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Masters Degree Requirements


There are three options under which a student may complete a master's degree:

1. The M.S. "Thesis Option" requires at least 30 hours of credit including:

  • 12 to 18 hours in geotechnical engineering,
  • 6 to 12 hours in one or two supporting areas, and
  • 6 hours for thesis research and writing.

2. The M.S. "Graduate School Report Option" requires at least 30 hours of credit including:

  • 18 to 21 hours in geotechnical engineering
  • 6 to 9 hours in one or more supporting areas, and
  • 3-credit-hour report to the Graduate School.

3. The M.S. "No-Thesis, No-Report Option" or "Course-only Option" requires at least 30 hours of credit including:

  • 15 to 21 hours in geotechnical engineering,
  • 6 to 9 hours in one or more supporting areas, and
  • 3-credit-hour report to the Civil Engineering Department or 3-credit-hour Special Studies(Independent Study) class.

Most M.S. students, especially those holding University fellowships or research assistantships, are encouraged to complete Option 1. Students with research assistantships generally write a thesis that also serves as the report to the research sponsor. Students who are not supported on sponsored research projects or a University fellowship may elect either the thesis option or a report option. Options 2 and 3 are particularly appropriate for students interested in a broader education and thus wanting to take more courses in related fields.

M.S. students are supervised by one member of the geotechnical engineering faculty, with at least one other professor serving as the thesis or report reader.


Doctoral Requirements


The Ph.D. program has no formal course requirements. We generally expect students to complete a minimum of 16 graduate courses, including courses taken elsewhere and courses taken for the M.S. degree. The appropriate courses to complete are selected in consultation with the student's advisor and supervising committee, and should include some coursework in a supporting area outside of geotechnical engineering. Successful candidates must demonstrate proficiency in written English and pass three examinations:

(1) English Proficiency
The objective of the English proficiency requirement is to ensure that all PhD candidates possess the writing skills necessary for effective technical communication before embarking on the dissertation writing process. English proficiency should be demonstrated in one of three ways:

    • By submitting a GRE analytical writing score of 4.0 or greater at the time of application;
    • By retaking the GRE and achieving an analytical writing score of 4.0 or greater; or
    • By passing an approved technical writing course.

Students who cannot demonstrate proficiency on the basis of their GRE analytical writing score must either retake the GRE, or enroll in an approved technical writing course in their first semester as a Ph.D. student. CE397 Advanced Communication Skill for International Students; CE389C Advanced Engineering Communication; or an acceptable Graduate School (GRS) course are the only technical writing courses approved at this time.

 (2) Qualifying Examination
This oral examination is administered by a committee of three faculty members, including one from outside of geotechnical engineering. The Qualifying Exam is used to evaluate capabilities and to help the student select appropriate courses. This exam also serves to identify those few students who clearly are not qualified to complete our degree requirements. The qualifying exam should be taken in the first semester of Ph.D. study.

(3) Comprehensive Examination
This second examination involves an extensive discussion of the proposed dissertation work, but also tests the candidate's knowledge in geotechnical engineering. The exam typically includes a written description of the proposed dissertation research with an oral presentation to the student's supervising committee. This serves to define the dissertation topic in a public forum. The Comprehensive Exam is typically taken about one to two years into the program, when most of the course work has been completed, but before completing the bulk of the dissertation research.

(4) Dissertation Defense
The third and final exam is the defense of the dissertation presented to the student's supervising committee. The defense is held at the end of the program.

The doctoral supervising committee consists of at least five professors, including the student's advisor and at least one professor from outside of Civil Engineering.



Courses


We offer a variety of courses, which cover nearly all aspects of geotechnical engineering.

Undergraduate Courses

Students may take some undergraduate courses as part of their course work for an advanced degree. The advanced undergraduate courses in geotechnical engineering, and the professors who have taught them recently are:

  • CE 357 - Geotechnical Engineering
    Index properties and classification of soils; soil permeability and pore water movement; stresses in soil and the effective stress concept; soil compressibility, consolidation, and settlements; shear strength of soil; engineering soil properties and their measurement. Fall and Spring semesters.
  • CE 360K - Foundation Engineering
    Effect of geotechnical conditions on the behavior, proportioning, and choice of foundation type; design of shallow and deep foundations; study of foundation case histories. Fall and Spring semesters.
  • CE 375 - Earth Slopes & Retaining Structures
    Earth fills, excavations, and dams; soil compaction, ground improvement, and slope stability; seepage and dewatering; study of earth-pressure theories; design of earth-retaining structures. Spring semesters.

Syllabi for undergraduate courses may be found by searching The University's course syllabi and instructor CV system.

Graduate Courses

The graduate academic program in geotechnical engineering consists of formal courses, seminars, special problems courses, and occasional special courses offered by internationally recognized scholars. Students may enter the graduate program at the start of any semester during the year (Fall, Spring, or Summer semesters). The courses and the faculty members who generally teach the course are listed below.

Related Courses

Graduate students in geotechnical engineering can choose from an extensive array of classes at The University of Texas at Austin to fulfill the requirements for coursework in supporting areas. A partial list of suitable courses is given here. Students are encouraged to investigate the University's undergraduate and graduate course catalogs for other classes to broaden their graduate education.

  • CE 367P Pavement Design and Performance
  • CE 374L Groundwater Hydrology
  • CE 381P Computer Methods in Structural Analysis
  • CE 381R The Finite Element Method
  • CE 381T Numerical Modeling of Physical Systems
  • CE 385J Hazardous Waste Management
  • CE 385R Land Treatment of Waste
  • CE 391P Highway and Airport Pavement Systems
  • CE 394K.1 Groundwater Pollution and Transport
  • CE 397.20 Computer Methods for Civil Engineers
  • CE 397.78 Design of Offshore Structures
  • ASE 369K Measurements and Instrumentation
  • EM 380 Theory of Plasticity
  • EM 381 Advanced Dynamics
  • EM 382 Nonlinear Analysis
  • EM 384K Continuum Mechanics
  • EM 388 Solid Mechanics
  • EM 392R Random Vibrations
  • EM 393N Numerical Methods for Flow and Transport Problems
  • EM 394F Finite Element Methods
  • EM 394G Computational Techniques in Finite Elements
  • EM 394H Advanced Theory of Finite Element Methods
  • EM 394V Wave Propagation
  • EE 332 Computer Graphics
  • ME 335 Probability and Statistics for Engineers
  • ME 352K Engineering Computer Graphics
  • ME 368J Computer Aided Design
  • PGE 383.29 Rock Fracture Mechanics
  • PGE 383.45 Geomechanics of Subsurface Rocks and Fluids
  • PGE 383.54 Fundamentals of Rock Mechanics
  • PGE 386K Advanced Fluid Flow in Porous Media
  • GEO 320L Introductory Field Geology
  • GEO 428 Structural Geology
  • GEO 346C Introduction to Physical and Chemical Hydrology
  • GEO 465K Exploration Geophysics
  • GEO 365N Geophysical Data Processing
  • GEO 476K Groundwater Hydrology
  • GEO380F Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure
  • GEO 383C Geology and Hydrology
  • GEO 393G Geochemistry of Sedimentary Rocks
  • GEO 384M Geophysical Data Modeling and Inversion





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