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Civil and Environmental Engineering
(Including Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering in Civil
Engineering, and Environmental Science in Civil Engineering)
Head of the Department: David E. Daniel
1110 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory
205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-8038
Fax (217) 333-9464
E-mail: civil@uiuc.edu
Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers graduate
work leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy
in Civil Engineering, in Environmental Engineering in Civil Engineering,
and in Environmental Science in Civil Engineering. The department
also offers two joint degree programs: (1) the Master of Architecture
and Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Construction Management);
and (2) the Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Construction Management)
and Master of Business Administration.
Admission
Students are admitted with full standing if they hold undergraduate
degrees substantially equivalent to those of the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign, provided the applicant’s preparation is
appropriate to advanced study in his or her chosen major field. Applications
are considered for both spring and fall admissions. For additional
information, see the departmental Web site. In general, a 3.0 grade
point average (A = 4.0) for the last 60 hours of the undergraduate
program and for any previous graduate work is a minimum requirement
for admission to the M.S. program. Requirements for admission to the
Ph.D. program are variable, but are usually substantially higher.
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. In accordance with
the rules stated on the international application, a minimum Test
of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 on the paper-based
test (213 on the computer-based test) is required.
Master of Science
A master’s program may be completed in one full-time academic
year of study. Candidates for the master’s degree must complete
at least 36 graduate hours without a thesis or 32 graduate hours with
a thesis. In the latter case, credit is given for thesis work. Twelve
of the graduate hours must be in courses numbered in the 500 series,
and 8 of these 12 must be taken for grades in the major field. A total
of at least 16 graduate hours must be in the major field. Individual
programs are developed by the students in consultation with their
academic advisers. At least half of the minimum units required for
the degree must be in courses meeting on the Urbana-Champaign campus
or in courses meeting in other locations approved by the Graduate
College for residence credit for the degree sought. Although under
certain conditions students holding a half-time assistantship for
an academic year and a summer can obtain a master’s degree in
this period of time, usually they require an additional semester.
There are no foreign language requirements in the M.S. program. The
joint degree program with architecture requires a total of 78 graduate
hours (Architecture Track II), 70 graduate hours (Architecture Track
III), or 64 graduate hours (Architecture Track I). The joint degree
program with business administration requires a total of 92 graduate
hours of coursework.
Doctor of Philosophy
The degree of doctor of philosophy, primarily a research degree, requires
from three to five years of graduate study beyond the bachelor’s
degree. A minimum of 96 graduate hours beyond the bachelor’s
degree or 64 graduate hours beyond the master’s degree is required.
In accordance with Graduate College regulations, 64 graduate hours
must be completed in residence. The major area of specialization encompasses
courses and research that are closely related, but the courses need
not be offered by a single major department. There is no department-wide
foreign language requirement. However, the faculties of some areas
of specialization may require foreign language proficiency if essential
to the conduct of research in that area. Candidates must demonstrate
a capacity for independent research by preparing an original thesis
on a topic within the major field of study, must meet the qualifying
requirements or examination in the area of specialization, and must
pass both preliminary and final examinations.
Research Interests
Areas of study and research include air quality; aquatic biology and
ecology; computer-aided engineering systems (artificial intelligence,
expert systems, and neural networks); construction engineering and
management; earthquake engineering; engineering systems analysis;
geotechnical engineering (rock mechanics, soil mechanics, and foundation
engineering); hazardous-waste management; hydrosystems engineering
(hydrology, water resources, and hydraulic engineering); materials
engineering; nondestructive diagnostics; ocean engineering; photogrammetry
and computer vision metrology; railway engineering; solid-waste management;
stochastic structural dynamics and random vibrations; structures (analysis,
design, and behavior; structural and computational mechanics; traffic
engineering); transportation (planning, systems design, and operations);
and water quality and treatment.
Research Facilities
The Advanced Transportation Research and Engineering Laboratory (ATREL),
funded largely by the Illinois Department of Transportation, is located
15 miles north of the main campus. It contains 56,000 square feet
of modern classroom, office, and laboratory space on 56 acres, and
is home to the Center of Excellence for Airport Pavement Research.
Faculty and graduate students conduct research in the mechanics of
airport pavement design for the next generation of large commercial
aircraft. The Advanced Cements-Based Materials Center (an NSF Science
and Technology Center) is dedicated to interdisciplinary research
and graduate education in cement-based materials. The PVC Geomembrane
Institute Technology Program’s main objectives include conducting
research and disseminating technical information about PVC geomembranes
and answering technical questions regarding PVC. The Mid-America Earthquake
Center’s principal long-term goal is to reduce potential losses
resulting from future earthquakes through improved evaluation of seismic
hazards and development of cost-effective retrofit strategies.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is available in the form of fellowships, research and
teaching assistantships, and tuition and partial fee waivers.
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