Graduate Programs

Overview

An increasing number of employers in consulting or industry consider the master's degree as the entry-level degree. The Ph.D. degree emphasizes advanced study and participation in creative research that is at the leading edge of the field. Our department offers one of the top-ranked Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate programs in the country.

Degrees

The M.S. degree may be completed with or without a thesis. The M.S. degree requires 32 credit hours of graduate course credit if a thesis is part of the program (with 8 of the 32 hours comprising the thesis), and 36 hours without a thesis. It is possible to complete the M.S. non-thesis degree in one year or less. 

The Ph.D. program requires 32 additional hours of coursework beyond the M.S. degree, plus a comprehensive research program and preparation of a dissertation for an additional 32 hours of thesis research credit.

The department offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in:

  • Civil Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering in Civil Engineering

Areas of Specialization

M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are available in a variety of specialized areas. In addition to the department's established interdisciplinary programs in Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems, Energy-Water-Environment Sustainability and Societal Risk Management, students can also develop cross-disciplinary programs in consultation with their advisers.

Master of Engineering in Railway Engineering

CEE at Illinois' RailTEC has partnered with KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, to offer an innovative degree that covers all aspects of rail engineering with an international perspective. The Master of Engineering in Engineering with Concentration in Railway Engineering provides a broad interdisciplinary education in railway engineering for a variety of professional career-track students. Click here for details about the program. 

Special Degree Programs and Options

  • Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Certificate Program or Concentration  - The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering offers a certificate option in Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) within the M.S. and Ph.D. program. The program requirements listed are in addition to the normal requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. degree.
  • Joint Degree Program with Business Administration (MBA) - This program is administered by the College of Commerce and Business Administration. Students must apply for admission to both the MBA program and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The requirements for the MSCE degree in this joint program are 32 hours of course work including three 500 level courses in CEE. The student must be enrolled in the CEE Department for at least two semesters in order to obtain the joint degree.
  • MArch + MS-CEE (structures) or MArch + MS-CEE (construction management) - This program is administered through the school of architecture and requires a baccalaureate in architectural studies. Thus the program is intended for graduate students in architecture. The CEE requirements for the MS degree in this joint program are 32 hours of course work including three 500 level courses in CEE. The student must be enrolled in the CEE Department for at least two semesters in order to obtain the joint degree. The thesis option is not available for this joint degree program.

 

Graduate Contacts

Associate Head for Graduate Affairs

Professor Jeffery Roesler
1110 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, MC-250
205 N. Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL  61801
(217) 265-0218
jroesler@illinois.edu

 

Graduate Program Coordinator

Joan Christian
1108 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, MC-250
205 N. Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL  61801
(217) 265-4496
jchristn@illinois.edu

 

  • Administrative support to the Director of Graduate Studies
  • Graduate student registration, petitions, fellowships
  • Thesis and graduation information

 

Graduate Admissions Coordinator

Maxine (Mickey) Peyton
1107 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, MC-250
205 N. Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL  61801
(217) 333-6636
mpeyton@illinois.edu

 

  • Processing of admissions documents
  • Processing of graduate applications
  • Prospective graduate student visits

 

For more information

For more information about CEE graduate programs and courses, or to apply online, visit the Graduate Admissions page.