Civil Engineering, MS
Introduction
Graduate Education Policies and Procedures apply to these programs.
There are many reasons to consider a master’s degree in Civil Engineering:
- Gain advanced training in your chosen civil engineering specialty.
- Become an expert in your chosen thesis (or report) research.
- Position yourself in a competitive employment market.
- Earn more than those with only a bachelor’s degree.
The Master of Science (MS) in Civil Engineering at CU Denver is intended for students who have previously earned an undergraduate degree in engineering or a similar field. Students of other backgrounds are welcome but usually have more prerequisites to complete before they can be admitted to the MS program.
The Civil Engineering graduate program is designed for both full-time and part-time students who want to advance their academic and professional skills in civil engineering and related areas. Our graduate programs are designed for working professionals and offer ample opportunities for hands-on research.
Many students are full-time, while many also work full-time jobs and complete evening classes. Depending on a student's pace, the master's program typically takes 2-4 years to complete. Most graduate courses are offered in the afternoons or evenings.
Specialty Areas
- Construction Engineering and Management
- Geomatics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Hydrologic, Environmental, and Sustainability Engineering
- Structural Engineering
- Transportation Engineering
Program Prerequisites
Prerequisite classes are in addition to the 30 semester hours needed to complete a master's degree, as they are necessary background information that is usually included in an engineering bachelor's program. Students must receive a grade of C minus (C-) or better for the prerequisite class to apply to the program.
Students may complete prerequisite classes either before or after being admitted to a degree program. However, applicants with 5 or more incomplete prerequisites will not be admitted. You may complete no more than nine credit hours of graduate work before completing these prerequisites. Note, all courses taken at CU Denver while enrolled graduate studies count toward your grade point average (GPA).
If prerequisites are taken after admission to the master's program, students must maintain a 3.0 overall GPA, per Graduate Education policies and procedures. The student’s faculty advisor may also specify undergraduate courses that must be completed before starting graduate course work, but these will not count toward the semester hour requirements for the degree.
Transfer Credits
Master's students may transfer up to 9 semester hours from another institution toward their master's degree, if approved by their advisor. Students who completed their undergraduate degree at CU Denver many have additional options available.
Program Requirements
- Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours at the graduate level, including a master's report or thesis.
- Students must complete 6 credit hours of master's thesis or 3 credits of master's report. Both require a written comprehensive exam and an oral defense to a committee of at least two graduate faculty for a report and three graduate faculty for a thesis. The student's topic must be approved by the faculty advisor.
- Students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours in your chosen host department or within Civil Engineering, not including master's report or thesis. Any courses taken outside your host department must be approved by advisor.
- Students must earn a minimum grade of B- (2.7) in all major courses taken at CU Denver and must achieve a minimum cumulative major GPA of 3.0. All graded attempts in required and elective courses are calculated in the major GPA. Students cannot complete any course requirements as pass/fail, or satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
- The MS must be completed within seven years of the date the student begins the degree program.
Construction Engineering and Management
The Master’s program in construction engineering and management provides the necessary decision-making skills to support complex construction projects and subsequent management throughout their useful life. Construction engineering and management concerns the design, planning and management of the construction, maintenance and disposal of structures, infrastructure, transportation systems, site work, and commercial, industrial, residential and environmental projects (for example: highways, bridges, airports, buildings, dams, reservoirs, light and high-speed rail systems, hospitals, laboratories, residential communities, utilities and environmental restoration projects).
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research Credits (requires advisor approval). Choose 1 of the following | ||
| CVEN 5950 | Master's Thesis | 6 |
| CVEN 5960 | Master's Report | 3 |
| Required core courses | 9 | |
| Construction Materials and Methods | ||
| Construction Planning and Control | ||
| Construction Cost Estimating | ||
| Construction Electives | 9 | |
| Sustainable Construction | ||
| Advanced Construction Engineering | ||
| Project Management Systems | ||
| Advanced Project Management | ||
| Integrated Construction Leadership | ||
| Introduction to Temporary Structures and Construction Engineering | ||
| Building Information Modeling (BIM) | ||
| Construction Safety | ||
| Construction Dispute Resolution | ||
| Construction, Business and Innovation | ||
| Special Topics in Construction | ||
| General Electives | 6-9 | |
| Course selection should be based on planned career path, masters report focus, eligibility and availability of the courses. The following courses are some of the possibilities, but you should discuss course choices with your advisor. | ||
Any 5000+ CVEN or CEMT course | ||
| Sustainable Design Practices | ||
| LEED Certification, Greenbuilding Seminar | ||
| Environmental Toxicology | ||
| Leading Individuals and Teams | ||
| Systems Engineering: Principles and Practice | ||
| Business Model Development & Planning | ||
| Landscape Biogeochemistry | ||
| Environmental Impact Assessment | ||
| Landform Manipulation | ||
| Leadership Development | ||
| Environmental and Hazards Law | ||
| Urban Development | ||
| Environmental Planning/Management | ||
Other topics as approved by faculty advisor | ||
| Total Hours | 33-36 | |
Geomatics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
The Geomatics Engineering and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) graduate program at the University of Colorado Denver provides broad-based expertise and cutting-edge skills that span the growing geospatial field and helps alleviate the shortage of well-educated geospatial professionals. The program is intended for engineers and other geospatial, environmental and urban infrastructure professionals seeking skills in using and managing rapidly developing geospatial data technologies.
All GIS graduate courses are entirely online, as they have been for more than 20 years. However, master’s degree students have the option of taking some courses on the CU Denver campus from other programs such as geography or computer science.
Our Geomatics and GIS curriculum covers a wide range of geospatial principles. Students learn from industry professionals in areas of surveying, geodesy, mapping science and cartography, photogrammetry, remote sensing, high-definition surveying, and relational GIS databases.
Our program prepares graduates for careers in industry and/or science. Students who complete the program have a comprehensive understanding in these disciplines, empowering them to advance their careers in geospatial engineering and analysis or to continue their research.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research credits (requires advisor approval) Choose 1 of the following | ||
| CVEN 5950 | Master's Thesis | 6 |
| CVEN 5960 | Master's Report | 3 |
| Required course | ||
| CVEN 5381 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| GIS electives | 12 | |
| Geospatial Data Development | ||
| GIS Analysis | ||
| GIS Project Management | ||
| GIS Relational Database Systems | ||
| Advanced Remote Sensing | ||
| Geographic Information Systems for Transportation Infrastructure (GIS-T) | ||
| Interactive Web Mapping GIS | ||
| Introduction to Geomatics | ||
| Unmanned Aerial Systems | ||
| GPS/GNSS | ||
| HDS/LiDAR Tools & Data Analyses | ||
Other topics as approved by faculty advisor | ||
| Graduate Electives | 12-15 | |
| Any 5000+ CEMT or CVEN course | ||
| Environmental Modeling with Geographic Information Systems | ||
| GIS Programming and Automation | ||
| Advanced Geo-Spatial Methods | ||
| Other topics as approved by faculty advisor | ||
| Total Hours | 36-39 | |
Hydrologic, Environmental, and Sustainability Engineering
The graduate track in hydrologic, environmental, and sustainability engineering (HESE) in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado Denver brings together the hydrologic cycle, environmental processes, and sustainability—the powerful notion that everything we engineer should support economic prosperity, environmental health, and social justice.
Graduate coursework in the HESE track requires breadth and depth. Students are required to take at least one graduate course in each of the three areas plus at least two additional courses in one of those three areas. The program also includes graduate-level electives, allowing students to customize their program to match their professional needs and intellectual curiosity.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research credits (requires advisor approval). Choose 1 of the following | ||
| CVEN 5950 | Master's Thesis | 6 |
| CVEN 5960 | Master's Report | 3 |
| Breadth courses | 9 | |
| Depth courses | 6 | |
| Elective courses | 6-9 | |
| Hydrology and Hydraulics | ||
| Surface Water Hydrology | ||
| Groundwater Hydrology | ||
| Vadose Zone Hydrology | ||
| Pipe Network and Sewer Design | ||
| Storm Water System Design | ||
| Environmental Engineering | ||
| Contaminant Fate and Transport | ||
| Water and Wastewater Treatment | ||
| Biological Treatment Processes | ||
| Sustainability Science | ||
| Environmental Life Cycle Assessment | ||
| Introduction to Sustainable Urban Infrastructure | ||
| Structural Engineering and the Ocean Environment | ||
| Graduate Electives | ||
| Any CVEN course listed above | ||
| Sustainable Systems I | ||
| Sustainable Design Practices | ||
| Sustainable Construction | ||
| Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Sustainable Transportation Systems | ||
| Environmental Hydrology | ||
| Urban Climate and Air Quality | ||
| 21st Century Global Energy Issues and Realities | ||
| Environmental, Regulatory, Legal & Political Environment in the Energy Industry | ||
| Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Trends in Energy & Commodities | ||
| Remote Sensing I: Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing | ||
| Climate Change & Society | ||
| Urban Climate and Air Quality | ||
| Urban Sustainability | ||
| Transportation, Land Use, and the Environment | ||
| Other topics as approved by faculty advisor | ||
| Total Hours | 30-33 | |
Structural Engineering
Structural engineering is the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. At CU Denver the area of structural engineering includes structural and bridge engineering; repair, evaluation, maintenance and rehabilitation of civil infrastructure, maintenance and experimental analysis of concrete; and more.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research credits (requires advisor approval). Choose 1 of the following | ||
| CVEN 5950 | Master's Thesis | 6 |
| CVEN 5960 | Master's Report | 3 |
| Structural Engineering Electives | 24-27 | |
| Advanced Structural Classical Analysis | ||
| Structural Dynamics | ||
| Structural Design Loads | ||
| Intermediate Mechanics of Materials | ||
| Structural Engineering and the Ocean Environment | ||
| Masonry Design | ||
| Highway Bridge Design | ||
| Advanced Timber Structure Design | ||
| Advanced Topics in Structural Steel Design | ||
| Advanced Topics in Reinforced Concrete | ||
| Design of Prestressed Concrete | ||
| Design of Composite Structures | ||
| Computer-Aided Structural Analysis and Design | ||
| Pavement Design | ||
| Structural Dynamics II | ||
Other topics as approved by faculty advisor | ||
| Total Hours | 33-36 | |
Transportation Engineering
By shifting conventional transportation engineering practice towards a more human-centered approach, our Masters’ programs in transportation engineering seek to cultivate forward-thinking transportation professionals. The Master of Science (MS) program is intended for those with an engineering background. The Master of Engineering (MEng) program is intended for students from any discipline.
Students in both programs take the foundational courses, but much of the remaining coursework can be tailored to needs and aspirations of each individual student. Students with more of a transportation engineering background tend to add knowledge from related disciplines such as urban & regional planning or by adding skills such as GIS, statistics, or data science. Students coming from other disciplines tend to take more transportation engineering courses. Whatever the case, we have the flexibility to provide students with the technical knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in their chosen area.
Students can also select one or more of the following core areas: Healthy Active Communities; Equitable Road Safety: and/or Smart Sustainable Mobility.
Our transportation students will develop the advanced problem-solving skills needed to be able to propose innovative and sustainable solutions that prioritize human needs, societal well-being, and environmental considerations. They will foster the ability to empathize with diverse user groups, incorporate qualitative and quantitative data to inform decision-making, and begin to design transportation systems that enhance accessibility, safety, and the overall human experience. They will cultivate the collaboration and communication skills necessary for interdisciplinary work in transportation. The combination of which will put our graduates in a position to embark on a transportation-related career for which they are passionate and can make a positive difference in the world.
Both the MS and MEng degree programs culminate with a thesis or master’s report.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research credits (requires advisor approval). Choose 1 of the following | ||
| CVEN 5950 | Master's Thesis | 6 |
| CVEN 5960 | Master's Report | 3 |
| Transportation Engineering Required Course | 3 | |
| Sustainable Transportation Systems | ||
| Transportation Engineering Electives | 12 | |
| Advanced Highway Design | ||
| Transportation Engineering Statistics | ||
| Traffic Impact Assessment | ||
| Traffic Simulation Modeling | ||
| Highway Capacity Analysis | ||
| Traffic Operations and Control | ||
| Transport Modeling and Big Data | ||
| Transportation Data Analytics | ||
| Transit System Planning and Design | ||
| Transit Operations | ||
| Urban Street Design | ||
| Transportation System Safety | ||
| Geographic Information Systems for Transportation Infrastructure (GIS-T) | ||
| Graduate Electives | 9-12 | |
| Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Planning History and Theory | ||
| Planning Methods | ||
| Urban Development | ||
| Plan Making | ||
| Urban Policy Analytics | ||
| GIS for Urban Planning | ||
| City Design Fundamentals | ||
| Transportation, Land Use, and the Environment | ||
| Regional Growth and Equity | ||
Other topics as approved by faculty advisor | ||
| Total Hours | 33-36 | |