Master of Science in Engineering - Civil and Environmental Engineering

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

1. In addition to CEE 700, all students must successfully complete a minimum of 18 credits of approved graduate courses, out of which a minimum of 3 courses have to be from one of the five categories in the discipline-based list provided above.
2. A Thesis Advisory Committee composed of at least four members of the UNLV graduate faculty is to be formed for the student. At least two of the committee members must be from tenured or tenure-track faculty of the CEEC Department. The third memebr must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty or an individual who has GFS in CEEC Department.The fourth faculty member, the Graduate College Representative, is recommended by advisor/advisee and appointed by the Graduate College. It is recommended that the Thesis Advisory Committee collective expertise reflects the thesis topic. The chair of the committee must be a tenured or tenure-track CEEC faculty with the expertise similar to the student’s area of specialty. There can also be an additional member from a related area who has GFS status in the department or UNLV.
3. In addition to the coursework requirements,
   • At least 3 credits of thesis research prospectus preparation (CEE 790) must be taken with one of the outcomes being a prospectus submission to the Advisory Committee and Graduate College.
   • At least 6 credits of research work associated with the master’s level thesis (CEE 797) with one of the outcomes being a manuscript written for a specific indexed conference or journal. Thesis credits may not be used towards program elective credits.
4. At least 50% of the courses (600 and 700 level) within the total coursework must be from the College of Engineering.
5. At least 50% of the courses within the total coursework must be 700 level.
6. Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00. A course in which a grade of less than C was earned will not be considered for use toward the degree.
7. All requirements for the M.S.E. are met upon the satisfactory completion of the proposed research, the submission of a satisfactory thesis, and the successful oral defense of the thesis before the Thesis Advisory Committee.

Graduation Requirements

The student must submit and successfully defend their thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.

After the thesis defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their thesis to the Graduate College for format check. Once the thesis format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for thesis defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 

Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway.

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

1. Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits of approved graduate-level courses, out of which a minimum of 3 courses must be from one of the five areas of specialty listed above.
2. A Master’s Examination Committee composed of at least four members of the UNLV graduate faculty is to be formed for the student. At least three of the committee members must be from tenured or tenure-track faculty of the CEEC Department. The fourth faculty member, the Graduate College Representative, is recommended by advisor/advisee and appointed by the Graduate College. The chair of the committee must be a tenured or tenure-track CEEC faculty with the expertise similar to the student’s area of specialty. There can also be an additional member from a related area who has GFS status in the department or UNLV.
3. At least 50% of the courses (600 and 700 level) within the total coursework must be from the College of Engineering.
4. At least 50% of the courses within the total coursework must be 700 level.
5. Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00. A course in which a grade of less than C was earned will not be considered for use toward the degree.
6. Students must take and pass a culminating exam prepared by the student’s Master’s Examination Committee. Students can only take the exam within the last two semesters of graduation and after completing at least 21 credits of approved coursework.

Graduation Requirements

The student must pass the culminating exam.

Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway.

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

1. Including CEE 700, all students must successfully complete a minimum of 18 credits of approved graduate courses, out of which a minimum of 3 courses from one of the five categories in the discipline-based list provided above.
2. A Thesis Advisory Committee composed of at least four members of the UNLV graduate faculty is to be formed for the student. At least two of the committee members must be from tenured or tenure-track faculty of the CEEC Department. The third member must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty or an individual who has GFS in CEEC Department. The fourth faculty member, the Graduate College Representative, is recommended by advisor/advisee and appointed by the Graduate College. It is recommended that the Thesis Advisory Committee collective expertise reflects the thesis topic. The chair of the committee must be a tenured or tenure-track CEEC faculty with the expertise similar to the student’s area of specialty. There can also be an additional member from a related area who has GFS status in the department or UNLV.
3. In addition to the coursework requirements,
   • At least 3 credits of thesis research prospectus preparation (CEE 790) must be taken with one of the outcomes being a prospectus presentation to the Advisory Committee and Graduate College.
   • At least 6 credits of research work associated with the master’s level thesis (CEE 797) with one of the outcomes being a manuscript written for a specific indexed conference or journal. Thesis credits may not be used towards program elective credits.
4. At least 50% of the courses (600 and 700 level) within the total coursework must be from the College of Engineering.
5. At least 50% of the courses within the total coursework must be 700 level. 6. Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00. A course in which a grade of less than C was earned will not be considered for use toward the degree. 
6. All requirements for the M.S.E. are met upon the satisfactory completion of the proposed research, the submission of a satisfactory thesis, and the successful oral defense of the thesis before the Thesis Advisory Committee.

​Additional Requirements for the Integrated BS-MSE:

Students enrolled through Integrated BS-MSE Thesis subplan option must meet requirements for both B.S. and M.S.E. degree as follows:

B.S. Degree Requirements:

1. Students must successfully complete all of the existing B.S. degree requirements for Civil Engineering at UNLV.
2. Students may take up to 6 credits of approved graduate level courses in place of undergraduate courses. These classes would typically substitute for the undergraduate technical electives.
3. Undergraduates taking graduate courses must pay the graduate tuition and fees for these courses.
4. Students will graduate with the B.S. degree as soon as all B.S. degree requirements are completed.

M.S.E. Degree Requirements:

1. Students must meet all of the other degree requirements for the M.S.E. Thesis subplan degree.
2. The 6 graduate-level class credits taken as part of the undergraduate program may count for the M.S.E. degree as long as the course grades are B (3.00) or better and their average GPA for these classes is a 3.00 or above.
3. Students must pursue Thesis subplan to receive the course release. Students who later elect to pursue a M.S.E. non-thesis subplan degree must apply to the M.S.E. degree and complete all the requirements listed for that degree.

Graduation Requirements

The student must submit and successfully defend their thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.

After the thesis defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their thesis to the Graduate College for format check. Once the thesis format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for thesis defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 

Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway.