Degree Requirements

The program leading to the degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering focuses on civil engineering in the coastal environment and allows for specialization in several possible civil engineering sub-disciplines: Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering, or Water Resources/Coastal Engineering. The MSCE Program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate level courses as approved by the student’s advisor. All students must complete a comprehensive examination, typically in the form of a thesis or project defense. Students are also required to complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training from the CITI Program prior to graduation. The program has two options: Thesis and Project. All students are required to complete CE 503 Intro to Coastal Engineering and SE 601 Systems Engineering Fundamentals. Students in the Thesis option may count up to 6 credit hours of CE 599 Thesis towards the degree program and students in the Project option may include up to 3 credit hours of CE 594 Projects in Civil Engineering toward the degree program. Additionally, students who do not have an undergraduate degree in engineering must demonstrate that they have a cumulative minimum of 32 hours of math and science (through differential calculus) and 48 hours of engineering science and engineering design courses.

Admission to The MSCE Program

1. Regular Admission requirements:
   1. A Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or a relevant engineering field.
   2. A grade-point average of 3.0 or greater (A=4.0) on all undergraduate work.
   3. For international students whose native language is not English, at least one of the following minimum scores, as per Graduate School Requirements:
      • Internet-based TOEFL score 71 or higher, or
      • IELTS band 6.0 or higher, or
      • Duolingo minimum score 100, or
      • ITEP minimum score 3.7, or
      • Pearson Academic minimum score 48.
2. Provisional Admission requirements
   1. A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or in a field acceptable to the department is required. Depending on the student’s background, additional undergraduate preparatory courses may be required. These courses will not count toward the Master’s degree.
   2. A minimum grade-point average of 2.5 (A=4.0) on all undergraduate work.
   3. For international students whose native language is not English, at least one of the following minimum scores, as per Graduate School Requirements:
      • Internet-based TOEFL score 71 or higher, or
      • IELTS band 6.0 or higher, or
      • Duolingo minimum score 100, or
      • ITEP minimum score 3.7, or
      • Pearson Academic minimum score 48.

Although official scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) are not required, students are often required to present GRE scores to be eligible for assistantships or fellowships.

Admission may be granted in special cases where a holistic evaluation of the applicant’s credentials is appropriate. Verification of registration by examination as a Professional Engineer (P.E.) can be substituted for the GPA requirement.

Graduation Plan

(30 Total Hours)

Thesis Option

Course Option