Santa Clara University

Department of Civil Engineering

Professor Emeritus: E. John Finnemore, P.E. Wilmot J. Nicholson Family Professor: Sukhmander Singh, P.E.
Associate Professors: Mark Aschheim, P.E., G.E., Steven C. Chiesa, P.E. (Chair), Reynaud L. Serrette (Associate Chair)
Assistant Professors: Rachel He, Edwin Maurer, P.E.

OVERVIEW

The Department of Civil Engineering offers graduate programs in the areas of structural engineering and general civil engineering. The focus of the educational effort is on modeling, analysis, and practical methods used to design structures and other civil engineering-related infrastructure systems. As such, many of the courses offered are beneficial to practicing engineers interested in advancing their knowledge and enhancing their technical skills.

DEGREE PROGRAM

The civil engineering graduate program at Santa Clara University is designed to accommodate the needs of students interested in advanced study in the areas of structural engineering and general civil engineering. An individual may pursue the degree of master of science (M.S.) as either a full-time or part-time student through a customized balance of coursework, design projects, and directed research. Program participants are also required to supplement their more technical work with coursework on project management and professional ethics.

Master of Science in Civil Engineering
To be considered for admission to the graduate program in civil engineering, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)-accredited four-year program or its equivalent
• An overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.75 (based on a 4.0 maximum scale)
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE)-general test
• For students whose native language is not English, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) exam scores are required before applications are processed.
• In very rare cases, applicants not meeting the above requirements may be given conditional acceptance into the M.S. program. A formal acceptance may then be given upon the successful completion of a defined course of studies.

Applicants who have taken graduate-level courses at other institutions may qualify to transfer a maximum of 9 quarter units of approved credit to their graduate program at Santa Clara University.

Upon acceptance or conditional acceptance to the graduate program in civil engineering, a student will be required to select a graduate advisor (full-time faculty member) from within the Department of Civil Engineering. The student’s advisor will be responsible for approving the student’s course of study. Any changes to a student’s initial course of study must have the written approval of the student’s advisor.

To qualify for the degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering, the students must complete a minimum of 45 quarter units, including elective and required core courses, within the School of Engineering. The required and elective course offerings for both the structural engineering and general civil engineering programs of study are provided below.

The following course requirements must be met:

Upon the approval of the student’s advisor, alternative elective courses may be taken. Courses used to satisfy the 45-unit minimum total for the Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree cannot be used to satisfy any previous undergraduate degree program requirement. This includes cross-listed undergraduate courses at Santa Clara University and/or their equivalent courses at other institutions. Where required courses in the SCU graduate civil engineering programs have been completed prior to graduate-level matriculation at SCU, additional elective courses may be required to satisfy the minimum unit total requirement as necessary.

LABORATORIES

The Civil Engineering Laboratories contain equipment and facilities to support research and teaching in materials engineering, structural engineering, stress analysis, soil mechanics, geology, transportation engineering and surveying, environmental quality, and hydraulics.

The Computer Analysis and Simulation Laboratory maintains Windows-based personal computers that are used extensively in course assignments, design projects and research. Commercial software packages in all the major areas of civil engineering are available on the systems, with full documentation available to students.

The Concrete Testing Laboratory contains facilities for mixing, casting, curing, and testing concrete cylinders and constructing reinforced concrete test specimens.

The Environmental Laboratory is equipped with the instrumentation needed for basic chemical and biological characterization of water, wastewater, and air samples. Several pilot-scale treatment systems are also available.

The Geology Laboratory is equipped with extensive rock and mineral samples, as well as topographic, geologic, and soil maps.

The Hydraulics Laboratory is shared with the Mechanical Engineering Department. The laboratory contains a tilting flume that can be fitted with various open-channel fixtures.

The Soil Mechanics Laboratory contains equipment for testing soils in shear, consolidation, and compaction, and for conducting other physical and chemical tests. Field testing and sampling equipment is also available. A complete cyclic triaxial testing system with computer control is used for both research and instructional purposes.

The Structures and Materials Testing Laboratory is equipped with three universal testing machines and a closed-loop MTS hydraulic system. These machines/systems are used for testing a variety of construction materials and assemblies under both psuedo-static and dynamic loading. Complementing this equipment are a series of digital and analog instruments, and high-speed data acquisition and control systems.

The Surveying Laboratory has a wide variety of equipment, such as self-leveling levels, transits, theodolites, and electronic distance-measuring devices available for instructional purposes.

The Traffic Laboratory has electronic volume counters that are used in studies to classify vehicles and measure their speeds in user-specified ranges and periods of time. This equipment is used for instructional and research purposes.