Academic Year:
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Telephone: (302) 831-2442
http://www.ce.udel.edu
Faculty Listing: http://www.ce.udel.edu/directories/faculty.html
Program Overview
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers graduate programs of study and research leading to three degrees: Master of Civil Engineering, Master of Applied Sciences, and Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering. The Master of Civil Engineering degree emphasizes Civil Engineering, while the Master of Applied Sciences degree is for students not having engineering as first degrees. The PhD is aimed at training the graduate student in research within a chosen topic. All three degrees are based on the student completing an individually designed program of courses and writing a thesis. A non-thesis Master's degree option is available, typically for students with professional experience. Students selecting the non-thesis option are not eligible for financial support from the University. Areas of concentration are:
- Environmental Engineering
- Structural Engineering
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Transportation Engineering
- Coastal Engineering
- Water Resource Engineering
- Civil Infrastructure Systems
In cooperation with the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, the department also offers multidisciplinary degrees for the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Ocean Engineering.
In each area, mathematics, fundamental sciences and engineering sciences are combined to provide a personalized program of study and research.
All graduate students work in close cooperation with the faculty, and the department has extensive facilities for research and graduate study in all the areas of concentration. Laboratories specifically devoted to research in environmental engineering include facilities for study of chemical and physical aspects of water and wastewater purification with specialized equipment for analysis of fluid particle suspensions and particle technology, heavy metal and toxic waste removal and biological engineering aspects of water pollution control.
The ocean engineering laboratory is one of the largest and best equipped in the country. A unique wavemaker capable of generating realistic three-dimensional seas has been installed in one of the wave basins. Narrow and wide wave tanks are also available including a high precision 108 ft. long wave flume. Equipment available for field research includes tide gages, current meters, fathometers, surveying equipment, remote-sensing apparatus, and small research vessels.
The structures laboratories include an excellent range of equipment for static, dynamic, and fatigue testing, and a modern concrete testing facility. The geotechnical laboratory has state-of-the-art equipment for testing soils and geotextiles.
The department's research is extensively funded through many contracts from federal agencies, the state, and private engineering sponsors. The department houses the Center for Applied Coastal Research, the Center for Innovative Bridge Engineering, the Center for the Study of Metals in the Environment, and the Delaware Center for Transportation.
Requirements For Admission
Candidates for admission are invited to correspond with the department chair and/or members of the faculty. A personal visit to the department is recommended wherever possible. Students who are interested in admission may request current department information on curriculum, core courses, and degree programs.
Courses are offered annually or in alternate years, but always as organized programs orchestrated to ensure that the necessary courses are always available to our students.
Applicants are expected to have:
- A baccalaureate degree in the field or in a closely allied field of science or mathematics,
- An undergraduate grade-point average in engineering, science, and mathematics courses of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale,
- A minimum of three letters of strong support from former teachers or supervisors,
- A minimum combined score of 1050 on the Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test,
- The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for students whose first language is not English and who have not received a degree from a college or university in which English is the sole language of instruction. (Minimum score: 550 paper based TOEFL; 213 computer based TOEFL; 79 IBET TOEFL.)
Admission to the graduate program in Civil Engineering at the University of Delaware is selective and competitive based on the number of well qualified applicants and the limits of available faculty and facilities. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission.
Financial Aid
Please refer to Graduate Fellowships and Assistantships for more information.
Requirements For The Master's Degrees
The master's degree requires that the student obtains skills in a range of modern analytical and computational tools and in their application to engineering problems. Formally, the student must perform 24 credit hours of course work and 6 credit hours of thesis. For students with professional experience, a non-thesis option is available. The MCE program is often chosen by students planning to pursue a career as professional engineers. The program, however, is also well suited as an introduction to a PhD in Civil Engineering or other engineering or science-oriented areas.
The specific requirements for the different degrees are available upon request to the department.
Requirements For The PhD Degree
Although it is possible for students to study toward a PhD directly upon entering graduate school, most students choose to obtain the MCE or MAS first.
A student's doctoral program, including the doctoral thesis, is centered on a research objective in applied or engineering science. The degree requires sufficient course work within, or in direct support of, the chosen area of concentration to form an adequate basis for original work. In addition, the student's knowledge must be extended within other fundamental sub-areas such as applied mathematics, physical, chemical, biological and engineering sciences. In the thesis the student reports the findings of his or her independent research. Further information about details may be obtained from the current Departmental Graduate Program brochures.
The PhD is particularly useful for students who plan to pursue a career in research and teaching at the university level but also provides a superlative education for a career as a professional engineer.
Although every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information in the Catalog,
students and others who use the Catalog should note that the policies, rules, regulations,
requirements for graduation, course offerings, and other materials reproduced in the Catalog change
from time-to-time and that these changes may alter the information contained in this Catalog.
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