MS Civil & Environmental Engineering

Description: Engineering student Surveying Magaret McBreartyThe M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering enables students to emphasize either Civil or Environmental engineering or span the study of both through their coursework, Master’s thesis (thesis option M.S.), or Master’s project (non-thesis option M.S.).

The M.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with an Emphasis in Civil Engineering provides specialized expertise in civil engineering by providing a rigorous curriculum and innovative research in three distinctive areas: Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation and Pavement Engineering, and Environment and Water. Specifically, the program offers students the opportunity to conduct state-of-the-art research in asphalt and concrete pavements, pavement evaluation and preservation, bridge engineering, non-destructive testing and evaluation, structural and materials modeling, transportation geotechnics and geomechanics, hydrology and hydraulics, urban water, environmental processes, sustainable coastal and river engineering, environmental fluid mechanics, water resources planning and management, and interdependence of infrastructure systems.

The M.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with an Emphasis in Environmental Engineering requires a rigorous foundation in the life and physical sciences along with the ability to contribute in creative ways to solving interdisciplinary problems. Priority areas include: Energy Systems, Environment and Water, and Sustainable Coastal Engineering. The program enables students to both gain in-depth knowledge and opportunities to seek creative interdisciplinary solutions.

As of Fall 2019, the Environmental Engineering Program has been renamed the Civil and Environmental Engineering Program. Students enrolled in the Environmental Engineering Program will be automatically switched to the new Civil and Environmental MS. Prior Environmental Engineering MS information can be found here. (pdf)

Admission

Program of Study

Thesis Option

The thesis option is provided for students wishing to receive professional training via coursework integrated with research training through the successful completion of a thesis. The Civil and Environmental Engineering (M.S.) with a thesis option requires a minimum of 33 semester hours in the program of study, which consists of:

  • A minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework, which must include:
    • 23 hours of graduate-level coursework, including
      • 9 hours selected from one of the Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering Emphasis course lists.
      • 12 hours from UGA courses open only to graduate students and exclusive of thesis (ENGR 7300, Master’s Thesis) and research (ENGR 7000, Master’s Research, and ENGR 7010, Project-Focused Masters Research)
    • 1 hour of ENGR 8950, Graduate Seminar*
  • A minimum of 6 hours of master’s research (ENGR 7000, Master’s Research) or project-based research (ENGR 7010, Project-Focused Masters Research). A typical student’s research hours will exceed this minimum; however, at most 6 hours of ENGR 7000 or ENGR 7010 may be listed on the program of study.
  • 3 hours of thesis preparation and writing (ENGR 7300, Master’s Thesis)

* Only 1 hour of Graduate Seminar may apply on the program of study. Students are strongly encouraged to continue regular attendance at speaker series presentations even if not formally registered in the seminar.

In the MS Thesis Option, all coursework is selected consistent with specific degree and emphasis area requirements in coordination with the Student’s Faculty Advisor and approved by the student’s Advisory Committee on the Program of Study. To receive the M.S. degree, each student is required to present a satisfactory research proposal approved by the student’s advisory committee and the graduate coordinator and pass a final examination and defense of the research thesis.

Non-thesis Option

The non-thesis option for M.S. in Engineering degree is available for students who wish to emphasize professional training without performing a research-based thesis. This degree option is suitable for students who are interested in engineering as a second major, undergraduates currently enrolled in double dawgs pathway, mid-career professionals, non-traditional students who are currently employed in engineering-related professions. The M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a non-thesis option requires a minimum of 33 semester hours in the Program of Study, which consists of:

Civil Engineering

  • A minimum of 30 hours of coursework which must include:
    • Core Coursework (10 to 16 hours)
      • 9 to 15 hours from one of the three Civil Engineering emphasis areas (Structural & Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation and Pavement Engineering, and Environment & Water)
      • ENGR 8950 Graduate Seminar (1 hour) *
    • Elective Coursework (20 hours)
      • For the non-thesis option, students will work with the program’s Graduate Director (Dr. S. Sonny Kim) to select the most appropriate specialty area and coursework to ensure breadth of understanding as well as mastery of knowledge in a specific subject area. Emphasis courses will be reviewed each academic year and updated as needed to reflect new areas in the field.
    • Project Report (3 hours)
      • ENGR 7010, Project-Focused Masters Research

A minimum of 15 hours of coursework must be in ECAM Civil Engineering courses.

Environmental Engineering

  • A minimum of 30 hours of coursework which must include:
    • Core Coursework (10 hours)
      • 9 hours from one of the three Environmental Engineering emphasis areas (Energy Systems, Environmental & Water or Sustainable Coastal Engineering)
      • ENGR 8950, Graduate Seminar (1 hour) *
    • Elective Coursework (20 hours)
      • For the non-thesis option, students will work with the program’s Graduate Director (Dr. S. Sonny Kim)to select the most appropriate specialty area and coursework to ensure breadth of understanding as well as mastery of knowledge in a specific subject area. Emphasis courses will be reviewed each academic year and updated as needed to reflect new areas in the field.
    • Project Report (3 hours)
      • ENGR 7010, Project-Focused Masters Research

A minimum of 15 hours of coursework must be in ECAM Environmental Engineering courses

* Only 1 hour of Graduate Seminar may apply on the program of study. Students are strongly encouraged to continue regular attendance at speaker series presentations even if not formally registered in the seminar.

For the M.S. non-thesis option, the program of study will include course work that is consistent with specific degree and emphasis area requirements that is approved by the program’s Graduate Director (Dr. S. Sonny Kim). Each student is required to complete a three-credit-hour Master’s project (ENGR 7010) under the supervision of the faculty project advisor. The student needs to identify an appropriate graduate faculty in his/her degree program to serve as faculty project advisor for his/her Master’s project. To receive the M.S. degree under the non-thesis option, each student should prepare a project plan at the beginning of his/her Master’s project for the faculty project advisor’s approval, then follow the project plan to successfully finish the Master’s project, and finally submit a written Master’s project report for the faculty project advisor’s approval.

Students elect their MS option at the start of their programs. In the event a student wishes to change their degree option during their program, the student must request a change in degree objective. Students successfully petitioning to change their previously elected MS option must 1) complete at least two full-time semesters in their new option before they are eligible for graduation, 2) adequately complete any prior work to which they committed or for which they were supported under assistantship in their prior option, and 3) after option change start and complete either the MS project requirement (ENGR 7010) or MS thesis research requirement (ENGR 7000/7010, 7300). Only students in the thesis option are eligible for the College assistantship support.

Completion of the M.S. requirements for all programs in the College of Engineering fulfill all requirements of the University of Georgia Graduate School. No grade below C will be accepted in the program of study. To be eligible for graduation, a student must maintain a 3.0 (B) average on the graduate transcript and a 3.0 (B) average in the program of study.

Emphasis Areas

As a requirement of the M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering degree, students must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours selected from one of the emphasis areas listed below. Students will work with their graduate advisor to select the most appropriate specialty area and coursework to ensure breadth of understanding as well as mastery of knowledge in a specific subject area. Emphasis courses will be reviewed each academic year and updated as needed to reflect new areas in the field. In addition to completing 9 credit hours selected from the list below, students may work with their graduate advisor to develop an interdisciplinary plan of coursework drawing from the extensive graduate course offerings available at UGA.

Emphasis in Civil Engineering

Structural and Geotechnical Engineering

  • CVLE 6330, Advanced Structural Analysis
  • CVLE 6340, Design of Bridges
  • CVLE(MCHE)(LAND) 6660, Sustainable Building Design
  • CVLE(MCHE) 8350, Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis*
  • CVLE 8390 Earthquake Engineering and Dynamics of Structures*
  • CVLE 8420, Geomechanics*
  • CVLE 8460, Soil Improvement*
  • CVLE 8510 Advanced Concrete Materials*
  • CVLE 8550, Design of Prestressed Concrete Structures*
  • CVLE(MCHE) 8640, Advanced Strength of Materials *
  • ENGR 6350, Introduction to Finite Element Analysis
  • ENGR 8103, Computational Engineering: Fundamentals, Elliptic, and Parabolic Differential Equations
  • MCHE 6650 HVAC Systems for Buildings and Industry
  • MCHE 8380, Continuum Mechanics
  • STAT 6315, Statistical Methods for Researchers

Transportation and Pavement Engineering

  • CVLE 6210, Transportation Engineering
  • CVLE 6220, Highway Design and Traffic Safety
  • CVLE 6470, Pavement Design
  • CVLE 8410, Inelastic Behavior of Construction Materials*
  • CVLE 8470, Advanced Pavement System Design*
  • ENGR 8990, Statistical Learning and Data Mining in Engineering
  • ENGR 8990, Deep Learning & Engineering Applications*

Emphasis in Environmental Engineering

Energy Systems

  • ENGR 6490, Renewable Energy Engineering
  • ENGR 8103, Computational Engineering
  • ENVE 6230, Energy in Nature, Civilization, and Engineering
  • ENVE 6250, Energy Systems and the Environment
  • ENVE 6530, Energy and Environmental Policy Analysis
  • ENVE 8110, Ecological Energetics
  • MIST 6550, Energy Informatics

Environment and Water

  • BCHE(ENVE) 6490, Environmental Engineering Remediation Design (3 hours)
  • CRSS(GEOL) 8710, Watershed-Scale Modeling (3 hours)
  • CVLE(MCHE)(LAND) 6660, Sustainable Building Design (3 hours)
  • CVLE 8110, Environmental River Mechanics (3 hours)
  • CVLE 8130, Mechanics of Jets and Plumes (3 hours)
  • CVLE 8140, Transport and Mixing in Natural Flows (3 hours)
  • CVLE(MCHE) 8160, Advanced Fluid Mechanics (3 hours)
  • ENGR 8103, Computational Engineering: Fundamentals, Elliptic, and Parabolic Differential Equations (1 hour)
  • ENGR 8220, Microfluidic Transport Phenomena (3 hours)
  • ENVE 6430, Advanced Open Channel Design (3 hours)
  • ENVE 6435, Natural Resources Engineering (3 hours)
  • ENVE 6440, Computer Modeling in Water Resources (3 hours)
  • ENVE 6450, Engineering Hydrology and Hydraulics (3 hours)
  • ENVE 6460, Groundwater Hydrology for Engineers (3 hours)
  • ENVE 6470, Environmental Engineering Unit Operations (3 hours)
  • ENVE 6550, Environmental Life Cycle Analysis (3 hours)
  • GEOL(WASR) 8740, Hydrologic Flow and Transport Modeling (3 hours)
  • MCHE 6590, Fluid Mechanics II (3 hours)
  • STAT 6315, Statistical Methods for Researchers (4 hours)
  • WASR 8200, Hillslope Hydrology Seminar (3 hours)

Sustainable Coastal Engineering

  • CVLE 8130, Mechanics of Jets and Plumes (3 hours)
  • CVLE 8140, Transport and Mixing in Natural Flows (3 hours)
  • CVLE(MCHE) 8160, Advanced Fluid Mechanics (3 hours)
  • ENGR 8103, Computational Engineering: Fundamentals, Elliptic, and Parabolic Differential equations (3 hours)
  • ENGR 8220, Microfluidic Transport Phenomena (3 hours)
  • ENVE 6435, Natural Resources Engineering (3 hours)
  • MARS 8030, General Physical Oceanography (3 hours)
  • MARS 8100, Estuarine and Coastal Oceanography (3 hours)
  • MARS 7380, Quantitative Methods in Marine Science (3 hours)
  • MARS 8150, Ocean Waves (3 hours)
  • MARS 8510, Modeling Marine Systems (3 hours)
  • MCHE 6590, Fluid Mechanics II (3 hours)​

Note: * indicates the course is taught less than “every academic year”



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