Graduate Admissions
An advanced graduate degree has been the foundation for success of many of the leaders in the civil and environmental engineering profession—in academia, research and practice. 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.
Degree Programs
The department offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering in Civil Engineering.
Professional M.S.
The Professional M.S. can help take your career where it needs to be, in the lab and outside of it. The program can be completed in one year or less.
Data Science + CEE M.S. Track
This non-thesis track emphasizes data science in combination with disciplinary contents from different CEE areas of study.
M.Eng. in Railway Engineering
This program is a non-thesis, non-research degree program that provides a broad interdisciplinary education in railway 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.
- Construction Engineering and Management
- Construction Materials
- Energy-Water-Environment Sustainability (interdisciplinary)
- Environmental Engineering and Science
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Societal Risk Management (interdisciplinary)
- Structural Engineering
- Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems (interdisciplinary)
- Transportation Engineering
- Water Resources Engineering and Science
Why Choose CEE at Illinois?
Hear straight from the source: CEE alumni, students and faculty share about our program.
Special Degree Programs and Options
Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Certificate Program
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. programs. The program is designed to provide graduate students at both the Masters and Ph.D. levels with a solid base in problem-solving using computation as a major tool for modeling complicated problems in science and engineering. The program requirements listed are in addition to the normal requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. degree.
Master of Architecture + M.S. Civil Engineering: Construction Management
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.
International Applicants
International applicants should take special note of information provided on the additional requirements for international applicants page and read the Graduate College instructions for international applicants.
Graduate Online Program
CEE Online
Earn a master of science degree from one of the nation's top civil engineering departments entirely online. Explore our Certificate program, or take a class as a non-degree student. All online students receive access to recorded on-campus lectures and follow the class syllabus, including the same assignments, exams, and projects as on-campus students.