Civil and Environmental Engineering

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 or better (A = 4.0) on the entire last undergraduate GPA earned at the time of application. 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:

approve the student’s program of study;
approve the student’s thesis topic;
approve the completed thesis;
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 or better (A = 4.0) on the entire last undergraduate GPA earned at the time of application. 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.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Civil and Environmental Engineering

The School of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering within the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics at SIUC offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. It is designed for students who desire positions requiring advanced preparation at the highest level with emphasis on theories of curriculum and instruction and in-depth preparation in research.

The Ph.D. program is supported by cutting-edge research projects conducted by nationally and internationally recognized Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering faculty members. The School has well equipped laboratories and computer facilities that are housed in a modern Engineering Complex that houses research laboratories, including facilities for civil engineering materials lab includes concrete, steel, timber and asphalt, soil testing lab including cyclic triaxial and resilient modulus test and SWCC device, fluid mechanics lab, environmental engineering lab etc.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering is available for four fields of study that correlate with the School’s core expertise. The areas of concentration are as follows:

Environmental Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
Structural Engineering
Water Resources Engineering

Admission

Apply online to SIU. There is a $65 application fee.

Admission to the program requires a Master of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering or a related field with a GPA of 3.25/4.0 or higher. Applications for admission must include the following:

M.S. thesis abstract, a statement of interest, Bachelor and Master degree transcripts, GRE scores, and three letters of recommendation. International applicants should also include a photocopy of the page(s) of your passport showing your name, date of birth, and country of citizenship and a TOEFL score of 550 (paper score) or an IBT score of 80 or an IELTS score of 6.5. Admission to the program is made by the Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Committee.

For accelerated entry into the Ph.D. program, a student must complete at least two semesters in residence in an engineering M.S. program and complete a minimum of 18 hours of approved coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.75. Such entry is permitted only to superior students who have exhibited evidence that they are prepared to begin the research activities of doctoral-level study. In addition, the student must have GRE scores that are at or above the 50th percentile for both verbal component and analytical essay component and 80th percentile for the quantitative component or a combined total percentile score of 180 or higher. In case of a domestic student, an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher is also a requirement. For an international student, a TOEFL score of 550 (paper score) or an IBT score of 80 or an IELTS score of 6.5 is an additional requirement. In exceptional cases, to substitute for the abovementioned GRE and TOEFL score requirements, the student’s current faculty advisor, with the approval of the department chair, may submit a letter of recommendation for his/her student’s accelerated entry into the Ph.D. program. The student, having an accelerated entry into the Ph.D. program may not write a M.S. Thesis. In addition, 6 credit hours of course work of 500 level completed prior to his/her entry into the Ph.D. program may be counted toward the Ph.D. course requirement. In the rare event that the student getting an accelerated entry into the Ph.D. Program fails to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in two attempts, he/she will be allowed to complete a MS degree in his/her respective discipline. Admission to the program is made by the Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Committee.

Admission to the doctoral program also requires the identification of an initial graduate adviser for each student. This advisor will be responsible with the student for planning the student’s course work according to the field of study within Civil and Environmental Engineering described later.

Retention

Any prospective doctoral candidate with a grade point average of less than 3.25 and 20 semester hours of doctoral work will not be allowed to continue in the program and will not be re-admitted at a later date. Students must accumulate an overall grade point average of 3.50 for all doctoral work to qualify to take the qualifying examination.

Prior to the completion of 26 semester hours of course work, students meet with their major professors to determine whether or not to continue as doctoral students. Such matters as grade point average, progress in the program, course completion, motivation, general academic scholarship, and skills in writing and research are considered. A report is then made to the graduate committee and the school director. Students who are not making satisfactory progress or who violate the regulations of the school, college, or university may be dropped from the program.

Curriculum

A minimum of 26 semester hours of course work, including 2 hours of seminar, and 24 semester hours of dissertation research is required. The course work must be completed in 2 areas: area of concentration and program core. A student must complete a minimum of 15 hours of course work relevant to an area of concentration. The course work in the area of concentration is intended to provide depth in the student’s area of research. The program core consists of 11 hours of course work. A dissertation must be completed in the student’s area of research interest with the approval of the dissertation committee.

Program Core

The program core consists of 11 hours of course work: 6 hours in math, 3 hours in engineering or science and 2 hours of seminar. The math courses to choose from are: all 400 and 500, except MATH 400, 411, 412, 458, 480, 483, 511, 512, 513, and 516. The engineering courses to choose from are: ENGR 530— Engineering Data Acquisition: Theory and Practice, ENGR 540— Design of Engineering Experiments, ENGR 545—Advanced Numerical Methods in Engineering, ENGR 521—Probability and Stochastic Processes for Engineers. The science course could be any 400 or 500 level course in Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry or Geology, as approved by the student’s advisor. The seminar course, CE 580, must be taken in two separate semesters, each time as one-hour course. It is recommended that the seminar classes be taken after the initiation of doctoral research or after candidacy is granted.

Qualifying Examination

Upon completion of the concentration and core courses, the student may take the qualifying examination which has two components: written exam and oral exam. The examination in the area of concentration is organized and administered by at least three Engineering faculty members (examining committee) including the student’s advisor. The oral exam, conducted by the examining committee, is held within two weeks of the student receiving the grades from the written exam. If not successful, the committee may allow the student to repeat the whole or part of the examination one more time. The qualifying examination, in whole or in part, cannot be taken more than two times.

Candidacy

A Ph.D. student must satisfy all Graduate School requirements to become a candidate. Admission to candidacy requires: (a) successful completion of the qualifying examination (which satisfies the research tool requirement of the Graduate School) and (b) successful completion of twenty-four hours of credit (which satisfies the residency requirement of the Graduate School).

Acceptance to Ph.D. candidacy is contingent upon the completion of all courses with A or B grades and successful completion of a written and an oral test in the student’s field of study. One of the one-hour seminars can be taken after the candidacy.

After the completion of the qualifying examination, copies of the graded tests, along with signoff sheets for both the written and oral examinations are submitted to the director of the Ph.D. program, who is also the Director of the School.

Dissertation

A dissertation must be written under the direction or co-direction of an engineering faculty member and approved by a dissertation committee consisting of at least five members (one outside the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics). The dissertation adviser must be chosen by the end of the student’s first academic year. The dissertation committee should be formed after successful completion of the candidacy examination. The members of this committee need not be the same as the members of the candidacy examination committee. A dissertation research proposal must be approved by the dissertation committee. Candidates will be required to present an acceptable dissertation describing original research performed with minimal supervision. Dissertation approval is based on a successful oral defense of the dissertation research and approval of the dissertation. This requires approval of at least 80 percent of the dissertation committee.

Following the admission to candidacy and upon completion of all the coursework, the candidate will prepare and submit a formal written dissertation proposal, defining the proposed research and the proposed line of inquiry. The candidate subsequently must make an oral presentation of the dissertation proposal to the members of the dissertation committee in an open forum. A public announcement of this event must be made at least five days in advance.

In the framework of the oral presentation of the dissertation proposal, the candidate is expected to address and respond to any question (by the members of the committee) related to material covered by all the courses taken during his doctoral studies or to the background necessary for the specific area of the proposed research. In addition, the candidate is expected to defend the research methodology and the proposed line of inquiry.

The Dissertation must be prepared in accordance to the "Guidelines for Dissertations, Theses and Research Papers" of the SIUC Graduate School. Dissertation approval is based on successful defense of the research performed in terms of originality, relevance and presentation (written and oral). This requires approval by at least 80% of the members of the dissertation committee.

Upon completion of the dissertation, which must demonstrate the ability of the candidate to conduct independent research, the committee will administer the final oral examination. The objective of the final oral examination, conducted in an open forum, will be the defense of the dissertation. Upon satisfactory completion of the dissertation and the final oral examination the committee will recommend the candidate for the doctoral degree.

Graduation Timeline

Although the time to completion of the doctoral program changes from individual to individual, the average completion time is about four years. The following outline shows the steps for completing the program, with links to various forms needed to show completion of the various stages of the program. Forms shown in italics are required by the Graduate School. The other forms are required by the College of Engineering.

Admission to the program.
Students complete the core and concentration
A candidacy (qualifying) exam committee, comprised of at least three faculty members and chaired by the advisor, is formed (Candidacy Committee Form).
Student takes the candidacy (qualifying) exam: first the written exam and within two weeks the oral Advisor reports the exam results to the Director (Candidacy Exam Results Form). The advisor sends the form to the Director along with copies of the graded written exam papers. A candidacy request form is then sent to the Graduate School to request candidacy status for the student. The advisor, the student, and the Director sign this form (Admit to Candidacy Form).
A D. Committee, comprised of at least five faculty members (one of whom is from outside of CEIE), and chaired by the advisor, is formed to guide the student in his/her dissertation research. (Graduate Faculty Committee Approval Form).
Student defends dissertation The advisor sends the form to the Director along with a copy of the proposal (Dissertation Proposal Approval Form).
Student defends dissertation (Oral Defense Form). The Dissertation Approval Form is to be completed and deposited at the Graduate School (Dissertation Approval Form, to be printed on 25 % cotton paper). A copy of this form must be filed at the School The dissertation is to be submitted to the Graduate School electronically in pdf format. For spring, summer, and winter graduation dates and deadlines, check the Graduate School website.

Suggested Coursework for the Different Fields of Study

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering is available for four fields of study that correlate with the School’s core expertise. The fields of study are as follows:

Environmental Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
Structural Engineering
Water Resources Engineering

The selection of field of study courses is listed below.

Environmental Engineering

Recommended Courses

CE 510-3 Hazardous Waste Engineering
CE 511-3 Nanotechnology and Subsurface Remediation
CE 512-3 Contaminant Fate, Transport and Remediation in Groundwater
CE 514-3 Environmental Engineering Chemistry
CE 516-3 Surface Water Quality Modeling
CE 517-3 Industrial Waste Treatment
CE 518-3 Advanced Biological Treatment Processes
CE 519-3 Triple E Sustainability - Environment Energy and Economy
CE 592C - 1 to 5 Special Investigations in Civil Engineering
CE 513-3 Applied Aquatic Chemistry
CE 515-3 Environmental Engineering Microbiology

This is only a partial list and students may take classes fromother departments to meet graduation requirements with the approval of their advisor and the CEIE Director.

Geotechnical Engineering

Recommended Courses

CE 520-3 Advanced Soil Mechanics
CE 521-3 Soil Improvement
CE 522-3 Advanced Foundation Engineering
CE 523-3 Soil Dynamics
CE 524-3 Advanced Soil Testing
CE 525-3 Foundations for Dynamic Loads
CE 526-3 Seepage and Slope Stability Analysis (Same as CE 426) Seepage through soils; numerical and
CE 592-1 to 5 Special Investigations in Civil Engineering
CE 527-3 Geosynthetics in Reinforced Soil Structures
CE 528-3 Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering

This is only a partial list and students may take classes from other departments to meet graduation requirements with the approval of their advisor and the CEIE Director

Structural Engineering

Recommended Courses

CE 530-3 Advances in Materials and Testing
CE 540-3 Structural Dynamics
CE 542-3 Nonlinear Structural Analysis
CE 544-3 Advanced Design of Reinforced Concrete
CE 545-3 Advanced Steel Design
CE 551-3 Introduction to Finite Elements in Engineering Applications (Same as Mechanical Engineering 565).
CE 552-3 Theory of Elasticity
CE 553-3 Theory of Plasticity (Same as Mechanical Engineering 513)
CE 554-3 Experimental Mechanics
CE 556-3 Theory of Laminate Composite Structures
CE 557-3 Advanced Mechanics of Materials (Same as Mechanical Engineering 566)
CE 558-3 Reliability in Engineering Applications.
CE 559-3 System identification and monitoring of structural systems
CE 560-3 Applications of statistical and machine learning in structural dynamics
Review of linear algebra, SVD, eigenvalue problems. Review of probability theory and statistics

This is only a partial list and students may take classes from other departments to meet graduation requirements with the approval of their advisor and the CEIE Director.

Water Resources Engineering

Recommended Courses

CE 566-3 GIS in Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering
CE 570-3 Sedimentation Engineering
CE 571-3 Water Resources Systems Engineering and Management
CE 572-3 Advanced Hydraulic Design
CE 573-3 Modeling of Hydrosystems
CE 592B - Special Investigations in Civil Engineering
CE 575-3 Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Engineering
CE 576-3 Data Science for Smart Infrastructure

This is only a partial list and students may take classes from other departments to meet graduation requirements with the approval of their advisor and the CEIE Director.

Civil and Environmental Engineering | 2025-2026 Graduate Catalog | SIU

2025-2026 Graduate Catalog

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