Santa Clara University

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

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 technical work with
coursework on project management and topics addressed in the
graduate engineering core curriculum.

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 (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 in 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:

^ may be used to satisfy a Graduate Core requirement

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.