Master of Science – Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Master of Science

Program Overview

Our Master of Science program offers two options:

Thesis
Engineering Report

Coursework for the Master of Science is intended to provide depth of study in a particular academic subdiscipline. Students should work closely with their faculty advisor in selecting appropriate courses for the chosen subdiscipline, as some require specific courses to be completed.

Thesis Option Overview

The thesis option provides opportunities for students to plan, execute, analyze, interpret, and report the results of research within their chosen academic subdiscipline. The completion of a thesis exemplifies the development of skills in both research and technical writing that typically are not available through coursework alone. The thesis option is most appropriate for those who desire to conduct research or eventually continue their education with a doctoral degree. The thesis option includes a publication requirement for graduation.

30 Credit Hours

A total of 30 credits of approved graduate work must be completed, meeting the following requirements:

At least 24 credits must be earned at Colorado State University, of which 21 credits must be earned after admission to CSU Graduate School (see transfer requirements)
At least 16 regular graduate-level credits (500-level and above) must be earned at Colorado State University
- Of which, at least 12 credits must be regular graduate-level civil and environmental engineering courses (courses with a CIVE prefix and are 500-level and above with the last two digits 00-82, e.g. CIVE 655)
  - Of which, at most 3 credits of independent study are allowed (CIVE 595 or 695)
At most 6 credits of undergraduate 300-400 level coursework may be taken
- Of which, at most 3 credits of 300-400 level CIVE courses may count toward the master’s degree if not required to satisfy background coursework
No lower-division credits (100-200 level) may be used to satisfy the graduate program requirements, but may be required as background courses
No credits used for one master’s degree may be used toward a second master’s degree

Research Thesis

3 to 6 thesis credits are required (CIVE 699A-K)
See all academic subdisciplines for possible thesis topic areas

Publication Submission

Before submitting the thesis to the Graduate School, the results of the thesis research must be submitted for publication to a refereed journal or submitted for presentation at a national or international technical or scientific meeting.
- The candidate’s research may be only part of the publication or presentation, but the candidate must be a co-author in such cases.
The Publication Requirement Approval Form should be signed by the candidate’s thesis advisor and submitted to the CEE graduate advisor.

Thesis Defense

The final examination consists of the thesis defense over the thesis research.

Engineering Report Option Overview

The engineering report option (non-thesis) provides an opportunity for students to investigate an applied topic within their chosen academic subdiscipline.

The scope and depth of an engineering report is less than that of a thesis. However, the report must be at a professional level with the scope agreed upon between the student, faculty advisor, and student’s graduate committee. The completion of the engineering report exemplifies the development of skills in the synthesis and analysis of data and information beyond what is typically available through coursework. There is no publication requirement for this degree program.

32 Credit Hours

A total of 32 credits of approved graduate work must be completed, meeting the following requirements:

At least 24 credits must be earned at Colorado State University, of which 21 credits must be earned after admission to CSU Graduate School (see transfer requirements)
At least 16 credits must be regular graduate-level (500-level and above) civil and environmental engineering courses (courses with a CIVE prefix and are 500-level and above with the last two digits 00-82, e.g. CIVE 655)
- Of which, at most 3 credits of independent study are allowed (CIVE 595 or CIVE 695) in addition to the engineering report
At most 6 credit hours of undergraduate 300-400 level coursework may be taken
- Of which, at most 3 credit hours of 300-400 level CIVE courses may count toward the master’s degree if not required to satisfy background coursework
No lower-division credits (100-200 level) may be used to satisfy the graduate program requirements, but may be required as background courses
No credits used for one master’s degree may be used toward a second master’s degree