Graduate Program
Sustainable Systems students can pursue the Master of Science (M.S.) degree or the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. These programs have separate degree requirements.
Please scroll down for PhD requirements.
M.S. Degree
The M.S. degree program with an emphasis in Sustainable Systems is intended to provide students with an education and thesis/report experience that is cross-disciplinary. This program aligns with CAEE’s Strategic Plan, which focuses on the Cities, Water, and Energy nexus, challenging Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineers to address complex problems through innovative and cross-disciplinary solutions.
The M.S. degree program with an emphasis in Sustainable Systems is intended to provide students with an education and thesis/report experience that is cross-disciplinary. This program aligns with CAEE’s Strategic Plan, which focuses on the Cities, Water, and Energy nexus, challenging Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineers to address complex problems through innovative and cross-disciplinary solutions. To foster this, the thesis/report research of each Sustainable Systems student can be co-supervised by two faculty members in different areas. Alternatively, the student may be supervised by a faculty member in one area and their report/thesis Reader can be from a different area. The program permits considerable flexibility in the selection of courses and participation in research experiences, thereby allowing students to tailor the M.S. program according to their background and educational objectives.
The student is responsible for developing a suitable program of coursework and research in consultation with a faculty advisor in Sustainable Systems. Graduate students in Sustainable Systems must follow all rules and requirements of the Graduate School and the Civil Engineering M.S. degree program.
Prerequisites
On a limited basis, exceptional non-engineers may be accepted into the M.S. degree program and subsequently for the Ph.D. degree program. In addition to the normal requirements for the M.S. degree, such students are expected to take an approved set of basic undergraduate math, science, and engineering courses that are pre-requisite to graduate studies.
Degree Options
The M.S. degree includes both coursework requirements and opportunities for research. To provide flexibility in balancing the emphasis between coursework and research in their M.S. program, students can choose from one of the following M.S. degree options: Thesis Option, Graduate School Report Option, Departmental Report Option, or Coursework Only Option. The requirements for these options are described in the Civil Engineering M.S. degree program.
The four degree options allow students to vary the balance between coursework and research in their M.S. program. The Thesis Option has the largest emphasis on research among the three options. The Coursework Only Option has the largest emphasis on coursework among the three options. The Graduate School Report and Departmental Report Options can be considered to lie between the Thesis and Coursework Only Options in terms of emphasis on research. Students in the Coursework Only Option will be required to enroll in a Special Studies or Independent Study course with a Sustainable Systems faculty to develop independent research.
Students are not required to choose among the four degree options at the time of initial enrollment in the M.S. program. Students should discuss the degree options with a faculty advisor and are encouraged to choose one of the four degree options sometime during their first semester or early in the second semester in the program. Students that are funded as Research Assistants are expected to complete the Thesis Option. However, the Thesis Option is open to all M.S. students in Sustainable Systems, whether or not they are funded on a research project. Students interested in completing a thesis, but who are not funded as Research Assistants, are encouraged to discuss potential thesis topics with the faculty in Sustainable Systems.
Course Selection
Students enrolled in any option can take courses from many different areas within CAEE, as well as outside the department. At least six hours should be from the recommended course listing below and no more than twelve hours of courses outside CAEE. In addition, all Sustainable Systems students will be required to enroll in CE 397 Introduction to Sustainable Systems. The intent of these requirements is to assure that coursework programs provide both depth and breadth. A list of recommended courses for Sustainable Systems is included below. Please note that this list is not exhaustive and simply provides examples. More information and complete syllabi from recent offerings of the courses currently available.
Examples of courses commonly chosen in the Sustainable Systems emphasis
CE 397 Introduction to Sustainable Systems (Required)
CE 397 Urban Systems Engineering
CE 397 Renewable Energy/Environmental Sustainability
CE 397 Climate Change Mitigation
CE 397 Sustainable Materials
CE 397 Sustainable Pavement Engineering
CE 397 Sensors/Signal Interpretation
CE 389H HVAC Design
CE 392N1 Infrastructure Systems Management
CE 392U Transportation Systems Management
CE 395S4 Project Management
CE 393N Novel Structural Materials
CE 397 Structural Health Monitoring/Non-Destructive Testing
CE 387T Decision, Risk, and Reliability
CE 387C Geoenvironmental Engineering
Ph.D. Degree
The Ph.D. program with an emphasis in Sustainable Systems is highly flexible to accommodate a wide range of student educational objectives and research interests. Overall, however, the Ph.D. program demands very high standards of scholarship from students. Students are expected to develop both great depth and breadth in their knowledge and to conduct research that is a significant and original contribution at the frontiers of knowledge. The program is intended to prepare students for careers in teaching and research in academia or careers in research and advanced engineering applications in industry.
PhD Degree
Ph.D. Degree
The Ph.D. program with an emphasis in Sustainable Systems is highly flexible to accommodate a wide range of student educational objectives and research interests. Overall, however, the Ph.D. program demands very high standards of scholarship from students. Students are expected to develop both great depth and breadth in their knowledge and to conduct research that is a significant and original contribution at the frontiers of knowledge. The program is intended to prepare students for careers in teaching and research in academia or careers in research and advanced engineering applications in industry.
Ph.D. students in Sustainable Systems must follow all rules and requirements of the Graduate School and the Civil Engineering graduate program. The Ph.D. degree in Sustainable Systems requires the completion of significant coursework beyond the M.S., conducting independent research leading to the preparation of a dissertation, and completion of major examinations and other milestones, as described in the Civil Engineering PhD guidelines.
Coursework
There is no specific minimum number of courses required for the Ph.D. degree. Nonetheless, Ph.D. students are expected to take courses to develop breadth and depth in their knowledge and to prepare them to conduct independent research. Courses should be selected by the student in consultation with their Research Supervisor and their Dissertation Committee. As a guideline, Ph.D. students in Sustainable Systems typically take 4 to 8 courses beyond the M.S. To guide course selection, the student should consult the list of sample courses in the Sustainable Systems area.
Research
The Doctor of Philosophy is a research degree, and conducting high quality original research represents the most fundamental requirement of the degree. Research for the Ph.D. is expected to be significant in scope and to be an original contribution at the frontiers of knowledge in the field. Further, while research is conducted under the guidance of the Research Supervisor and the Dissertation Committee, Ph.D. students are expected to work independently in the conduct of their research.
To develop a suitable topic and scope for their research, Ph.D. students are encouraged to discuss their ideas and interests with a faculty member affiliated with the Sustainable Systems emphasis. Ph.D. students are also encouraged to identify a faculty member to serve as their Research Supervisor and to identify a topic for their Ph.D. research as early as possible.
While the student will work closely with their Research Supervisor, the student will also form a Dissertation Committee to help guide and review the research. The Dissertation Committee normally consists of a minimum of four faculty members, with at least one member outside of the CE graduate studies committee.
Research for the Ph.D. culminates in the preparation of a Dissertation. The Dissertation must be approved by the Dissertation Committee.
Course Selection
Sustainable Systems students can take courses from many different areas within CAEE, as well as outside the department. At least six hours should be from the recommended course listing below. In addition, all Sustainable Systems students will be required to enroll in CE 397 Sustainable Systems Seminar. The intent of these requirements is to assure that coursework programs provide both depth and breadth. A list of recommended courses for Sustainable Systems is included below. Please note that this list is not exhaustive and simply provides examples. More information and complete syllabi from recent offerings of the courses currently available.
Examples of courses commonly chosen in the Sustainable Systems emphasis
CE 397 Urban Systems Engineering
CE 397 Renewable Energy/Environmental Sustainability
CE 397 Climate Change Mitigation
CE 397 Sustainable Materials
CE 397 Sustainable Pavement Engineering
CE 397 Sensors/Signal Interpretation
CE 389H HVAC Design
CE 392N1 Infrastructure Systems Management
CE 392U Transportation Systems Management
CE 395S4 Project Management
CE 393N Novel Structural Materials
CE 397 Structural Health Monitoring/Non-Destructive Testing
Background Preparation
Students without an undergraduate degree in engineering can be admitted to the graduate program but must satisfy additional coursework requirements. This list of additional requirements is designed to ensure that graduates know fundamental engineering principles and can be registered as professional engineers.
Admissions
Admissions decisions are made on the basis of many factors, including GPA, test performance (e.g., GRE, TOEFL), letters of recommendation, and research and/or work experience.
When applying for Sustainable Systems, please make sure you are specific in your Statement of Purpose (SOP).
Program Coordinator: Dr. Kerry Kinney
Financial Support
Limited financial support is available in the forms of Graduate Research Assistantships, Teaching Assistantships, and Fellowships.
