MASTER'S PROGRAMS

The Master's degrees offer students a chance to advance their knowledge above that of the undergraduate level, and a chance to begin to specialize in one of the sub-disciplines of Civil or Environmental Engineering. All Master's degrees may require that students take one or more undergraduate courses as articulation (pre-requisite) if they are coming from a different undergraduate engineering or a related science field in order to become fully prepared for graduate work in Civil or Environmental Engineering.

Thesis Option
Non Thesis Option

Master's Degree Programs

MS in Civil Engineering (M.S.C.E.)
MS in Environmental Engineering (M.S. Env. E.)
MS - Environmental Engineering Sciences Track (M.S.)
MS - Structural and Geotechnical Engineering Track (M.S.)
MS - Transportation Systems Engineering Track (M.S.)
MS - Water Resources Engineering Track (M.S.)

Program of Study

Approximate Timetable for Master's Students at UCF

Thesis Option

The Master's degree programs can either be research-oriented (thesis option) or non-research-oriented (non-thesis option). The Thesis option is the only option for students who are receiving a fellowship or assistantship (GTA or GRA) from the department. Therefore, it is strongly recommended for all full-time students, even those who think that they can pay for their own education.A minimum of twenty four (24) semester hours of approved course work along with a minimum of six (6) hours of thesis credits is required.

• A minimum of twenty four (24) semester hours of approved course work along with a minimum of six (6) hours of thesis credits is required.
• No more than six hours of thesis credits will be applied toward degree requirements.
• At least 15 credit hours must be at the 6000-level (includes thesis hours).
• A maximum of 9 semester hours of graduate credit may be transferred into the program from UCF non-degree-seeking status or regionally accredited institutions. Only grades of "B-" or better can be transferred.
• 4000-level or 3000-level courses may be applied toward a master's degree.
• A maximum of 6 semester hours of Independent Study may be used toward the degree. Directed research credits may not be applied toward the degree.
• A minimum "B" (3.0) average must be maintained in the program of study and no more than two C+, C, and C- grades are allowed. No D+ or lower grades are acceptable.
• A written thesis and final oral defense are required.
• Once six hours of thesis credits have been completed and all course work has been satisfied, the student is required to have continual enrollment in one hour of thesis until the final thesis has been received by the Division of Graduate Studies (but also see next rule).
• International students have to meet all Graduate Studies and ISS rules to remain in legal standing as a full-time student throughout their tenure at UCF.
  

Master's Thesis Committee

• The thesis committee will consist of a minimum of three members. All committee members should hold a doctoral degree and be in fields related to the thesis topic. At least two members must be department faculty (one to serve as chair). Off-campus experts, joint faculty members, adjunct faculty, and other university faculty members may serve as the third person in the committee.
• In unusual cases, with approval from the department Chair, two professors may chair the committee jointly. Joint faculty members may serve as committee chairs, but off-campus experts and adjunct faculty may not serve as committee chairs.
• All members vote on acceptance or rejection of the thesis proposal and the final thesis. The final thesis must be approved by a majority of the advisory committee

NON-THESIS OPTION

• With a requirement of 30 semester hours of coursework, the non-thesis option is intended primarily for part-time students.
• The program requirements are the same as for the thesis option except that the thesis requirement is replaced by 6 credit hours of course work.
• An end-of-program comprehensive examination, oral or written, is required.
• An advisor is required, and he/she will review and sign the program of study, and will coordinate the comprehensive exam.

M.S.C.E. - thesis option (30 hours - 24 credit hours of courses and 6 hours of thesis)

The M.S.C.E. degree is designed for students who want a broad educational program, with some coursework from various areas of specialization. As with all our Master's degrees, there are two options for a degree program: the thesis option and the non-thesis option. The thesis option requires 24 credit hours of acceptable coursework plus 6 credit hours of thesis, and the non-thesis option requires 30 credit hours of acceptable coursework with a comprehensive final examination. (The non-thesis option is recommended for students who are part-time only).

Required Courses-12 Credit Hours. Take one course from each of the following 4 groups:
Geotechnical Engineering: Any CEG course at the 5000 or 6000 level (e.g., CEG 5015, CEG 5700, CEG 6115, CEG 6065, etc)
Structural Engineering: Any CES course at the 5000 or 6000 level (e.g., CES 5325, CES 5606, CES 5706, CES 6715, CES 6840, etc.)
Transportation Engineering: Any TTE course at the 5000 or 6000 level (e.g.,TTE 5204, TTE 5805, TTE 6270, TTE 6315, etc.)
Water Resources Engineering: Any CWR course at the 5000 or 6000 level (e.g., CWR 5205, CWR 5545, CWR 5125, CWR 6102, CWR 6126, CWR 6235, CWR 6236, CWR 6532, CWR 6535, CWR 6539, etc.)

Elective Courses - 12 credit hours
Take 4 more courses (12 hours) of approved electives (see your advisor for approval) plus do a thesis (6 hours)

M.S.C.E. - non-thesis option (30 hours - 30 credit hours of courses)
Required Courses-24 Credit Hours. Take two course from each of the following 4 groups:
Geotechnical Engineering: Any CEG course at the 5000 or 6000 level (e.g., CEG 5015, CEG 5700, CEG 6115, CEG 6065, etc)
Structural Engineering: Any CES course at the 5000 or 6000 level (e.g., CES 5325, CES 5606, CES 5706, CES 6715, CES 6840, etc.)
Transportation Engineering: Any TTE course at the 5000 or 6000 level (e.g.,TTE 5204, TTE 5805, TTE 6270, TTE 6315, etc.)
Water Resources Engineering: Any CWR course at the 5000 or 6000 level (e.g., CWR 5205, CWR 5545, CWR 5125, CWR 6102, CWR 6126, CWR 6235, CWR 6236, CWR 6532, CWR 6535, CWR 6539, etc.)

Elective Courses - 6 credit hours
Take 2 more courses (6 hours) of approved electives (see your advisor for approval) plus do a comprehensive final exam

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M.S.Env.E. - thesis (30 hours) or non-thesis (30 hours)

The M.S.Env.E. degree was created for students who have an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering or any other closely related engineering degree. Some articulation (pre-requisite) work may be required for those students coming from other disciplines of engineering. The M.S. degree in the Environmental Engineering Sciences track is for students with science, math, or similar undergraduate degrees, and usually requires that students take a number of undergraduate engineering courses as articulation to become fully prepared for graduate work in environmental engineering. All applicants to the program are expected to be knowledgeable in topics including chemistry, process design, water resources, and air pollution.

Required Courses: Take 5 courses (15 hours) from the following:
CWR 5545 Water Resources Engineering (3 credit hours) or CWR 5125 Groundwater Hydrology (3 credit hours) or CWR 6235 Open Channel Hydraulics (3 credit hours)
ENV 6015 Physical/Chemical Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3 credit hours)
ENV 6016 Biological Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3 credit hours)
ENV 6347 Hazardous Waste Incineration (3 credit hours) or ENV 6558 Industrial Waste Treatment (3 credit hours)
ENV 6106 Theory and Practice of Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling (3 credit hours) or ENV 6126 Design of Air Pollution Controls (3 credit hours)

Elective Courses
Take 3 more courses (9 hours) of approved electives plus do a thesis (6 hours) OR
Take 5 more courses (15 hours) of approved electives plus a comprehensive final exam.

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M.S. - Env. Eng. Sci. track - thesis (30 hours) or non-thesis (30 hours)

Both the MSEnvE and the MS degrees are very similar in course content at the graduate level. Both degrees are available with the thesis option (24 credit hours of acceptable coursework plus 6 credit hours of thesis), or the non-thesis option (30 credit hours of acceptable coursework with a comprehensive final examination). The thesis option is recommended for full-time students, while the non-thesis option is for part-time students.

Required Courses: Take 4 courses (12 hours) from the following list:
CWR 5545 Water Resources Engineering (3 credit hours) or CWR 5125 Groundwater Hydrology (3 credit hours) or CWR 6235 Open Channel Hydraulics (3 credit hours)
ENV 6015 Physical/Chemical Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3 credit hours) or ENV 6016 Biological Treatment Systems in Environmental Engineering (3 credit hours) or ENV 6558 Industrial Waste Treatment (3 credit hours)
ENV 6106 Theory and Practice of Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling (3 credit hours) or ENV 6126 Design of Air Pollution Controls (3 credit hours) or ENV 6347 Hazardous Waste Incineration (3 credit hours)
ENV 5071 Environmental Analysis of Transportation Systems (3 credit hours) or ENV 6519 Aquatic Chemical Processes (3 credit hours) or ENV 6616 Receiving Water Impacts (3 credit hours)

Elective Courses
Take 4 more courses (12 hours) of approved electives plus do a thesis (6 hours) OR
Take 6 more courses (18 hours) of approved electives plus a comprehensive final exam.

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M.S. - Structures and Geotechnical track - thesis (30 hours) or non-thesis (30 hours)

The M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering are organized into Tracks: Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation Systems Engineering, and Water Resources Engineering. These Tracks are designed for students who want a more specialized Civil Engineering Master's degree. Either the thesis option (24 credit hours of acceptable coursework plus 6 credit hours of thesis), or the non-thesis option (30 credit hours of acceptable coursework with a comprehensive final examination) may be followed.

Required Courses: Take 4 courses (12 hours), 2 each from each of the following two sub-Groups:
Sub-Group A: Geotechnical Engineering
CEG 5015 Geotechnical Engineering II (3 credit hours)
CEG 5700 Geo-Environmental Engineering (3 credit hours)
CEG 6065 Soil Dynamics (3 credit hours)
CEG 6115 Foundation Engineering (3 credit hours)
CEG 6317 Advanced Geotechnical Engineering (3 credit hours)
CES 6170 Boundary Element Methods in Civil Engineering (3 credit hours)
TTE 5835 Pavement Design (3 credit hours)

Sub-Group B: Structural Engineering
CES 5325 Bridge Engineering (3 credit hours)
CES 5606 Advanced Steel Structures (3 credit hours)
CES 5706 Advanced Reinforced Concrete (3 credit hours)
CES 5821 Masonry and Timber Design (3 credit hours)
CES 6116 Finite Element Structural Analysis (3 credit hours)
CES 6209 Dynamics of Structures (3 credit hours)
CES 6220 Wind and Earthquake Engineering (3 credit hours)
CES 6230 Advanced Structural Mechanics (3 credit hours)
CES 6715 Prestressed Concrete Structures (3 credit hours)
CES 6840 Composite Steel Concrete Structures (3 credit hours)
CES 6910 Research in Structural Engineering (3 credit hours)

Elective Courses

Take 4 more courses (12 hours) of approved electives (primarily from the above listing), plus do a thesis (6 hours) OR
Take 6 more courses (18 hours) of approved electives (primarily from the above listing), plus do a comprehensive final exam.

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M.S. - Transportation Systems Engineering track - thesis (30 hours) or non-thesis (30 hours)

The M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering are organized into Tracks: Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation Systems Engineering, and Water Resources Engineering. These Tracks are designed for students who want a more specialized Civil Engineering Master's degree. Either the thesis option (24 credit hours of acceptable coursework plus 6 credit hours of thesis), or the non-thesis option (30 credit hours of acceptable coursework with a comprehensive final examination) may be followed.

Required Courses (15 Credit Hours)
TTE 5204 Traffic Engineering (3 credit hours)
TTE 5204 Traffic Engineering (3 credit hours)
TTE 5205 Highway Capacity and Traffic Flow Analysis (3 credit hours)
TTE 5805 Geometric Design of Transportation Systems (3 credit hours)
TTE 5835 Pavement Design (3 credit hours)
TTE 6256 Traffic Operations (3 credit hours)
TTE 6270 Intelligent Transportation Systems (3 credit hours)
TTE 6315 Traffic Safety Analysis (3 credit hours)
TTE 6526 Planning and Design of Airports (3 credit hours)
CGN 6655 Regional Planning, Design and Development (3 credit hours)
ENV 5071 Enviromental Analysis of Transportation Systems (3 credit hours)
STA 5156 Probability and Statistics for Engineers (3 credit hours)

Elective Courses
Take 4 more courses (12 hours) of approved electives (consult your advisor), plus do a thesis (6 hours) OR
Take 6 more courses (18 hours) of approved electives (consult your advisor), plus pass a comprehensive final exam.

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M.S. - Water Resources Engineering track - thesis (30 hours) or non-thesis (30 hours)

The M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering are organized into Tracks: Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation Systems Engineering, and Water Resources Engineering. These Tracks are designed for students who want a more specialized Civil Engineering Master's degree. Either the thesis option (24 credit hours of acceptable coursework plus 6 credit hours of thesis), or the non-thesis option (36 credit hours of acceptable coursework with a comprehensive final examination) may be followed.

Required Courses (any five CWR courses - 15 credit hours):
CWR 5205 Hydraulic Engineering (3 credit hours)
CWR 5545 Water Resources Engineering (3 credit hours)
CWR 5125 Groundwater Hydrology (3 credit hours)
CWR 6235 Open Channel Hydraulics (3 credit hours)
CWR 6236 River Engineering and Sediment Transport (3 credit hours)
CWR 6535 Modeling Water Resources Systems (3 credit hours)
CWR 6102 Advanced Hydrology
CWR 6126 Groundwater Modeling
CWR 6539 Finite Differences/Elements in Surface Water Modeling (3 credit hours)
CWR 6532 Modeling Subsurface Chemical Transport

Elective Courses
Take 3 more courses (9 hours) of approved electives plus do a thesis (6 hours) OR
Take 5 more courses (15 hours) of approved electives plus a comprehensive final exam.

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Program of Study

Each student must have an approved Program of Study (POS). The POS is developed by the student and his/her advisor, and lists the specific courses to be taken as part of the degree requirements. For all Master's students, the POS must be signed and submitted during the second semester that the student is at UCF, or no later than upon completion of 3 graduate courses. The POS can be revised later to reflect necessary changes in the courses, but must be on file and approved by the Graduate Coordinator. For each Master's program, certain courses are required and others are elective. Any substitutions, for required courses must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator and by UCF Graduate studies via a written petition.

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Approximate Timetable for Master's Students at UCF

The following listing is intended as a guide and reminder to students and faculty as to the approximate timing of events for graduate students. It is intentionally somewhat vague to account for different starting semesters, different research project needs, and different levels of student capabilities.

Master's Students (Thesis):
Semester 1: Enter UCF, and begin taking courses. Take articulation courses (if needed) first. If you are not already on a research project at the time of entry, begin searching for a research project and research advisor.
Semester 2: Find a research advisor and start research, complete articulation courses (as needed), continue taking grad courses, file Program of Study.
Semester 3: Begin working in earnest on research; start literature review; perhaps finish coursework. Work with advisor to form a committee.
Semester 4: Finish coursework; begin wrapping up research; start writing thesis.
Last Semester: File intent to graduate. Finish writing thesis, get approvals from committee, and defend. Follow all Grad Studies rules and meet all deadlines. -

Note: Students are ultimately responsible for their own progress or lack of progress, including compliance with all rules and regulations of the University.

Master's Students (non-Thesis):
Semester 1: Enter UCF, begin taking courses on a part-time basis.
Semesters 2 and 3: Design a Program of Study. Contact your advisor or the Graduate Coordinator. Continue taking courses.
Semesters 4 - ??: Take courses, maintaining acceptable grades. In semester before last, request scheduling of the comprehensive final exam. NOTE there is a UCF rule (7-year statute of limitations on courses), so try to finish all your courses in 4 or 5 years.
Last Semester: File intent to graduate, take and pass comprehensive final exam.

Follow all Grad Studies rules and meet all deadlines. - Note: Students are ultimately responsible for their own progression, including compliance with all rules and regulations of the University.

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