Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Program Requirements

• A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate coursework, with at least 20 credit hours of course and seminar work. The balance of coursework must be consistent with the research or professional experience component. Students complete the program in 18 to 24 months.
• Satisfactory completion of one of the research or professional experience components listed below.
  • A written thesis based on independent research
  • A comprehensive examination
  • An appropriate, professionally oriented special project
• Twenty of the 30 minimum credit hours must be earned in residence
• One academic year of full-time study beyond the baccalaureate
• A maximum of 10 credit hours of transfer credit (grade of B or better)
• All work must be completed in four calendar years.
• All students must complete a thesis and defend it orally to a committee consisting of a minimum of three faculty members.

Specialty Areas

All students must pass a group of core courses in one of the following specialty areas: environmental, geotechnical, structural or water resources engineering.

• Environmental Engineering: Understand what’s needed to build a more sustainable world.
• Geotechnical Engineering: Focus on the composition of soil and rocks in relation to construction. This entails defining the strength that these elements can provide to bear loads.
• Structural and Materials Engineering: Learn how to optimize a building’s strength, stability and overall resilience.
• Water Resources Engineering: The Earth only has a small amount of water fit for human consumption. Gain the skills to better use this finite resource.
• Transportation Engineering: Explore related planning, design, operation, analysis and maintenance skills.

Environmental Engineering

Water and Wastewater Engineering:  Satisfied by an appropriate course
as an undergraduate or CE579.

• CE580 Environmental Chemistry
• CE584 Chemodynamics
• CE582 Environmental Systems or CE586 Industrial Ecology

And one of the following:

• CE681 Environmental Physico-Chemical Processes
• CE682 Environmental Biological Processes
• ES534 Air Pollution Control

A course in applied statistics is strongly recommended.

Geotechnical Engineering

Four from the following list:

• CE512/ME555 Introduction to Structural and Soil Dynamics
• CE513 Elastic Waves and Non-Destructive Tests
• CE516 Advanced Soil Mechanics
• CE519 Advanced Foundation Design
• CE527/ME527 Advanced Fluid Mechanics
• CE538 Introduction to the Finite Element Method
• CE551 Theory of Elasticity
• CE554 Continuum Mechanics
• ME531 Computational Fluid Dynamics

Structural and Materials Engineering

• CE549 Experimental Methods in Structures
• CE554 Continuum Mechanics

And two of the following:

• CE501 Fracture Mechanics of Concrete Structures
• CE512 Introduction to Structural and Soil Dynamics
• CE520 Computational Methods of Structural Analysis
• CE521 Analysis of Advanced Composite Structures
• CE538 Introduction to Finite Element Method
• CE551 Theory of Elasticity
• CE553 Properties and Performance of Concrete Materials
• CE631 Cement Chemistry
• CE633 Plasticity

Transportation Engineering

• CE561 Transportation Systems Design
• CE568 Traffic Engineering

Two from the following list:

• CE538 Introduction to the Finite Element Method
• CE510 Sustainable Infrastructure and Building
• EE501 Digital Signal Processing
• EE529/ME529 Stochastic Processes
• EE550 Control Systems
• EE552 Optimization Techniques in Engineering (or similar optimization courses)
• MA584 Advanced Applied Statistics (or similar advanced data analytics courses)
• CS547 Computer Algorithms
• CS549 Computational/Machine Learning
• CS551 Artificial Intelligence
• CS559 Human Computer Interaction

Courses on systems theories and data analytics are strongly recommended.

Water Resource Engineering

Four from the following list:

• CE527/ME527 Advanced Fluid Mechanics
• CE554 Continuum Mechanics
• CE569 Watershed Analysis
• CE570 Stream Riparian System and Fluvial Morphology
• CE571 Computational River Dynamics
• CE572 Shallow Water Hydrodynamics
• CE573 Sediment Transport
• CE574 Hydrodynamic Dispersion
• CE575 Coastal Engineering
• CE576 Hydraulic Engineering in Cold Regions
• ME531 Computational Fluid Dynamics

Other Information

Exceptional students may be invited to proceed directly to the PhD; such students will be awarded the MS concurrently with the PhD.

Students in the MS program in the Department of CEE can be eligible for partial tuition assistance.*

*Self-paying students may receive a tuition scholarship for up to 40 percent of the tuition for which the student has registered. The graduate school, upon recommendation by the department, provides this scholarship. Full-time MS students may receive four credits of support for three semesters. These merit awards require up to six hours of departmental work per week.

Test your ideas and form your thesis through interdisciplinary research facilitated through the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, Center for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering and Sciences, Center for Advanced Materials Processing, the NYS Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions and the U.S. Army's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. Learn more about research at Clarkson.

A complete application consists of the following:

• Online Application Form.
• Résumé.
• Statement of Purpose.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Official Transcripts.
• GRE is optional.
• For international applicants, an English proficiency test is required.
  • Minimum test score requirements: TOEFL (80) and TOEFL Essentials (8.5), IELTS (6.5), PTE (56) or Duolingo English Test (115).
  • The English language-testing requirement is not waived based on language of instruction, nor do we accept university certificates. English testing is waived if an applicant has a degree from a country where English is the Native Language. Click here to see the list of these countries.

MS Prerequisites: A BS, BE or equivalent degree from an accredited program in civil and environmental engineering or other engineering discipline is required for admission. Applicants with degrees in disciplines other than engineering may be required to demonstrate proficiency through additional undergraduate coursework as determined by the departmental graduate committee. This may comprise an additional semester of study for which graduate credit cannot be granted. No minimum grade point average is required for admission. Applicants should demonstrate a history of high academic achievement.

Learn more about admission requirements for graduate students.

A limited number of one-year and/or partial-year tuition scholarships are available for qualified full-time students. A limited number of stipends are also available. Most scholarships and/or stipends are associated with department assistantships or completion of a master’s thesis as part of the qualified applicant’s plan of study to complete their degree program.

Learn more about all of our scholarships and how to apply by contacting the Coulter School of Engineering and Applied Sciences' graduate division via email at enggrad@fenxiong.net.