Master of Science in Civil Engineering
The master of science (M.S.) program is intended to serve a variety of people and purposes. In place of rigidly structured programs, students are encouraged to develop their programs in accord with their interests and in consultation with their advisors.
Graduate study and research programs can be designed to allow for specialization in one area, study in two or more related areas. or work in some other specialized or newly evolving area of civil, structural, and environmental engineering.
Suggested programs have been outlined for each departmental area of concentration.
Areas of Study
Degree Requirements
For the master of science degree in civil engineering, all students must complete 30 credits hours of approved graduate study. This must include 6 credit hours from the core curriculum as described below. Each individual program area may require additional courses.
Most M.S. students are actively involved in research that culminates with the writing of a 6 credit hour thesis. However, in some cases, the student may instead complete a 3 credit hour thesis or project. An all-course option is also available, requiring successful completion of a comprehensive examination at the end of the program of study.
Master of science students in the Environmental Science area are exempt from the core curriculum requirements, but may have other course requirements.
Additional detail concerning the M.S. program requirements can be found in the Graduate Studies Manual.
Core Curriculum
CSEE maintains a basic core requirement for civil engineering M.S. and Ph.D. degree candidates consisting of one course in mathematics and one of two courses in mechanics, either fluids or solids.
The courses comprising the core are selected to ensure that advanced degree recipients from the department have knowledge in the basic mechanics and mathematics that are the "fundamental language" of civil engineering.
The only exception to this rule comes when a student can demonstrate that he/she has already taken an equivalent course before coming to UB. In this case the student should take an alternative course, as specified by the Graduate Studies Committee.
While high performance in all graduate work is important, excellent grades in core courses are particularly significant in the faculty's assessment of a student's potential to pursue a Ph.D.
The current core program is as follows:
Mechanics:
CIE 511 Advanced Mechanics of Solids
or
CIE 546 Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Mathematics:
CIE 516 Advanced Mathematics for Civil Engineers
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