MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.S.) DEGREE

Admissions

Students with Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in civil or environmental engineering are eligible to enter the M.S. degree program. Students with engineering degrees in areas other than civil engineering may be required to complete deficiency/prerequisite undergraduate courses. As a minimum, the following deficiency/prerequisite courses or equivalent will be required: MATH 141, 142 and 242; CHEM 111; PHYS 211 and 212; ECIV 200; ECIV 201; STAT 509. Students will also be required to take all undergraduate courses that are listed as prerequisites for courses taken for graduate credit. In general, deficiency/prerequisite courses must be completed with a B average. Specific Program Areas may require additional course work.

An undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale, and 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on any graduate course work is required for students wishing to enter the M.S. degree programs with B.S. degrees in engineering. Exceptions to the minimum undergraduate GPA requirements for admission to the M.S. degree program may be made for students with special qualifications.

For students with non-engineering baccalaureate degrees, or engineering degrees from programs not accredited by ABET, the minimum grade requirement is a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on their undergraduate coursework, and 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on any graduate course work.

The general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required for all students entering the M.S. degree program. Typically, successful applicants have combined scores of at least 1100 on the Verbal and Quantitative (V + Q) sections, 3.5 on the Analytical Writing section.

Applicants whose native language is not English are also required to submit a satisfactory score on the TOEFL or the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam. The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 80 (internet-based) or 570 (paper-based). The minimum acceptable overall band score on the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam is 6.5. In addition, students whose native language is not English are required to take a diagnostic test in English when they arrive at the University. Students with deficiencies are provided an opportunity for further study in reading, writing, and speaking English.

Degree Requirements

The requirements for M.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering conform hours. Students are required to take 24 semester hours of coursework as approved by student’s thesis committee and the Graduate Director and 6 semester hours of Thesis Preparation (ECIV 799). At least 15 hours of coursework must be 700-level or higher. Up to 9 semester hours of coursework may be taken outside of the department for degree credit with the approval of the student's advisor and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Director. Prescribed Core Courses are required for each area of study. The student is responsible for satisfying both departmental and Graduate School requirements. Questions may be directed to theDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Director.

Graduate courses in Civil and Environmental Engineering are numbered 700 or higher. A limited number of courses numbered between 500 and 699 may be taken for graduate degree credit.

A maximum of 6 credits of ECIV 797 and graduate coursework used towards a baccalaureate degree may be used toward the student’s program of study.

In addition to the above requirements, all students are required to attend the Civil and Environmental Engineering Seminar in each semester in which they are full-time students. Full-time is defined as those on an assistantship and/or enrolled in 9 or more credit hours.