Graduate Degree Programs

• Master of Civil Engineering (MCE)
• Master of Science (MS)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Master of Science (MS) is a thesis degree and requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate study, including a maximum of 6 hours of thesis credit. At least 20 semester hours must come from 500-level or higher courses. Supporting courses taken outside the Civil Engineering program may be at the 400-level or above, but civil engineering courses at the 400-level may not be counted toward the minimal 30-hour requirement. A maximum of 12 semester hours of graduate credit may be transferred from another institution. Usually at least two-thirds of the program is in a well-defined major area of concentration, and the remaining work may be in supporting courses outside the major or a designated related minor area. An overall grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained, and a final oral examination is required for the MS degree.

The Doctor of Philosophy is a research-oriented program with flexible course requirements. Typically, one year of full-time course work is required beyond the master's degree. The program must develop a well-defined major area of concentration. In addition, the program may include supporting courses outside the major or a formal minor in a related field outside of civil engineering. The major element of the PhD program is the doctoral dissertation, which reports the results of original research that represents a significant contribution to knowledge. Other program requirements include the equivalent of one full-time academic year (2 semesters) of residence, written and oral qualifying examinations, and a final oral examination, which is a defense of the dissertation research.