Structural Engineering

The M.S. degree program is intended to provide students with additional fundamental knowledge as well as specialized advanced knowledge in selected structural engineering aspects over and above the undergraduate degree course work.

Degree offers opportunities for training in one or more of the four research focus areas of the SE department which are in

1. Earthquake Engineering,
2. Advanced Composites and Aerospace Structural Systems,
3. Renewal Engineering, and
4. Structural Health Monitoring, Prognosis and Validated Simulations.

The M.S. degree program is intended to provide students with additional fundamental knowledge as well as specialized advanced knowledge in selected structural engineering aspects over and above the undergraduate degree course work. Two plans are offered; the M.S. Thesis Plan and the M.S. Comprehensive Examination Plan. In addition to the traditional M.S. degree in Structural Engineering, a M.S. degree with a specialization in Structural Health Monitoring, Prognosis, and Validated Simulations (SHMP&VS) is also available. The requirements for the M.S. degree in SHMP&VS are listed in the M.S. "In Health Monitoring" section of the department's website.

The M.S. Comprehensive Examination Plan involves course work and requires the completion of a written comprehensive examination covering multiple courses that the student has taken. The M.S. Comprehensive examination will be comprehensive and cover two focus sequences and at least one additional technical elective that the student has taken. The examination must be completed no later than the end of the eighth week of the quarter the student intends to graduate.

Master students are required to complete three core courses before they can graduate with their master's degree. The courses are SE 200 Applied Mathematics in Structural Engineering (or one of the following two similar courses: MAE294A and Math. 210A), SE 201 Advanced Structural Analysis, and SE 271 Solid Mechanics for Structural and Aerospace Engineering.

The M.S. Thesis Plan is designed for those students with an interest in research prior to entering the structural engineering profession or prior to entering a doctoral degree program. The M.S. Thesis Plan involves course work leading to the completion and defense of a master's thesis.

The thesis defense is the final examination for students enrolled in the M.S. Thesis Plan and must be conducted after completion of all course work. Upon completion of the research project, the student writes a thesis that must be successfully defended in an oral examination and public presentation conducted by a committee composed of three faculty members. A complete copy of the student's thesis must be submitted to each committee member two weeks before the defense.

Master students must complete forty-eight units of courses for graduation. For the M.S. Comprehensive Examination Plan all forty-eight units of credit must consist of regular courses (twelve courses). For the M.S. Thesis Plan, thirty-six units (nine courses) from regular courses are required, in addition to twelve units of graduate research for the master's thesis. For both M.S. plans, students are required to complete a minimum of two sequences from the focus areas listed below.

A focus sequence is composed of three regular courses from the same focus area. The courses comprising the focus sequences are listed in the table in this section. To allow for greater flexibility in the program, the remaining credits required from courses may be earned by completing additional focus sequences, parts of focus sequences, or other appropriate courses. Students may elect to take other appropriate technical electives (with the approval of their advisor and the SE Graduate Affairs Committee). In general, no undergraduate courses are allowed for the M.S. degree.

Units obtained in SE 290 and 298 may not be applied towards course work requirements. No more than four units of SE 296 may be applied toward course work requirements and only with prior approval of the SE Graduate Affairs Committee.

The department also offers a seminar course each quarter dealing with current research topics in Structural Engineering (SE 290). Students must take SE 290 every quarter in the first year, and are strongly recommended to take it for at least one quarter in every subsequent year.

Sample Focus Areas

Requirements

• Please note that successful applicants must hold a bachelor's degree or the equivalent from an accredited institution in the United States or from a recognized university-level academic institution abroad and at least a B average (3.0 GPA) or its equivalent by the time they enroll.
• A test of English language proficiency is required for international applicants whose native language is not English and who have not studied full-time for one uninterrupted academic year at a university-level institution in which English is the language of instruction and in a country where English is a dominant language.The university-wide minimum TOEFL score required for consideration for graduate admission is 550 for the paper based test (PBT), and 80 for the internet based test (iBT). The university-wide minimum IELTS Academic Training exam score required for consideration for graduate admission is Band Score 7.
• GRE General Test is required.
• Minimum of 3 recommendations required.
• Statement of Purpose 2500 word limit
• Resume/CV

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• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

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