Specialty-Areas
Our graduate programs include studies in construction engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, transportation materials and transportation systems, and water resources engineering. An overview of our graduate program requirements and common details of all the specialty areas are presented in this web page. Specialty area specific information can be found by clicking on the links provided in this web page.
| Specialty Area | Specialty Area Coordinators (SAC) |
|
(MSE Only) |
Prof. S. D. Rajan |
| Environmental Engineering | Prof. Rolf Halden |
| Geotechnical | Prof. Ed Kavazanjian |
| Structures | Prof. S. D. Rajan |
| Transportation Materials & Systems | Prof. Kamil Kaloush |
| Water Resources | Prof. Rolf Halden |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
It may be helpful to download and examine the Graduate Handbook that contains more information on the CEE graduate program. The Civil and Environmental Engineering department consists of faculty that is actively involved in teaching, research and public service. The teaching responsibilities include teaching the engineering core courses, the undergraduate and graduate courses. The faculty is also involved with sponsored and unsponsored research in different specialty areas. In addition, the faculty provides expertise to local and national agencies, organizations and companies in the form of consulting, report writing, committee participation, workshops, invited lectures, conference organization, professional exam reviews etc.
The admission policies for the graduate program are designed to encourage all qualified students to apply and be considered for regular admission to the graduate program. There are three graduate programs - the Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.), the Master of Science (M.S.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs. Students may be admitted on a regular status or provisional status (certain deficiencies must be met before the status is changed to regular).
The Graduate College requires the applicant to submit a formal application which contains basic personal and educational information, and the official transcript. In addition, the following is also required
(i) Statement of Purpose. All applicants are required to indicate an area or areas of specialization within the chosen program. The intent is to match the student's interests with those of the faculty. The statement of purpose should not only address the specialization area(s) within the chosen program but also such issues as applicant's career goals and the reason for pursuing graduate studies.
(ii) Letters of Recommendation. All doctoral applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation. However, masters applicants are also encouraged to submit Letters of Recommendation.
(iii) TOEFL. The Test of English as Foreign Language is required of international students for whom English is a second language. A minimum score of 550 is required for regular admission.
(iv) M.S. Students Continuing for the Ph.D. Upon completion of the MS program, a student may be admitted directly to the doctoral program if recommended by the student's Graduate Supervisory Committee and approved by the faculty.
(v) Graduate Record Examination. This exam required for all students, except those with an undergraduate degree from the Civil and Environmental Engineering program at ASU.
For graduates of accredited US institutions, a minimum GPA of 3.0 (B) is a requirement for regular admission to the M.S. and M.S.E. programs, and 3.2 for the Ph.D. program. Provisional admission may be granted to the M.S. and M.S.E. programs if the GPA is below 3.0 and if the applicant has demonstrated strong performance in related courses.
Please refer to the specialty pages for additional admission requirements.
Once the applicant is admitted to the graduate program, upon arrival on campus must first meet with the respective group Specialty Area Coordinator (SAC) or the student's Faculty Advisor. The names of the SAC are listed on the top of this page. If the student has been offered a research assistantship, the student must meet with the particular faculty who has offered such assistantship; this same faculty is the student's Faculty Advisor. For students who do not have a research assistantship, the SAC will assign the student a temporary advisor by matching the student's interests with the faculty. The student must select a permanent advisor by the end of the first semester. The name of the student's advisor must be filed with the Department Office. A request for subsequent change of advisor must be in writing with both the current and the new advisor formally informed of the change. All graduate students are expected to work closely with their Graduate Supervisory Committee (GSC) that is made up of their faculty advisor and other faculty members.
The Civil Engineering Department offers various forms of financial support to new and continuing graduate students. Teaching and research assistantships are also available from the department and individual faculty members. Please also refer to the Graduate College webpage for financial support: http://graduate.asu.edu/financialsupport.html
The student in consultation with his/her advisor and the GSC must file a POS. The POS must reflect University requirements and the need for rigorous fundamental knowledge of engineering principles.
The POS must be submitted by the fourth week of the semester a student expects to complete 18 semester hours of their Program of Study. The form can be found here : http://cee.fulton.asu.edu/graduate/forms-resources
POS submission requirements:
1) Access ASU Interactive at www.asu.edu/interactive.
2) Under Current Students, click on the tab that says View/Update Academic Records.
3) Click on the link under this tab that reads File Graduate Program of Study (POS).
4) You will be taken to your Student Center.
5) In the top left corner, there will be a link for Program of Study.
6) After clicking that link, follow the screens that prompt you to fill in your courses from your transcript and future courses.
Please note: You must only put the required number of courses on your POS. For instance, DO NOT put more than 6 hours of thesis (MS) or 12 hours of dissertation (PhD).
7) You will also be asked to add your advisor.
8) Once you have added all the courses necessary, print the Course Approval page (link at the top right).
9) Your advisor must sign as well as your entire GSC. Even though there are not enough signature lines, all signatures are required.
10) Please turn your form into the Graduate Advisor to obtain the signature of the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
11) Once this occurs, the Graduate Advisor will be able to approve your POS electronically.
When CEE, Graduation Office and Graduate College approve your POS, you will then have to go back into the system to add the rest of your committee through the Committee Change tab.
The university requirements for the Master of Science (M.S.) degree are given in the Graduate Catalog. The candidate must complete at least 30 semester hours of approved course and research work.
The MS POS must include 24 hours of coursework. Up to 3 hours of Reading and Conference (CEE 590) is permitted. The POS must also include 6 hours of thesis (CEE599). A final defense of the thesis will be administered by the GSC. A student who fails the final defense the first time may be allowed at the discretion of the GSC and the Graduate College to retake the exam once more. As of Fall 2007, no POS can include research credits (CEE 592) as a part of the thesis requirement. While the POS may contain only 500 level graduate courses, one approved 400 level course (not offered by CEE) may be included in the POS. No 700-level graduate courses may be included in the POS for a M.S. degree.
For transferring students, the transfer credits will have to be approved by the GSC as being equivalent to one or more courses at ASU.
For additional information on the MS Program, please follow the links given below:
1. Construction Engineering
2. Environmental Engineering
3. Geotechnical Engineering
4. Structural Engineering
5. Transportation Materials and Transportation Systems
6. Water Resources Engineering
The university requirements for the Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) degree are given in the Graduate Catalog. Only the non-thesis option, as listed in the Graduate Bulletin, is available. The candidate must complete at least 30 semester hours of approved course work.
The MSE POS must include 30 hours of coursework. Up to 3 hours of Reading and Conference (CEE 590) is permitted. While the POS may contain only 500 level graduate courses, one approved 400 level course (not offered by CEE) may be included in the POS. No 700-level graduate courses may be included in the POS for the M.S.E. degree. The student must take and pass the MSE Comprehensive Exam at the end of their coursework.
For additional information on the MSE Program, please follow the links given below:
1. Construction Engineering
2. Environmental Engineering
3. Geotechnical Engineering
4. Structural Engineering
5. Transportation Materials and Transportation Systems
6. Water Resources Engineering
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program is directed towards original research. The student must write and defend a dissertation which described an original contribution within the chosen discipline.
Applicants are generally not admitted to the Ph.D. program without an M.S. degree or equivalent. If an applicant has an exceptional record, the student may be admitted directly to the doctoral program.
Dissertation and Program Committee
The advisor, in consultation with the student, will establish a Graduate Supervisory Committee (GSC). The committee will:
1) Approve the POS.
2) Provide guidance for the student's research.
3) Administer the comprehensive exam.
4) Administer the dissertation defense.
For additional information please follow the links given below:
1. Construction Engineering
2. Environmental Engineering
3. Geotechnical Engineering
4. Structural Engineering
5. Transportation Materials and Transportation Systems
6. Water Resources Engineering
Program of Study
In general, a PhD student is expected to complete a minimum of 84 semester hours of academic credit beyond the bachelor's degree. In addition to the 30 semester hours for the master's degree, the doctoral degree requires a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours of PhD course work (excluding Reading and Conference), 12 hours of research (CEE 792) and 12 hours of dissertation (CEE 799) as a part of the POS. A student may take no more than 6 hours of CEE790 with one faculty member who is a member of the Graduate Supervisory Committee. Students may request up to 12 semester hours of credit taken at another institution and not counted toward a previous degree, as transfer credits. The student's GSC will determine if the courses can count as transfer credits.
Final Oral Exam (Dissertation Defense)
The dissertation defense is an oral exam administered by the GSC in accordance with the Graduate College guidelines. The purpose of the exam is to evaluate the student's research efforts and written presentation (dissertation), and to determine if the candidate is worthy of conference of a Ph.D. degree. The major area of emphasis of this examination is the student's research dissertation and the general areas of study related thereto.
For additional information on the Final Oral Exam, please follow the links given below:
1. Construction Engineering
2. Environmental Engineering
3. Geotechnical Engineering
4. Structural Engineering
5. Transportation Materials and Transportation Systems
6. Water Resources Engineering
Scholarship Information