Civil Engineering

M.S. Student Introduction, Information and Orientation

Spring 2014

Contacts

• Adrian Hanson, Department Head & Director of Graduate Studies– athanson@d.umn.edu– 221 SCiv

• Sanna Shields, Plan Level Coordinator– smshield@d.umn.edu– 221 SCiv

CE Faculty w/ Grad Courses and Interests• Full Time Faculty

– Dr. Rania Al-Hammoud (Structures)– Dr. Carlos Carranza-Torres (Geotech)– Dr. Mary Christiansen (Structures, Materials)– Dr. Adrian Hanson (Environmental)– Dr. Nate Johnson (Environmental)– Dr. Eil Kwon (Transportation)– Dr. Dave Saftner (Geotech)– Dr. Becky Teasley (Water Resources)

• Instructors and Term Faculty– Mr. Jay Dailey (Geotech, Materials, Transportation)– Mr. Travis Davidsavor (Geotech)– Mr. Martin Halvorson (Geotech) – Ms. Sara Ojard (Structures)– Dr. Ronny Purba (Structures)

Graduate Degree Options• Master of Science (M.S.) in Civil Engineering– Plan A• Thesis (research) based option

– Plan B• Project based option

• Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)– Professional master of engineering– Administered by College of Engineering– DGS: Prof. Richard Davis (176 ENGR)

• Master of Science (M.S.) in Water Resources Science (WRS)– Coordinated program between Duluth and Twin Cities

campus– Associate DGS: Prof. Randall Hicks (201 SSB)

M.S.C.E. Requirements• Total credit required = 30• Plan-A

– 10 Thesis credits– 12 Credits of CE (CE4xxx, CE5xxx or CE8xxx)– 6 Credits of any science or engineering (Any 4xxx, 5xxx, or 8xxx

level course in science or engineering)• Courses outside of science or engineering may be taken with

permission from advisor and DGS.

– 2 Credits of any graduate level course (5xxx or higher)– A maximum of 6 credits may be at 4xxx level, remainder should

be at the 5xxx or higher.– Typically: 2 – 2.5 Years

M.S.C.E. Requirements (cont.)• Total credit required = 30• Plan-B

– 3 Project credits– 18 Credits of CE (CE4xxx, CE5xxx or CE8xxx)

• Typically 3 credits of pre-project independent study

– 6 Credits of any science or engineering (Any 4xxx, 5xxx, or 8xxx level course in science or engineering)• Courses outside of science or engineering may be taken with permission

from advisor and DGS.

– 3 Credits of any graduate level course (5xxx or higher)– A maximum of 6 credits may be at 4xxx level, remainder should be at

the 5xxx or higher.– Typically: 1.5 – 2 years

CE 5xxx Courses• CE 5027 - Advanced Infrastructure 

Materials • CE 5115 - Structural Dynamics• CE 5127 - Bridge Analysis and Design• CE 5128 - Prestressed Concrete 

Structures• CE 5131 – Wood, Masonry and Steel 

Structures• CE 5137 - Adv. Structural Analysis and 

Design• CE 5201 – Water Policy• CE 5216 - App. in Env. Modeling• CE 5226 - Water Resources Engineering• CE 5237 - Water Quality Engineering• CE 5315 - Traffic Sys. Ops. and Safety• CE 5316 - Pavement Design & Rehab.• CE 5317 - Traffic Flow Theo. & Model.

• CE 5318 - Pavement Management Sys.• CE 5326 - Highway Plan. and Design• CE 5410 - Finite Element Methods• CE 5420 - Advanced Soil Mechanics• CE 5421 - Applied Geostatistics• CE 5422 - Num. Model. in Geo. Eng.• CE 5426 - Rock Mechanics • CE 5436 - Design of Underground and 

Surface Excavations in Rock• CE 5515 - Sustainable Design and 

Construction• CE 5555 – Project Credits: M.Eng.• CE 5991 – Graduate Independent Study• CE 5995 – Special Topics• CE 8094 – Project Credits: M.S.• CE 8777 – Thesis Credits: M.S.

Registration and Status Requirements

• For IUG students:– File: TEMPORARY WAIVER OF BACHELOR’S

TRANSCRIPT REQUIREMENT• All Combined Students– Apply for undergraduate degree

• All MS students– Maintain graduate student status: GRAD 999

• Financial Aid– Not all undergraduate financial aid options are

available to graduate students

General Thesis/Project Credit Guidelines

• Limit thesis/independent study credits in any semester to 3.0

• Plan-A: Typically break down to 2.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.0

• Plan-B: Typically Independent study (CE 5991) in second last semester and project credits (CE 8094) in the last semester

Required Forms and Paperwork(http://www.d.umn.edu/civileng/grad/currentstudents.html) 

• CE Course plan sheet– First semester of MS degree

• Steps to finishing degree:• Plan A: http://www.grad.umn.edu/prod/groups/grad/@pub/@

grad/documents/content/grad_content_461844.pdf• Plan B: http://www.grad.umn.edu/prod/groups/grad/@pub/@

grad/documents/content/grad_content_461845.pdf

• Graduate Degree Plan– Semester before the last semester of MS degree– http://policy.umn.edu/forms/otr/otr198.pdf

• Assign/Update Master's Final Committee– Simultaneous with the Degree plan– http://www.grad.umn.edu/students/examiningcommitteesnew/index.html

• Thesis deposit and submission– Last semester– Format and checklist: http://www.grad.umn.edu/students/ThesisSubmission/index.html

Thesis and Project Completion• Students should have weekly meetings scheduled with

your thesis/project advisor (for all students enrolled in CE5991, CE8094 and CE8777)

• Committee should be finalized before your last semester• Exam date should be finalized 1 month in advance and

project reports/thesis should be provided to the exam committee

• “Thesis fit for exam” form should be signed by committee at least 1 week before the final exam

• Students should practice their thesis/project presentation at the CE seminar

GRA, GTA and Fellowships• Should be full time graduate student• Let faculty know that you are interested• GPA plays an important role in assignment of GTA

positions• Expectation:– 50% GA = 20 hours per week– 25% GA = 10 hours per week

• Tuition is waived for GAs as per following– 50% GA = Full tuition waiver for up to 14 credits– 25% GA = 50% tuition waiver

Questions?