Civil Engineering - Master of Science in Civil Engineering
In support of the mission and vision statements for the graduate program, the department adopts the following goals for the Master of Science (M.S.) in Civil Engineering degree:
- Prepare students to fulfill the academic prerequisites specified by the Americans Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for Licensure and Professional Practice in Civil Engineering.
- Prepare students to attain the Body of Knowledge specified by ASCE necessary for entry into the practice of civil engineering at the professional level.
- Prepare students in conducting applied research in areas relevant to the practice of civil engineering.
- Prepare students for advanced graduate studies towards a terminal degree.
Students may choose from the geotechnical, structural, or water resources engineering options following the Thesis or Non-Thesis track, requirements of which are specified below. Exceptions to these requirements must be approved by the head of the department. Further information related to the M.S. degree may be found under the Academic Programs of Study section of the catalog.
Option: Geotechnical Engineering
Thesis Track
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Background Courses 4 | ||
| Soil Mechanics | 3 | |
| Foundation Design | 3 | |
| Physical Geology (or higher-level courses) | 4 | |
| Reinforced Concrete Design (or higher-level courses based on ACI) | 3 | |
| Core Courses 1 | 9 | |
| Select three from the following: | ||
| Advanced Soil Behavior | 3 | |
| Deep Foundations | 3 | |
| Ground Improvement | 3 | |
| Optional Courses | 12-13 | |
| Select four from the following: | ||
| Geohydrology | 3-4 | |
| Site Investigation | 3 | |
| Design of Municipal and Hazardous Waste Landfills | 3 | |
| Pavement Analysis and Design | 3 | |
| Design of Earth Dams | 3 | |
| Design of Earth Retaining Structures | 3 | |
| Slope Stability Analysis and Design | 3 | |
| Select 3 credits from courses outside the area or department (450 or higher) 2 | 3 | |
| Research Credits | 6 | |
| Master's Thesis 3 | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 30-31 | |
- 1
A course listed as core may be taken as one of the four optional courses if it is not counted already as one of the three core courses.
- 2
The selected course outside the area or department must be previously approved by the academic advisor or student's Graduate Committee.
- 3
A maximum of 6 credits are counted toward the Master's Degree program.
- 4
A course listed as background provides fundamental knowledge to pursue graduate studies in geotechnical engineering but does not satisfy the course requirements for the MS degree (exception: CE 457).
Total credits needed for the Thesis Track are 24 credits of coursework and 6 credits of C E 599 Master's Thesis research.
Non-Thesis Track
The background and core courses for the Non-Thesis Track in Geotechnical Engineering are the same as those listed under the Thesis Track. Under optional courses, Non-Thesis students must select one additional course (i.e., total of five optional courses) from the list provided for the Thesis Track. In addition, Non-Thesis students must complete 3 credits of CE 598 - Special Research Programs in place of 6 credits of CE 599 and pass a final exit exam covering coursework and their research project.
Total credits needed for the Non-Thesis Track are 27 credits of coursework and 3 credits of C E 598 Special Research Programs.
Option: Structural Engineering
Thesis Track
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Background Courses 2 | ||
| Structural Analysis | 4 | |
| Elements of Steel Design (based on AISC) | 3 | |
| Reinforced Concrete Design (based on ACI) | 3 | |
| Core Courses | 15 | |
| Advanced Mechanics of Materials | 3 | |
| Finite Element Methods | 3 | |
| Advanced Design of Steel Structures | 3 | |
| Advanced Concrete Design | 3 | |
| Structural Dynamics | 3 | |
| Optional Courses 3 | 9 | |
| Select three from the following: | ||
| Introduction to Artificial Intelligence for Civil Engineers | 3 | |
| Advanced Mechanics of Steel Structures | 3 | |
| Advanced Engineering Design | 3 | |
| Design of Earth Retaining Structures | 3 | |
| Deep Foundations | 3 | |
| Introduction to Nondestructive Testing | 3 | |
| Bridge Engineering | 3 | |
| Wood Design | 3 | |
| Masonry Design | 3 | |
| Advanced Artificial Intelligence for Civil Engineers | 3 | |
| Research Credits | 6 | |
| Master's Thesis 1 | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
A maximum of 6 credits are counted toward the Master's Degree program.
- 2
A course listed as background provides fundamental knowledge to pursue graduate studies in structural engineering but does not satisfy the course requirements for the MS degree.
- 3
A course listed as optional may replace one of the five core courses if it is not counted already as one of the three optional courses (requires department head approval)
Total credits needed for the Thesis Track are 24 credits of coursework and 6 credits of C E 599 Master's Thesis research.
Non-Thesis Track
The background and core courses for the Non-Thesis Track in Structural Engineering are the same as those listed under the Thesis Track. Under optional courses, Non-Thesis students must select one additional course (i.e., total of four optional courses) from the list provided for the Thesis Track. In addition, Non-Thesis students must complete 3 credits of CE 598 - Special Research Programs in place of 6 credits of CE 599 and pass a final exit exam covering coursework and their research project.
Total credits needed for the Non-Thesis Track are 27 credits of coursework and 3 credits of C E 598 Special Research Programs.
Option: Water Resources Engineering
Thesis Track
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements | ||
| Core courses | 12 | |
| Statistics | 3 | |
| Area of Interest Courses | 9 | |
| C E 599 | Master's Thesis | 6 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Non-Thesis Track
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements | ||
| Core courses | 12 | |
| Statistics | 3 | |
| Area of Interest Courses | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Foundation Requirements
- ABET- Accredited BS in Civil, Agricultural, Geological Engineering, or closely related field or equivalent (as per existing Civil Engineering Department regulations)
- One course in surface water hydrology
- One course in hydrogeology or geohydrology
- At least three semesters of hydraulics and hydraulic design
Core Courses
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | 12 | |
| Open Channel Hydraulics | 3 | |
| Water Resources Development | 3 | |
| Ground Water Hydrology | 3 | |
| Statistical Hydrology | 3 | |
| Statistics | 3 | |
| Statistical Inference I (or advanced statistics class if student is qualified) | 4 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Area of Interest Courses (Flexible)
Agricultural/ Civil/ Environmental Engineering
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Groundwater, Wells & Pumps | 3 | |
| Irrigation and Drainage Engineering | 3 | |
| Geohydrology | 3-4 | |
| Hydraulic Structures | 3 | |
| Surface Water Hydrology | 3 | |
| Design of Earth Dams | 3 | |
| Special Design and Analysis Program | 3-6 | |
| Advanced Engineering Design | 3 | |
| Topics in Hydrodynamics II | 3 | |
| Surface Water Quality Modeling | 3 | |
| Fate and Transport of Environmental Contaminants | 3 | |
| GIS Design | 3 | |
| Advanced Soil Physics | 3 |
Modeling/ Fluid Mechanics
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| Numerical Methods for Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer | 3 |
Management/Optimization
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Linear Programming | 3 | |
| Nonlinear Programming | 3 | |
| Discrete Optimization | 3 |
Electives outside College of Engineering: A ST, AEEC, GEOG, GEOL, MATH, STAT, and SOIL (must be approved by the Advisor and Committee Members).
_________________________
Notes:
-
International students must be registered at least 9 credits per semester.
-
International students may be required to take English language courses to show proficiency in English.
-
At least half of the credits of the Master's Degree program must be 500 level or higher.
New Mexico State University master’s accelerated program provides the opportunity for academically qualified undergraduate students to begin working on a master’s degree during their junior and senior years while completing a bachelor’s degree. Typically, a bachelor’s degree requires four years to complete, and a master’s degree requires an additional two years. The master’s accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to complete a graduate program in an accelerated manner. You can also check NMSU’s catalog for additional information about our programs.
Please talk to an CE faculty advisor about your MAP plan and develop a course plan in consultation with the advisor. The faculty advisor should preferably be from the CE area of your interest.
MAP Requirements
- The Graduate School allows qualified junior or senior students to substitute its graduate courses for required or elective courses in an undergraduate degree program and then subsequently count those same course as fulfilling graduate requirements in a related graduate program.
- Undergraduate students may apply for acceptance to the accelerated master’s program after completing 60 semester hours of undergraduate coursework of which a minimum of 25 semester credit hours must be completed at NMSU.
- The grade point average must be at a minimum of 2.75.
- Students must receive a grade of B or higher in this coursework to be counted for graduate credit. If a grade of B- or lower is earned, it will not count toward the graduate degree.
Accepted MAP Courses
The following courses are accepted for use in the MAP program, any other courses may be considered after a consultation with an advisor. An exception will need to be made to the degree audit in order for the additional course(s) to be included on both the Undergraduate and Graduate degrees.
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| For students completing their BSCE degree under the Geotechnical option: | ||
| C E 457 | Foundation Design | 3 |
| C E 470 | Design of Municipal and Hazardous Waste Landfills | 3 |
| C E 471 | Transportation Engineering | 3 |
| C E 477 | Engineering Economics and Construction Management | 3 |
| C E 479 | Pavement Analysis and Design | 3 |
| C E 485 | Design of Earth Dams | 3 |
| C E 507 | Design of Earth Retaining Structures | 3 |
| C E 508 | Advanced Soil Behavior | 3 |
| For students completing their BSCE degree under the Structural option: | ||
| C E 457 | Foundation Design | 3 |
| C E 469 | Structural Systems | 3 |
| C E 471 | Transportation Engineering | 3 |
| C E 477 | Engineering Economics and Construction Management | 3 |
| C E 501 | Advanced Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| C E 510 | Introduction to Nondestructive Testing | 3 |
| C E 554 | Wood Design | 3 |
| C E 555 | Masonry Design | 3 |
| For students completing their BSCE degree under the Environmental option: | ||
| C E 457 | Foundation Design | 3 |
| C E 470 | Design of Municipal and Hazardous Waste Landfills | 3 |
| C E 477 | Engineering Economics and Construction Management | 3 |
| ENVE 456 | Environmental Engineering Design | 3 |
| ENVE 459 | Environmental Microbiology | 3 |
| ENVE 487 | Air Pollution Control Systems Design | 3 |
| ENVE 550 | Aquatic Chemistry | 3 |
| ENVE 551 | Unit Processes/Operation of Water Treatment | 3 |
| ENVE 552 | Unit Processes/Operation of Wastewater Treatment | 3 |
| For students completing their BSCE degree under the Water Resources option: | ||
| A EN 459 | Groundwater, Wells & Pumps | 3 |
| A EN 478 | Irrigation and Drainage Engineering | 3 |
| C E 452 | Geohydrology | 3-4 |
| C E 457 | Foundation Design | 3 |
| C E 477 | Engineering Economics and Construction Management | 3 |
| C E 482 | Hydraulic Structures | 3 |
| C E 483 | Surface Water Hydrology | 3 |
| C E 531 | Open Channel Hydraulics | 3 |
| C E 557 | Water Resources Development | 3 |
NOTE: No more than 2 courses from any of the lists above can be applied in the MAP for the Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) degree.