Civil Engineering

MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering

This comprehensive master’s degree program, offered by the Civil Engineering Department at LAU, imparts a sound professional and academic training in civil engineering. Students opt for one of five emphases:

Wider career prospects

A research-oriented master’s degree program opens up the possibilities of a doctoral degree and an academic career. It also equips graduates with a deep understanding of the role of research in their industry. Through acquired research skills and a higher level of critical thinking, MS graduates are able to make more substantial contributions to the future of the profession.

Breadth and depth of knowledge

Through this program, students gain access to a variety of topics in their preferred area of study. They also get in-depth experience in one or more fields of civil engineering and are exposed to cross-disciplinary issues and topics related to the engineering and management of systems.

The research edge

Research is a major component of the curriculum. In addition to conducting research along with their studies, each student completes the program with a thesis based on a topic selected from their preferred emphasis area.

A dynamic faculty

Our civil engineering faculty brings excellent qualifications from renowned programs in the U.S. and Europe. Continuously engaged in cutting-edge research, our faculty has published over 250 refereed journal and conference articles, and received research grants from local and international funding agencies.

Best-in-class labs

Students have at their disposal some of the best-equipped labs in the country. Designed to support research as well as learning, the labs allow for measurement, testing, and experimentation under internationally accepted standards and procedures.

Available Scholarships

Now open for fall 2023: Graduate Program Scholarships 
Distinguished students may benefit from a full Scholarship.  Application deadline, May 04, 2023

Scholarships and Assistantships.

All applicants are encouraged to contact faculty members with areas of research matching their interest.

To find out about the Graduate Assistantships application deadline, check with the Department’s main office.

Read on for further details about the program.

 

Mission

The mission of the graduate program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at LAU is to provide students with a well-rounded set of career skills that empowers them to address a wide range of problems through exposure to an advanced body of knowledge and scholarly endeavors.

Program Educational Objectives

The purpose of the Graduate Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering is to:

  1. Train students to develop the methodology and necessary skills to explore emerging issues in engineering and science.
  2. Provide students with an advanced background and a focused body of knowledge required for the present day professional practice in their chosen field of study, and to prepare them to adapt to a changing profession.
  3. Train the students in an active research environment, to equip them with the latest tools of research, and to prepare them for further study toward a Doctoral Degree.

Student Outcomes

Graduates of the MS - CEE programs will be able to:

  1. Reinforce skills developed in the undergraduate program.
  2. Use advanced analytical, computational, and/or experimental aspects of civil engineering.
  3. Make critical judgments based on a sound knowledge base.
  4. Conduct research and appreciate its importance in the evolution of civil engineering.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for admissions to the program must hold a degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering or Bachelor of Engineering, from a recognized university. A minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA), on a 4.0 scale, of 2.75 and a minimum Major GPA of 2.75, or their equivalent, is required.

Bachelor of Science in Engineering holders, from a 120-credit program, must complete an additional 12 credits of engineering courses prior to their enrollment in the Masters program. No credit toward the graduate degree is given for these courses.

Non-LAU applicants must submit, as part of their application package, the quantitative reasoning and analytical writing scores for the GRE general exam. GRE subject exams are not required for all applicants. GRE test scores must be recent, less than 5 years old.

Two letters of recommendation are required, with at least one letter completed by a full-time faculty who is familiar with the applicant’s academic performance in coursework and research.

Curriculum

Graduation requires the completion of 30 credits, divided into 24 credits of coursework and a 6-credit thesis. The coursework is distributed as follows:

Two core courses are required in every emphasis area. Only one elective course can be selected from outside the School of Engineering based on the specific need for the student to take a course in a relevant field to the thesis work.

All courses in the student study plan must be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor and approved by the Chairperson of the Department. Availability of courses in a specific emphasis area is contingent on adequate enrollment in that specific course/area.
Students must complete a minimum of one academic year of full-time graduate level study, or its equivalent in part-time study.

Transfer of Credits

Students with a Bachelor of Engineering may transfer up to 18 credits from their undergraduate program, provided that the transferred credits correspond to graduate courses in the MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering and the student has attained at least a grade of “B” in each of the courses to be transferred. Credits transfer is governed by the Academic Rules and Procedures for graduate programs.