Sep 17, 2024  
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
Catalog Navigation
  Catalog Home
  About SMU
  Catalog Policy and Legal Statement
  Cox School of Business
  Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences
  Dedman School of Law
  Lyle School of Engineering
  Meadows School of the Arts
  Perkins School of Theology
  Simmons School of Education and Human Development
  SMU Guildhall
  The Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies
  Academic Programs
  Course Descriptions
  Right to Know
  Educational Programs
  Educational Facilities and Services
  Student Life and Housing
  Administration
  Financial Information Bulletin 2024-2025
  My Catalog
HELP
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Civil Engineering, M.S.C.E.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Academic Programs

The M.S.C.E. offers five areas of emphasis, civil engineering leadership, construction management, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering and transportation systems management, while offering breadth in the areas of environmental engineering and water resources. A minimum of 30 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree is required. For full-time graduate students, six credit hours may involve research and completion of a thesis, with approval from the student’s adviser, with an additional 24 credit hours of coursework. The program also has the flexibility to meet the needs of part-time students, already working in industry, who typically take the nonthesis route with 30 credit hours of coursework. The vast majority of civil engineering graduate courses are offered with evening class times or via distance learning to accommodate the schedule of working professionals.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the Lyle School of Engineering admission requirements for an M.S. degree, applicants are required to satisfy the following additional requirement: a B.S. in civil engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.

Degree Requirements

In addition to meeting the Lyle School of Engineering degree requirements for an M.S. degree, candidates are required to satisfy these additional requirements:

  1. A total of 30 credit hours, with a minimum graduate GPA of 3.000 on a 4.000 scale. Additional articulation courses may be required for students without a civil engineering undergraduate degree.
  2. Given the multidisciplinary nature of civil engineering, the core curriculum and elective courses comprising the degree plans for M.S. students will vary, depending on the students’ undergraduate background and their desired area of specialization.

The following sample degree plans are for students who have a civil engineering undergraduate degree and want a primary specialty in construction management, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering or transportation systems management:

Primary Specialty: Civil Engineering Leadership

Core Courses

Satisfactory completion of the core curriculum consisting of three courses (9 credit hours):

Elective Courses

Satisfactory completion of at least 21 credit hours (or 12 hours with a secondary specialty), selected from the following. Students who complete the requirements of the Cox School of Business Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management  will receive that certificate. Note that a minimum of 6 term-credit hours must be selected from Lyle School of Engineering courses.

At least 4 credit hours of coursework related to leadership, such as:
At least 6 credit hours of coursework related to other business skills, such as:
Coursework on the frontiers of CEE, such as:

Primary Specialty: Construction Management

Core Courses

Satisfactory completion of the core curriculum consisting of five courses (15 credit hours):

At least two of:

Elective Courses

Satisfactory completion of five elective courses (15 credit hours or 6 hours with a secondary specialty). Recommended courses are listed below. Students who complete the requirements of the Cox School of Business Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management  will receive that certificate.

Primary Specialty: Geotechnical Engineering

Core Courses

Satisfactory completion of the core curriculum consisting of five courses (15 credit hours):

Elective Courses

Satisfactory completion of five elective courses (15 credit hours or 6 hours with a secondary specialty) chosen from:

Primary Specialty: Structural Engineering

Core Courses

Satisfactory completion of the core curriculum consisting of five courses (15 credit hours):

Elective Courses

Satisfactory completion of five elective courses (15 credit hours or 6 hours with a secondary specialty) chosen from:

Primary Specialty: Transportation Systems Management

Core Courses

Satisfactory completion of the core curriculum consisting of five courses (15 credit hours):

Elective Courses

Satisfactory completion of five elective courses (15 credit hours or 6 hours with a secondary specialty) chosen from:

Secondary Specialties

Students can choose to group at least three elective courses (nine credit hours) into the following secondary specialties: civil engineering leadership, environmental health and compliance, global and sustainable development or smart and resilient infrastructure. Secondary specialties are optional. If a student wishes to pursue this option, he/she must complete the core courses from one CEE primary specialty and at least 9 credit hours in one of the secondary specialties as follows:

Civil Engineering Leadership

Required Courses
At least three credit hours of business and leadership skills, such as:

Environmental Health and Compliance

Required Courses
Elective Courses

Global and Sustainable Development

Required Course
At least one course (three credit hours) from the following:
At least one course (three credit hours) from the following:

Smart and Resilient Infrastructure

Required Course
At least one course (three credit hours) from the following:
At least one course (three credit hours) from the following:
Elective Courses

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Academic Programs