Master of Science in Civil Engineering
The practice-oriented Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) program builds upon an undergraduate education and facilitates more advanced study in one of the branches of civil engineering. Students must select one of five degree options: Construction Engineering & Management, Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Transportation Engineering.
http://www.cpp.edu/~ce/
Yasser Salem, Chair
Lisa Wang, Graduate Coordinator
Mission Statement
The Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) program is intended to serve both full-time and part-time graduate students, focusing on the application of principles and practices to real-world problems encountered by professional civil engineers. The program also facilitates applied research and prepares students for further graduate studies in a Ph.D. program. The program consists of 30 semester units of coursework. All graduate courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening.
The MSCE program consists of five-degree options: Construction Engineering and Management, Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Water Resources (EWR), Structural Engineering and Transportation Engineering. Students in each option are allowed to choose one culminating experience from the three: Master’s project, Master’s thesis, or Comprehensive Exam. These options provide students flexibility and also meet a wide variety of emerging needs.
Units to Degree Completion - 30 semester units
Culminating Event/Activity - MS Thesis, MS Project, or Comprehensive Exam
Learning Outcomes
The Civil Engineering Department adopted ABET student-learning outcomes. Upon completing their degree graduates of the MSCE program should be able to develop:
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying advanced principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
- an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze, and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
- an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
Admission to the Program
The MSCE program is primarily intended for students who already have a BS degree in civil engineering. Successful applicants will be admitted to the programs either unconditionally or with conditions imposed on them. To receive unconditional admission, an applicant must satisfy at least these criteria:
- The applicant must hold a baccalaureate degree from a civil engineering program accredited by ABET.
- The applicant must have achieved a grade point average of at least 3.00 in all undergraduate upper division coursework in mathematics, science and engineering and, additionally, in all coursework attempted with graduate standing.
- Additional requirements may be imposed by individual options of the MSCE program.
Conditional admission may be granted in cases in which the applicant’s academic preparation for graduate study is such that criteria 1) and/or 2) above are not satisfied. In such cases, the applicant is required to submit recent test scores of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), letters of recommendation, and other documents attesting to the applicant’s aptitude for graduate studies. When an applicant is admitted conditionally, the conditions to be met and the time allowed for meeting them are stated in the letter of admission. If these conditions are not satisfied, the student may be disenrolled.
All applicants with a bachelor’s degree from outside of the U.S. (regardless of citizenship) must also provide proof of English language proficiency:
TOEFL: a minimum of 80 (Internet-based exam)
IELTS: a minimum of 6.5
In addition, all international applicants are required to submit recent GRE test scores.
Graduate Conditionally Classified
A person may be admitted to a graduate degree or credential program in this category if, in the opinion of appropriate campus authority, he/she can remedy deficiencies by additional coursework but otherwise satisfies all other university requirements for admission. All prerequisites must be specified by the admitting department at the time of student admission. Academic departments are responsible for tracking conditionally admitted students and must report their academic progress to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships and the Graduate Studies Office via a memo on a term basis. Students admitted conditionally will not be allowed to concurrently register for graduate courses that are required for the completion of their projected graduate or professional program. To comply with both existing federal regulations and CSU system policy, conditionally admitted students’ financial aid is limited to private loans. Once all deficiencies are resolved and unconditional status is granted by Cal Poly Pomona, students may be eligible for federal and state aid. Conditional admission does not guarantee unconditional admission to a program.
Curriculum
A minimum of 30 semester units is required for the Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree. All students must select one of the five degree options. The specific requirements for each degree option are described below.
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