Engineering and Applied Science, from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, the Graduate School of Business, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and other schools.