For the master of science in civil engineering (M.S.C.E.) degree, a minimum of 30 credit hours is required – 21 hours of graduate course work (a minimum of nine credit hours should be at the 6000 level or above) and nine hours of thesis research (CIVE 6960) performed under the supervision of a full-time faculty member of the department of civil engineering. The department also offers a M.S.C.E. degree with a project or course work option with the written approval of the department chair or graduate program director. In the project option, a minimum of 30 credit hours is required – 24 hours of graduate course work (a minimum of 12 credit hours should be 6000 level or above) and six hours for the project report. In a course work option, a minimum of 30 credit hours in graduate course work is required, of which a minimum of 9 credit hours should be at the 6000 level or above. Courses taken on an audit basis do not count toward the degree. Additional requirements include:

• A maximum of six hours of independent study are allowed toward the degree.
• Students must prepare a plan of study in conjunction with the adviser (graduate program director for the first semester) with a concentration of required and elective courses in one of the department’s research focus areas of graduate study and receive approval from the graduate program director. Required core courses in each area are determined by the faculty comprising that research area in conjunction with the graduate program director.
• No more than nine credit hours toward the M.S.C.E. may be earned at another university, and in no case may the thesis or project be satisfied by work completed at another institution.