Masters Program

Civil Engineering Master's Programs

The UMass Lowell Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering offers master's degree programs in Civil Engineering and in Environmental Studies. Options within the Master of Science in Civil Engineering include: Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Geoenvironmental, Structural Engineering, and Transportation Engineering. There are two concentrations within the Master of Science in Environmental Engineering - one in Atmospheric Sciences, and another in Environmental Engineering Sciences.


Master of Science in Civil Engineering

Admissions Requirements

Admission to a particular engineering option is open to applicants with undergraduate degrees in engineering, mathematics or science. Applicants must meet all Graduate Admissions standards for this program, which includes two letters of recommendation. Official GRE scores are no longer required for this program.

Program Description and General Requirements

Graduate study in Civil Engineering is an intensive program of instruction at an advanced technical level. The program permits students to design, in consultation with their advisor, a plan of study that meets individual goals and career objectives. 

Program options include environmental engineering, geo-environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering and transportation engineering. 

The degree requires successful completion of 30 credit hours of course work, or 24 credit hours of instruction and a publishable thesis, or 27 hours of course work and preparation of a project report. 

Courses are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening to provide study opportunities for students with full-time employment. Successful completion of undergraduate prerequisite courses is required prior to registering for graduate courses. However, undergraduate prerequisites and selected graduate courses, that do not have prerequisites, may be taken during the first year of study, but only with the written permission of the student’s advisor. Required undergraduate prerequisite courses are listed in descriptions of the core graduate courses shown below. 

Applicants who satisfy graduate admission requirements will be assigned to a faculty member who will serve as their academic advisor. Students receiving a teaching or research assistantship will normally be required to submit a publishable thesis. Those admitted to graduate study as non-degree students may apply for matriculated status. However, no more than 12 credits of work completed while in non-degree student status or transferred from another department or college will be used toward a degree. Matriculated status is preferred before initial registration and is mandatory prior to registration for second semester courses. Faculty will review a petitioner’s performance in all courses attempted.

Visit the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department website for more information.

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Environmental Engineering Option)

The program offers an opportunity to pursue a broad range of interests in the field of environmental engineering. The course of study is designed to meet an individual student's interests and career goals. Programs consist of civil engineering courses in water and wastewater treatment, groundwater remediation, solid waste management, environmental chemistry, hydrology, hydraulics, air pollution control and may include courses from allied disciplines such as biological and health sciences, environmental studies, chemistry and work environment. The program of study consists of five core courses and elective courses. Undergraduate core course prerequisites must be completed before beginning graduate course work.

Prerequisite Undergraduate Courses for MS Environmental Engineering Option

In order to obtain the MS Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering Option, a student is required to have completed undergraduate courses in the areas of chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering. At a minimum, the following courses are required. University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) course numbers are provided for reference purposes. Course work that is equivalent to the UML courses specified are acceptable. However, an official determination of prerequisite course equivalency will be conducted by UML faculty that teach the specified undergraduate course, or by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Coordinator, only after the student has applied and been accepted into the graduate program. This list represents the minimum prerequisite course requirements. Additional undergraduate course work may be required to remedy academic deficiencies. Students will be notified of deficiencies in an acceptance letter. All deficiencies must be eliminated before a student can be classified as "fully matriculated."

The undergraduate prerequisite courses are as follows:

Core Courses (5 total)

Elective Courses (select 5)

Individual student programs consist of a complement of elective courses usually taken from the following list:

Additional advanced courses may be taken as electives after consultation with a faculty advisor and approval from the department.

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering Option)

The master's degree program in geotechnical engineering encompasses soil mechanics theory and applications in the fields of foundation and soil engineering. Course work emphasizes the engineering behavior of soil, soil property determination, and the use of advanced soil mechanics theory and soil structure interaction in the solution of soil and foundation engineering problems. Elementary courses in soil mechanics, statics, strength of materials and fluid mechanics are required as prerequisites for graduate core courses. Students receiving a teaching or research assistantship are required to submit a publishable thesis. 

The program of study consists of one required course: CIVE.5310 Advanced Soil Mechanics, any five courses from a list of core geotechnical electives and four other elective courses, selected with the consent of a student’s faculty advisor. Additional advanced structural, geoenvironmental and geology courses may be taken as electives after consultation with a faculty advisor and approval from the Department. Program and course details are included in the graduate course list and the graduate catalog.

Core Courses 

Elective Core course (Select 5; courses not taken may be used as electives)

Elective Courses (4 total)

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Geoenvironmental Option)

The solution of environmental problems related to soil and/or groundwater often requires knowledge of both Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering. The Geoenvironmental program provides fundamental training in soil mechanics, groundwater hydrology, environmental chemistry, and soil engineering. Course work is offered in each area as well as in courses that combine disciplines generally required in the solution of complex site problems, such as, landfill design, remediation of hazardous waste sites, dewatering and soil improvement.

Core Courses (2 total)

Geotechnical Core Course (Select 1; courses not taken may be used as electives):

Environmental Core Course (Select 1; courses not taken may be used as electives):

Elective Courses (6 total)

Additional advanced courses may be taken as electives after consultation with a faculty advisor and approval from the Department.

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering Option)

The structural option within Civil Engineering offers instruction and research in advanced concepts and techniques to develop innovative solutions for critical and challenging problems in Structural Engineering. A student seeking an MS Engineering in Structural Engineering must have at least one core course from each group (A, B, and C) to meet the core course requirements. Student study programs in structural engineering are developed with a faculty advisor to meet the needs of the individual. Students should also meet the prerequisite requirement in each graduate-level course by receiving an approval from the instructor.

Core Course Requirement (3 total)

Group A (Design; select 1; courses not taken may be used as elective):

Group B (Analysis; select 1; courses not taken may be used as elective):

Group C (Dynamics, Stability, and Materials; select 1; courses not taken may be used as elective):

Elective Courses (7 total)

Notes:

  1. Additional geotechnical and geoenvironmental courses and appropriate advanced courses from the Departments of Mathematics and Mechanical & Industrial Engineering may be taken as electives after consultation with a faculty advisor and with the approval of the Department. 
  2. With the approval of the Department, a student may substitute one of the core requirements with another advanced Mathematics or Engineering course.

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Transportation Engineering Option)

The program in Transportation Engineering offers courses in planning, design and operation of multimodal transportation facilities. It emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the subject, supplementing engineering concepts with techniques from management, economics, operations research and environmental studies. It is designed to provide students with advanced technical knowledge for addressing transportation problems in a variety of practical situations. Specialization in a specific area can be achieved through thesis and project work. Graduate study plans are designed based upon student interest, professional needs and undergraduate preparation. Students are expected to have completed or show proficiency in the following courses in partial fulfillment of degree requirements:

The undergraduate prerequisite courses are as follows:

Core Courses Requirements (Select 3; courses not taken may be used as elective)

Elective Courses (7 total)

  • CIVE.5405 Advanced Highway Geometric Design
  • CIVE.5415 Hazardous Materials Transportation
  • CIVE.5430 Traffic Principles for Intelligent Transportation Systems
  • CIVE.5440 Transportation Economics and Project Evaluation
  • CIVE.5450 Public Transit Planning and Design
  • CIVE.5460 Pavement Design
  • CIVE.5470 Airport Planning and Design
  • CIVE.5760 GIS Applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CIVE.5810 Engineering Systems Analysis
  • CIVE.5830 Stochastic Processes for Engineering
  • CIVE.5850 Transportation Safety
  • CRIM.5660 Transportation Systems Safety and Security 

Other than the above listed elective courses, students may take courses from other appropriate disciplines such as engineering, management, computer science, and mathematics as electives after consultation with a faculty advisor and with the approval of the Department. A few examples are:

Master of Science in Environmental Studies

Environmental Engineering Sciences Concentration

This interdisciplinary program offers a Master of Science in Environmental Studies with a thesis or a non‐ thesis track. Enrollment in the program is open to individuals with a baccalaureate degree in technology, biology or a physical science. Others may be admitted with the approval of the Graduate Coordinator. Such students may make up course prerequisite deficiencies while in the program, although those credits will not count toward the total required for the master’s degree. Frequently, students entering the program are required to take a number of undergraduate courses to develop analytical skills and to prepare for advanced level course work. Undergraduate courses may include calculus, statistics, chemistry, computer programming or courses designed to develop problem‐solving skills. Course requirements are determined by discussion with the Program Coordinator. Applicants must meet all Graduate Admissions standards for this program, which includes two letters of recommendation. Official GRE scores are no longer required for this program.

The thesis track requires completion of an approved program of study involving a minimum of 24 credits of core courses and electives, and 6 credits of thesis, consisting of laboratory research or scholarly investigation, for a total of 30 credits. Students may only register for thesis research with the prior approval of a thesis advisor. The thesis work is to be guided by a principal advisor who is a member of the University of Massachusetts Lowell faculty and by two additional committee members, at least one of whom must be a member of the faculty. Committee selection and the thesis topic are subject to the approval of the graduate coordinator. The non‐thesis track requires completion of an approved program of study involving 30 credits of core courses and electives. All individual programs of study must include the core courses listed below.

Prerequisite Undergraduate Courses for M.S. Environmental Studies Option

In order to obtain the M.S. Degree in Environmental Studies, a student is required to have completed undergraduate courses in the areas of chemistry, physics, and mathematics. At a minimum, the following courses are required. University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) course numbers are provided for reference purposes. Course work that is equivalent to the UML courses specified are acceptable. However, an official determination of prerequisite course equivalency will be conducted by UML faculty that teach the specified undergraduate course, or by the Environmental Studies Graduate Coordinator, only after the student has applied and been accepted into the graduate program. This list represents the minimum prerequisite course requirements. Additional undergraduate course work may be required to remedy academic deficiencies. Students will be notified of deficiencies in an acceptance letter. All deficiencies must be eliminated before a student can be classified as "fully matriculated".

The undergraduate prerequisite courses are as follows:

Core Courses

Elective Courses

ATMOSPHERIC Sciences Concentration

Enrollment in this program is open to individuals with a bachelor's degree in sciences, mathematics and engineering. Others may be admitted with the approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator. Such students may make up course prerequisite deficiencies while in the program, although these credits will not count toward the total required for the master’s degree. Frequently, students entering the program are required to take a number of undergraduate courses to develop the analytical skills, and to prepare for the advanced level courses.

The M.Sc. program requires the completion of 30 credits, 9 in core courses, and 15 in elective courses listed below. Six credits may be achieved by completing a Master's Thesis. The thesis involves original laboratory or theoretical work, usually publishable in accredited and peer reviewed technical journals. With the Graduate Program Coordinator’s approval, the thesis work may be performed at home or at the student’s employment facilities. The thesis advisory committee will consist of a Principal Advisor who is the member of the EEAS faculty, and two members chosen from EEAS or associated UMass Lowell faculty. One member may be from outside the University, with the approval of the Graduate Coordinator. Students may elect to take additional courses instead of writing a thesis.

Most of the courses are offered in the evening, usually from 6 to 9 p.m., once per week. This enables working students to complete the course requirements while the student is employed. A maximum of 5 years is allowed for completion of the master’s degree, including the thesis.

Core Courses

Elective Courses

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