Graduate
Future Students
For those of you interested in advanced degrees, the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering offers both master's and doctoral degrees. The Master of Civil Engineering is also offered through distance education.
Programs
The Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering offers graduate programs with a major in Civil Engineering leading to the degrees of:
- Master of Civil Engineering (MCE)
- Master of Science (MS)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The Master of Civil Engineering (MCE) is a non-thesis degree, which requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate study. At least 24 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 accredited institution. A formal minor cannot be designated, but supporting courses outside the major are encouraged. Additional requirements, such as independent projects or specific core courses, may be specified for some areas of specialization within the department. An overall grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained. The MCE is available both on-campus and by distance education.
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 24 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.
Areas of Specialization
The Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering offers graduate programs majoring in Civil Engineering with the following areas of specialization:
- Computer-Aided Engineering
- Construction Engineering and Management
- Geotechnical/Geoenvironmental Engineering
- Public Works Engineering/Administration
- Structural Engineering and Mechanics
- Transportation Systems and Materials
- Environmental, Water Resources and Coastal Engineering
Graduate students are encouraged to take supporting courses in a second area of specialization in civil engineering or the strong supporting programs in other departments of the University, including mathematics, statistics, computer science, operations research, business, economics, public administration, city and regional planning, marine, earth and atmospheric sciences, and others.
MS and PhD candidates may designate formal minors; however, minors, if designated, must be developed outside the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering department. Interdisciplinary and split minors may be used in both programs.
Admissions Information
- Admission Requirements
- Application and Deadline Dates
- International Applicants
- Tuition and Fees
- Financial Aid
- Frequently Asked Questions
Contact
The associate head for graduate programs is Vernon C. Matzen (matzen@ncsu.edu).
©Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
