Civil and Environmental Engineering

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The School of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering offers a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Engineering degree (M.E.) in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Master of Science (M.S.) in Civil Engineering

Graduate work leading to the Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering is offered by the School of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering. The program provides advanced study in the areas of structural engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, and hydraulic and water resources engineering.

Admission

The School requires that applicants to the M.S. in Civil Engineering program hold a bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering (or equivalent), or have completed all undergraduate degree requirements prior to registration, with minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (A = 4.0) for the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate work. Students having a GPA between 2.7 and 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis. A student whose undergraduate training is deficient may be required to take additional coursework without graduate credit. All applicants are required to submit GRE scores in support of their applications for admission (minimum scores: 146 Verbal, 152 Quantitative, 3.5 Analytical Writing). The GRE scores must be less than five years old at the time of registration. Minimum requirements for GRE verbal and analytical writing may be waived if the student’s TOEFL score is greater than 570 (test center), 230 (computer based) or 82 (Internet based), or IELTS score of 7.0 or higher, and he/she possesses good communication skills.

Students apply on-line at gradschool.siu.edu/apply. A nonrefundable $65 application fee is required and must be paid by credit card. Applications cannot be processed until the fee is paid.

Requirements

A graduate student in the School is required to develop a program of study with a graduate adviser and establish a graduate committee of at least three members before the end of his/her first semester in the graduate program. Each student majoring in civil engineering may, with the approval of the graduate committee, also take graduate level courses in other branches of engineering or in areas of science and business, such as physics, geology, chemistry, mathematics, life science, administrative sciences, or computer science.

A minimum of 30 hours of acceptable graduate credit is required, including a minimum of three credit hours of CE 599, Thesis. Of this total, eighteen credit hours must be earned in the School. Furthermore, at least 50% of all credit hours must be 500-level and completed at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Each candidate is also required to pass a comprehensive oral examination covering all of the student’s graduate work, including a thesis.

Each student will select a minimum of three engineering graduate faculty members to serve as a graduate committee, subject to the approval of the School Director. The committee will:

  1. approve the student’s program of study;
  2. approve the student’s thesis topic;
  3. approve the completed thesis;
  4. administer and approve the comprehensive oral examination.

Teaching or research assistantships and fellowships are available for qualified applicants. Additional information about the program, courses, assistantships, and fellowships may be obtained from the School or the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics.

Master of Engineering (M.E.) in Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Master of Engineering degree (M.E.) in Civil and Environmental Engineering is a non-thesis, course only, professional degree designed to provide advanced technical knowledge for professional practice. The program provides advanced study in the areas of structural engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, and hydraulic and water resources engineering.

Admission

The School requires that applicants to the M.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering program hold a bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering (or equivalent), or have completed all undergraduate degree requirements prior to registration, with minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (A = 4.0) for the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate work. Students having a GPA between 2.7 and 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The GRE is not required for students applying to the M.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering degree program.

Students apply on-line at gradschool.siu.edu/apply. A nonrefundable $65 application fee is required and must be paid by credit card. Applications cannot be processed until the fee is paid.

Requirements

For graduation, the M.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering student is required to complete 30 credit hours of graduate level courses. Of this, at least 18 credit hours must be earned in the School. Furthermore, at least 15 credit hours must be 500-level and completed at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Students are required to take CE 593, Civil Engineering Project. However, this requirement is waived if a student takes an additional 500-level course, i.e., at least 18 credit hours of 500-level courses. Students may, with the approval of the School Director, also take graduate level courses in other branches of engineering or in areas of science and business, such as physics, geology, chemistry, mathematics, life science, administrative sciences, or computer science.

The M.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering program permits students to complete an advanced degree in three semesters (12 credit hours in Fall, 12 credit hours in Spring, six credit hours in Summer). This is a non-research degree; teaching or research assistantships are not available for students pursuing this degree, nor would this be a suitable track to pursue a Ph.D.