Academic Catalog 2018–2019

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Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Overview

The M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering program imparts sound professional and academic training in civil engineering, giving students access to a variety of courses in their area of emphasis as well as the opportunity to conduct research, thus combining the theoretical and applied aspects of civil engineering.

The program is designed to stimulate independent thinking and the acquisition of knowledge as well as the application of acquired knowledge and skills in order to solve practical engineering problems. The program provides in-depth experience within one or more particular fields of civil engineering while exposing student to cross-disciplinary issues and topics that affect the engineering and management of systems.

Flexibility is a key benefit of this program, as it allows students to plan their degree in line with their long-term career goals and be consistent with any professional experience and prior training they might have.

Students have to choose one of the following three emphasis areas:

  1. Infrastructure & Construction Management
    Prepares graduates to meet the challenges of planning, financing, designing, building and managing public and private infrastructure under growing technical, financial, social and environmental constraints.
  2. Environmental Science, Engineering, & Management
    Prepares graduates to meet the challenges of sustainable development and natural resource management while protecting the environment.
  3. Engineering Mechanics
    Prepares graduates to meet the challenges of designing technically efficient, cost-effective, and state-of-the-art facilities that are responsive to natural hazards and economic constraints.

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, empowering 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 present-day professional practice in their chosen field of study, and prepare them to adapt to a changing profession, and
  3. train students in an active research environment, equip them with the latest tools of research, and prepare them for further study toward a doctoral degree.

Student Outcomes

Graduates of the M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering 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, and
  4. conduct research and appreciate its importance in the evolution of civil engineering.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for admission to this program must hold a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, or a Bachelor of Engineering degree, from a recognized university, with a minimum general Grade Point Average (GPA) equivalent to 2.75, on a 4-point scale, or 2.75 in the major.

The GRE general exam is required of all applicants who do not hold a B.E. degree from LAU (GRE subject exams are not required). Non-LAU applicants must submit, as part of their application package, scores for the GRE general exam (quantitative reasoning and analytical writing scores). GRE test scores that are more than 5 years old will not be accepted.

Letters of recommendation are optional; however, three letters are recommended, two of which must be completed by faculty who are familiar with the applicant’s academic performance.

Curriculum

Graduation requires the completion of 30 credits, including at least 18 credits of engineering courses for all of the emphasis areas. All students are also required to complete a six-credit thesis and GNE798 Research Methods for Engineers.

Students must complete a minimum of one academic year of full-time graduate level study, or its equivalent in part-time study.

Courses should be chosen in the thesis area, in consultation with the student’s advisor. Availability of courses in a specific concentration is contingent on adequate enrollment in that specific course/area.

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 M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and the student has attained a minimum grade of “B” in each of the courses to be transferred. Credit transfer is governed by the Academic Rules and Procedures for graduate programs.

Infrastructure & Construction Management Emphasis (18 credits)

For this emphasis, students must complete at least four courses (12 credits) from the following list, in addition to one course (3 credits) in Optimization (please see the M.S. in Industrial & Mechanical Engineering), and any other course (3 credits) offered by the School of Engineering:

  • CIE761 Traffic Engineering (3 cr.)
  • CIE762 Airport Planning and Design (3 cr.)
  • CIE763 Transportation Planning and Land Use (3 cr.)
  • CIE764 Mass Transit Systems (3 cr.)
  • CIE766 Highway Design & Management (3 cr.)
  • CIE780 Construction Decisions under Uncertainty (3 cr.)
  • CIE781 Construction Estimating I (3 cr.)
  • CIE782 Infrastructure Management (3 cr.)
  • CIE784 Quality Management Systems (3 cr.)
  • CIE785 Risk and Natural Hazard Management (3 cr.)
  • CIE788 GIS & Remote Sensing (3 cr.)
  • CIE789 Cost Engineering & Control (3 cr.)
  • CIE790 Construction Methods (3 cr.)
  • CIE793 Construction Safety (3 cr.)

Environmental Science, Engineering & Management Emphasis (18 credits)

For this emphasis, students must take at least four courses from the following list (12 credits), and any two courses offered by the School of Engineering (6 credits):

  • CIE720 Solid Waste Management (3 cr.)
  • CIE721 Hydrology (3 cr.)
  • CIE722 Environmental Impact Assessment (3 cr.)
  • CIE723 Water Resources: Planning & Management (3 cr.)
  • CIE724 Air Quality Management (3 cr.)
  • CIE725 Geo-environmental Engineering (3 cr.)
  • CIE728 Fate & Transport of Pollutants in the Environment (3 cr.)
  • CIE729 Hydrogeology (3 cr.)
  • CIE730 Irrigation & Drainage (3 cr.)
  • CIE731 Urban Water Resources (3 cr.)
  • CIE732 Advanced Environmental Engineering (3 cr.)
  • CIE733 Groundwater Engineering (3 cr.)
  • CIE734 Computational Hydraulics (3 cr.)

Engineering Mechanics Emphasis (18 credits)

For this emphasis, students must take at least four courses from the following list (12 credits) and any two courses offered by the School of Engineering (6 credits):

  • CIE701 Finite Element Methods (3 cr.)
  • CIE702 Concrete Structures II (3 cr.)
  • CIE704 Case Histories in Structural & Geotechnical Engineering (3 cr.)
  • CIE706 Structural Dynamics (3 cr.)
  • CIE707 Earthquake Engineering (3 cr.)
  • CIE708 Applied Elasticity (3 cr.)
  • CIE709 Advanced Concrete Design (3 cr.)
  • CIE710 Pre-stressed Concrete Design (3 cr.)
  • CIE711 Pavement Design (3 cr.)
  • CIE712 Design of Hydraulic Structures (3 cr.)
  • CIE713 Reinforced Masonry Design (3 cr.)
  • CIE714 Advanced Structural Analysis for Gravity & Lateral Loads (3cr.)
  • CIE716 Advanced Steel: Design and Behavior (3cr.)
  • CIE717 Earthquake Analysis of Structures (3 cr.)
  • CIE740 Advanced Geotechnical Engineering (3 cr.)
  • CIE744 Geotechnical Aspects of Earthquake Engineering (3 cr.)

Other Courses (12 credits)

  • CIE796   Special Topics Course (3 cr.)
  • CIE891   Project course (3 cr.)
  • CIE899  Thesis (6 cr.)
  • GNE798 Research Methods for Engineers (3 cr.)

Recommended Study Plan

First Year

Fall (9 credits)

  • GNE798 Research Methods for Engineers (3 cr.)
  • CIExxx Emphasis Course (3 cr.)
  • Elective Course (3 cr.)

Spring (9 credits)

  • CIExxx Emphasis Course (3 cr.)
  • SOE/CIE Elective Course* (3 cr.)
  • Elective Course (3 cr.)

Second Year

Fall (6 credits)

  • CIExxx Emphasis Course (3 cr.)
  • Elective Course (3 cr.)

Spring (6 credits)

*For the Infrastructure and Construction Management Emphasis Area, the SOE elective course should be selected from the approved Optimization Area.