Civil Engineering (MS)

Degree Requirements

The program leading to the 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. Program admission and MS Degree requirements, as well as plan of study options (thesis or coursework options), are described under the College of Engineering section of this Bulletin. Many graduate courses in Civil Engineering are offered in late afternoon, early evening, or online to accommodate practicing engineers – see the detailed degree requirements.

Admission to The MSCE Program

  1. Regular Admission requirements:
    1. A Bachelor's degree in Engineering in a relevant field.
    2. A grade-point average of 3.0 or greater (A=4.0) on all undergraduate work.
    3. Verification of registration by examination as a Professional Engineer (P.E.) can be substituted for the GPA requirement.
    4. International students whose native language is not English must submit official scores showing a score of 71 or higher on the internet based TOEFL, or an IELTS band score of 6.5 or higher, or a Duolingo minimum score of 100, or an ITEP minimum score of 3.7, or a Pearson Academic minimum score of 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. International students whose native language is not English must submit official scores showing a score of 71 or higher on the internet based TOEFL, or an IELTS band score of 6.5 or higher, or a Duolingo minimum score of 100, or an iTEP minimum score of 3.7, or a Pearson Academic minimum score of 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.

The minimum credit hour requirements for the different options for the MSCE degree are:

  • Thesis Option: 30 credit hours
  • Course Option: 30 credit hours

Graduation Plan

(30 Total Hours)

Thesis Option

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallHours
CE 503 Intro to Coastal Engineering 3
CE Sub-Discipline Course 3
SE 601 Systems Eng Fundamentals 3
 Hours9
Spring
CE Sub-Discipline Course 3
Supporting Course 3
 Hours6
Summer
CE Sub-Discipline Course 3
 Hours3
Second Year
Fall
CE Sub-Discipline Course 3
Supporting Course 3
 Hours6
Spring
CE 599 Thesis 3
CE 599 Thesis 3
 Hours6
 Total Hours30

Course Option

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallHours
CE 503 Intro to Coastal Engineering 3
CE Sub-Discipline Course 3
SE 601 Systems Eng Fundamentals 3
 Hours9
Spring
CE Sub-Discipline Course 3
Supporting Course 3
 Hours6
Summer
CE Sub-Discipline Course 3
 Hours3
Second Year
Fall
CE Sub-Discipline Course 3
Supporting Course 3
 Hours6
Spring
CE Sub-Discipline Course 3
Supporting Course 3
 Hours6
 Total Hours30