Civil Engineering Graduate Program

Graduate Programs

The School of Engineering offers an evening program of graduate courses culminating in a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Civil Engineering.  The M.S. program is designed to meet the educational needs of working professional engineers, traditional students, and other scientific professionals who are interested in focused, advanced study in civil engineering to enhance their opportunity for professional advancement.  The areas of emphasis within the program are environmental, structural, and transportation engineering.  Students are required to choose one of these areas to emphasize. 

In line with the Graduate School’s goals of student learning, the Department’s objectives for its graduates are as follows. 

• Demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge and skills appropriate to the civil engineering specialization as measured by successful completion of coursework and the final project. 
• Apply appropriate concepts and methods to solve problems as measured by successful completion of coursework and the final project.  
• Identify and analyze problems and issues as measured by successful completion of coursework and the final project.  
• Exhibit professional practices and ethics  in coursework and the final project as measured by the use of professional standards, such as proper referencing and data collection and analysis.  
• Communicate clearly and effectively, as measured by successful completion or waiver of the technical writing requirement and successful completion of the final project.

For the thesis option, students must complete 30 semester hours of course work, write a thesis,and present the research.  The number of hours to be awarded for thesis credit (CE 599) may vary from three to six and is specified by the Advisory Committee prior to approval of the thesis proposal. Thesis credit counts as part of the minimum of 30 credits required for the degree. Writing a thesis involves an intensive research effort and generally requires about six months to complete.  The Graduate School thesis guidelines and deadlines must be followed.  Copies of the guidelines are available from the Graduate School. 

For the non-thesis option, students must complete 31 semester hours of course work, write a research paper,and present the research.  One credit hour will be awarded for the research paper (CE 593).  The topic of the research paper must be mutually agreed upon by the candidate and the Advisory Committee.  The procedure and guidelines found under Research Requirement must be followed.

The Department also has a cooperative doctoral program (Ph.D.) in Engineering Science with Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC).