Civil Engineering (MCE)

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Graduate Catalog 2024-2025

Description

The Master of Civil Engineering program is included under the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, which specializes in construction, structural, geotechnical, and environmental engineering. Construction engineering is the design, planning, construction, and operation of buildings, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure. Structural engineering emphasizes finite element methods, computer-aided structural analysis and design, pre-stressed concrete and plastic analysis. Geotechnical engineering focuses on advanced concepts in soil mechanics, soil dynamics, tunneling, earth dams and pavement design. Environmental engineering deals with water and wastewater treatment, chemical and biological unit operations, hazardous waste treatment and pollution prevention.

Detroit and its environs provide the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering with large-scale local engineering activities and facilities, including research and development, industrial operations, and civil construction. These opportunities offer the engineering student a stimulating environment for study and considerable future employment potential.

The Master of Civil Engineering program prepares students for careers as consulting engineers, engineers in industry and government, and researchers for university and industrial laboratories. This degree is described in the following sections. In addition, students in the Master of Architecture and the Master of Community Development programs in the School of Architecture may also take classes from the Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering department. For more information about these two programs, please visit School of Architecture & Community Development.

Students interested in focusing on environmental issues should consider the Master of Environmental Engineering. Students can also further their studies in the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program with a major in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

analyze and design a complex engineering system or component (Technical Competence)
independently investigate an engineering topic and make conclusions about its effect on designs (Research Skills)
present an engineering solution (Effective Communication)

Admission Requirements

Students may enter the master program one of two ways: Traditional (for new master students or 91福利社 undergraduate students who were not in the 5-year bachelor/master program) and 5-year bachelor/master (for 91福利社 undergraduate students).

Traditional Master Program

New master students or 91福利社 undergraduate students who were not in the 5-year bachelor/master program may apply for the graduate program online. Typical (but not absolute) minimum requirements include an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and a bachelor degree in Civil Engineering or closely related discipline. Although the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (if applicable) are not required as part of the application, they can be useful in facilitating the admission process. Each applicant must also be approved by the department chair and the College of Engineering & Science dean's office.

5-Year Bachelor/Master Program

Incoming 91福利社 undergraduate students and current Civil Engineering undergraduate students who are within two years of graduating and have a GPA of 3.25 or better, may apply for the accelerated 5-year bachelor/master program. If accepted, students may take up to nine graduate credits that will double-count towards both their bachelor and master programs. Students need to maintain a 3.25 GPA to remain in the accelerated program.

Find more information on the accelerated 5-year bachelor/master program.

Master of Civil Engineering Degree Requirements (30 credits)

The Master of Civil Engineering may be completed with a thesis (with advisor approval) or a non-thesis plan. At least half (15 credits) of the program must be selected from graduate-level only options.

The thesis plan requires six credit hours of thesis (CIVE 5990) and 24 credit hours or more of coursework.

The non-thesis plan includes a total of 30 credit hours of coursework.

Either plan may be supplemented by a cooperative education preparation course or actual cooperative education placements (CTA); however, these credits may NOT be used toward the 30 credit hours required.

Required courses (6 credits):

ENGR 5020 Design of Experiments (3 credits) *
ENGR 5872 Sustainable Engineering

Civil Engineering courses (9 credits):

CIVE courses (at least 3 courses/9 credits)

Thesis or Coursework (6 credits):

Thesis students: CIVE 5990 Civil Engineering Master's Thesis (6 credits)
Non-Thesis students: select two courses (6 credits) from ARCH, CIVE, CHM, ENGR, MENG, and/or MTH

Electives (9 credits):

Select three courses (9 credits) from any combination: ARCH, CIVE, CHM, EMGT*, ENGR, ENT, MENG, MBA*, MTH, MPD*

Courses offered in civil, architectural, and environmental engineering may be supplemented with approved courses in other branches of engineering, mathematics, chemistry, biology, law and other areas - based on advisor/chair approval - to suit the student's individual needs.

Specializations

Students may choose to specialize in one of the following areas based on their interests: Structural/Architectural, Construction Management, Geotechnical, or Road/Bridge. Suggested courses in each of the specializations are listed below. Courses noted with * are offered as graduate-only sections.

Students should consider a minimum of 15 credits from one area. Students interested in environmental engineering are advised to pursue the Master of Environmental Engineering degree. However, students in the Master of Civil Engineering program may select courses in the environmental engineering area if they are relevant.

Structural/Architectural Engineering

CIVE 5300 Forensic Engineering (3 credits)
CIVE 5320 Cost Estimating (3 credits)
CIVE 5340 Integration of Building Information Modeling * (3 credits)
CIVE 5360 Timber Design (3 credits)
CIVE 5390 Design Build (3 credits)
CIVE 5400 Advanced Structural Dynamics (3 credits) *
CIVE 5430 REVIT and CAD (3 credits) *
CIVE 5600 Advanced Structural Analysis & Design (3 credits) *
CIVE 5610 Loading Codes
CIVE 5660 Bridge Design (3 credits) *
CIVE 5710 Special Topics in Civil Engineering (some taught as graduate-only sections) (3 credits)
CIVE 5762 Advanced Concrete Design (3 credits)
CIVE 5760 Pre-Stressed Concrete (3 credits) *
CIVE 5810 Masonry Design (3 credits)