General Guidelines for Master of Science Degree (Graduate School Report Option - please note this is not the same as the Departmental Report)
A rapidly expanding technology demands that the engineer have increased breadth and depth of knowledge. Consistent with this need, a Master of Science degree may be completed without the preparation of a formal research thesis. Instead, a student may be permitted to enroll in a no-thesis program which involves additional course work (27 hours of organized course work versus 24 hours for a thesis program) and the preparation of an appropriate engineering project. Most graduate students, especially students holding University Fellowships, traineeships or research assistantships, are encouraged to complete a thesis. Students who write a report are encouraged to use the Departmental Report option rather than Graduate School Report option.
For the master's degree under the report option, the Graduate School rules as described in Chapter 3 of the Graduate Catalog apply. That is, at least thirty (30) semester hours of coursework are required. Each program must include at least twenty-four hours of graduate coursework, including the report. Three semester hours of credit are granted for preparing the report; the student must register for the master's report course CE 398R. The student must take this course on the credit/no credit basis and must register for it in the semester that he or she files for graduation. At most six (6) hours of upper division undergraduate coursework may be counted toward the degree.
In addition to the Graduate School requirements, coursework must be approved according to procedures set by the graduate studies committee. Credit/No Credit classes, with the exception of 398R Masters Report, are only allowed in supporting work and, thus, seminars, CE x97C Master's Research are not allowed in approved programs of coursework. The required classes are area specific. Some areas may require registration in a seminar, even if it cannot be counted toward the Graduate School degree requirements.
During the first semester of your MS program you should select a supervising professor. By the end of the first semester you and your supervising professor should develop a program of work and select a topic for your report.
Three semester hours of credit will be received for an engineering report which the student must prepare and have approved by a supervisory committee. The committee consists of the supervising professor and at least one additional member of the graduate faculty of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. The report must show evidence of good technical writing and demonstrate communication skills. Civil Engineering and Environmental and Water Resources Engineering majors (code 621700 and 640100 respectively) register for CE 398R. Once a student registers for 398R, registration must be repeated until graduation. It is required by the Graduate School that you be registered for 398R during the semester that you receive your degree.
Early in the semester you plan to graduate you should read about graduation guidelines and deadlines on the Graduate School website: https://gradschool.utexas.edu/academics/graduation/deadlines-and-submission-instructions. Included in this material is a list of deadlines you must meet during the semester in order to graduate. The following steps constitute the usual procedure for preparing to graduate:
a) Register for CE 398R in your final semester.
b) Submit a PDF of your MS Program of Work (POW) form to the graduate coordinator, who will obtain the signature from the Graduate Advisor. Once approved you must complete the Graduate Application online by the posted deadline Students will be required to have a GPA of at least 3.0 for courses included on the POW.
c) Upload a pdf of your report to the Texas Digital Library (TDL) and submit required pages to the Graduate School by the last Friday of the semester, before 3:00 p.m. CST. A format check of your thesis is recommended before turning in your work. No extensions to the deadline will be granted.
If, after filing for graduation, you find that you will not complete the degree requirements that semester, you should notify the Graduate School and the Graduate Coordinator. A new Master's Graduation Application Form must be submitted at the beginning of the next semester you hope to graduate.
The official degree awarded under this program is the Master of Science in Engineering degree.