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Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering

Graduate Degree

M.S. in Civil Engineering

Overview

The M.S. Civil Engineering program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville provides advanced training to students and professionals in the design, construction, and management of civil infrastructure.  This broad degree provides students with a deeper understanding of geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources engineering, as well as construction management.  

Educational objectives:

After completing the M.S. in Civil Engineering degree, master’s graduates will demonstrate the following skills beyond those expected of a baccalaureate recipient:

  • A deeper understanding of problem-solving and research skills in the civil engineering field.
  • An ability to design increasingly complex systems in the fields of geotechnical, structural, transportation, and/or water resources engineering.
  • Professional communication skills.

Admission Requirements

  • Completion of a baccalaureate degree in civil engineering or a closely related field.  Graduate students with baccalaureate degrees from other fields may be asked to complete preparatory undergraduate coursework.
  • Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.6 on a 4.0 scale.
  • English proficiency (for more information, see Graduate Admissions link).
  • Students not satisfying qualifications for full admission may be admitted with stipulations on a case by case basis.

Degree Requirements

For all M.S. Civil Engineering students, no more than 3 graduate-level courses (9 SCH) from outside civil engineering may be applied to degree.  The first three graduate-level courses (9 SCH) must be civil engineering courses.  Programs offered in the architectural engineering program may be exempt from these two rules (depending on relevance to civil engineering professional practice).

Thesis Track 30 credit hours total.  Students must complete 8 graduate-level courses (24 SCH) and successfully defend a thesis proposal and thesis (CEEN 5306, 6 SCH).

Course-Only Track 30 credit hours total.  Students must complete 10 graduate-level courses (30 SCH) and successfully pass a comprehensive exam.  The comprehensive exam will include topics in geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources engineering.

All students must complete at least one graduate-level course in each of the four civil engineering technical areas of the M.S. Civil Engineering degree, to be selected from the following courses:

  • Either CEEN 5320 (Foundation Engineering I) or CEEN 5342 (Adv Geotechnical Engineering I)
  • Either CEEN 5311 (Advanced Reinforced Concrete Design), CEEN 5321 (Structural Dynamics), or CEEN 5337 (Advanced Structural Analysis)
  • Either CEEN 5353 (Intelligent Transportation Systems), CEEN 5350 (Transportation Engineering I), or CEEN 5357 (Advanced Concrete Pavement)
  • Either CEEN 5315 (Hydraulics of Open Channels), CEEN 5340 (Water Resources Engineering), or CEEN 5355 (Groundwater Hydrology)

Other courses may be applied to meet the technical content area requirement upon approval of the chair and graduate coordinator.