Academic Programs

Missouri S&T offers studies that lead to a master of science (M.S.) in Civil Engineering, an M.S. in Environmental Engineering, and the Doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.

The M.S. with a thesis option requires a minimum of 24 semester credit hours of graduate coursework plus 6 credit hours of research. The M.S. degree with a non-thesis option requires 30 credit hours of graduate work. A Ph.D. degree requires at least 24 credit hours of graduate coursework beyond the M.S. degree.

Major fields of study include:

Construction Materials and Management:
Graduate studies focus on a wide range of construction materials used in civil engineering projects, such as aggregate, asphalt, concrete, pavements and masonry. Typically, students obtaining graduate degrees in construction materials engineering have a related emphasis depending on their career goals.

Construction Engineering And Management:
Graduate study focuses on managing the design and construction process including the construction engineering required to get the job done. Coursework includes estimating, scheduling, contracts, productivity, and project delivery systems. Courses in Civil Engineering design areas and Engineering Management are available to develop a multidisciplinary plan of studies that fits the interests and needs of each individual student. Research areas include IT in construction, green construction, productivity, constructability and interdisciplinary work with other groups including the Center for Infrastructure Engineered Studies.

Environmental Engineering:
Current research activities encompass physical, chemical, and biological wastewater treatment, hazardous waste treatment, drinking water treatment, groundwater and soil remediation, and air pollution control. While the program is tailored to the individual, it provides all students with a strong background in fundamental chemical, biological, physical and environmental systems.

Geotechnical Engineering:
Geotechnical Engineering deals with the earth as a construction material. Programs of study in this area are focused on preparing the student for a career as a geotechnical engineering consultant. Courses are offered in soil properties and their measurements, foundation analysis and design, embankments, retaining structures, earth dams, numerical modeling, geosynthetics, soil dynamics and earthquake engineering.

Hydroresources Engineering:
The program of study in this area includes courses in advance hydraulics and hydrology, physical and mathematical modeling and environmental hydraulics and hydrology. Areas of research interest are: watershed and urban hydrology, physical and mathematical - hydrological and hydraulic modeling, hydraulic structures, sediment transport and environmental hydraulics and hydrology and water resources engineering.

Structural Engineering:
Graduate studies in structural engineering include experimental research in the core areas of reinforced concrete, cold formed steel, fiber reinforced polymer composites, high performance concrete, seismic behavior of structures, and damage detection. This includes the application of concrete, composite, steel, and masonry materials to structures. Analytical modeling and research is being conducted in the core areas of earthquake engineering, structural control, soil-structure interaction, high-speed impact of space structures, and mitigation of structural systems.

Transportation Engineering
Graduate studies in transportation engineering include courses in urban transport planning, traffic engineering, public transportation systems, roadway design and airport design. Area of research capabilities include: traffic operations and safety, the application of advanced technologies to transportation problems, and high infrastructure.

Research Opportunities

Research is an integral component of the graduate experience. Students and faculty enjoy state-of-the-art laboratories and learning centers housed in the new Butler-Carlton Hall completed in April of 2003. These are listed by fields of study:

Construction Materials:
Laboratory research is an integral part of the curriculum and experimental testing is conducted in the four individual materials laboratories: Aggregate, Asphalt, Concrete, and Load Frame. Extensive equipment is available, including the newly equipped Superpave mixture lab. Recent research has centered on the design and behavior of pavement structures and materials such as asphalt mixtures, stabilized and unstabilized base materials, pavement drainage, concrete mixtures, and maturity of concrete.

Environmental Engineering:
Research and laboratory work is conducted in the Mathes Environmental Research Laboratories in Butler-Carlton Hall. The labs have state-of-the-art instrumentation to conduct a wide range of environmental analyses. Interdisciplinary environmental research efforts with industry and faculty at other institutions are numerous.

Geotechnical Engineering:
Extensive equipment is available in the three separate geotechnical laboratories (instructional, research, and geodynamics) equipped with standard and advanced equipment, including dynamic soil testing (cyclic triaxial, cyclic simple shear, pulse velocity and resonant column). A 1.2m X 2.1 m shake table is also available for dynamic model testing. Current research areas include design and performance of ground anchors, soil improvement, expansive soils, liquefaction, aseismic design of bridge foundations, GIS applications, spectral and spatial characterization of soils, dynamic deformation of retaining structures, and numerical and non-linear solutions.

Hydroresources Engineering:
A modern hydraulics laboratory equipped with a variable-slope 100-foot flume, data acquisition computers and instrumentation for measurements is available for research and instruction. Several numerical models of hydraulics, hydrology, hydrodynamics and pollutant transport are also available to students and faculty.

Structural Engineering:
The Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering (CARE) has two structural laboratories with a floor space exceeding 1250 m2 to meet the ever-growing needs for research and education in structural engineering. Approximately 50% of the space has a strong floor, providing high load testing capability. The laboratories house a number of pieces of testing equipment. These include a 6-meter high and 12-meter long, L-shaped strong wall reaction, a 7.5-meter long truss testing rack, MTS880 and Tiniuis Olsen loading machines, a 1.2m X 2.1 m shake table, and an 1800 kN universal testing machine. There are several high-capacity servo-valve hydraulic actuators for static and earthquake testing along with state of the art data acquisition. The laboratories are equipped for a variety of small-scale and full-scale testing under static, fatigue and earthquake simulations.

Transportation Engineering:
Depending on the needs of individual students, laboratory research can be performed in one or more of the departmental labs: computer design, construction, bituminous, geotechnical, hydraulics, or construction materials. The transportation program is affiliated with the Missouri S&T Transportation Institute, a cross-disciplinary organization, which deals with the multi-faceted aspects of transportation issues.

Career Opportunities

The breadth of civil engineering prepares graduates for a myriad of diverse career paths. Traditional careers include:

• consulting engineering

• construction engineering

• local, state and national agencies (transportation, environmental, etc

Starting salaries for MS and PhD students currently range from $42,000-$60,000 with the lower numbers being for government agencies. With their broad educational background, many of our graduates either manage or own their own firms. Many graduates find that their background suits them for corporate management. Our graduates include the CEO of Sprint Telecommunications, HBE Corporation (Adam's Mark Hotels), Williams Companies, and many others.

Admissions Requirements

Prospective students for the MSCE program should have a B.S. degree from any engineering discipline from an approved program at a college or university of recognized standing. Students with non-civil engineering degrees may be required to take additional courses to prepare them for their advanced studies. In some cases, students with non-engineering degrees (e.g., chemistry, physics, geology, or biology) will be considered if deficiencies in mathematics, science and engineering are remedied. Prospective students for the MSEnvE program are not required to have an engineering B.S. Please see the Environmental Engineering requirements. Prospective candidates for a Ph.D. are evaluated on a case by case basis.

A minimum GPA of 3.0 (based on a 4.0 scale) is required for both M.S. and Ph.D. program applicants. GRE scores of 1100 (quantitative plus verbal) and analytical writing of 4.0 are required. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 is mandatory for international applicants. Provisional admission to the M.S. program is possible as determined by the Graduate School and the Department.