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Graduate Degrees - Application Process

Application Deadlines

•    Priority Fall - First Monday of January
•    Fall - April 1
•    Winter - September 1
•    Spring - November 1

Applicants who apply by the Priority Fall deadline will receive priority consideration for funding as Graduate Research or Teaching Assistants. Applicants who wish to be considered for assistantships must submit the supplemental materials listed on the checklist below.

Application Checklist

Applicants must submit two applications – one to PSU Admissions, and one to the Department. The admission process will be delayed if incomplete applications are submitted. 

Submit the following to the PSU Office of Admissions:


  1. PSU Application for Admission
  2. $50.00 non-refundable application fee (do not send cash). The fee is good for one year.
  3. One official transcript, in its unopened envelope, from each post-secondary institution attended. (PSU transcript is not required.) Please mail official transcripts to Admissions at the address listed below.
  4. Those students whose first language is not English and who do not have a U.S. degree are required to prove English Language Proficiency. Minimum test score requirements are listed here.
  5. Additional information and requirements for international students can be found here.

Transcripts and any other application documents for your University application may be sent to PSU Admissions at:

Admissions
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

 

Submit the following to the Department:


  1. Departmental application. You will be required to create an account before filling out the application. Please also review the “Account Directions & Information” before filling out the application.
  2. One official transcript from each post-secondary institution attended (PSU transcript is not required). Please mail official transcripts to the Department at the address listed below.
  3. Three letters of recommendation. When you complete the Departmental application, you will be required to include the contact information (including email addresses) of three people who will provide letters of recommendation. It is preferred that at least one of the recommendations be from a faculty member or an academic adviser. Once you submit your application, your recommenders will each receive a recommendation request via email. You will be able to check the status of your letters of recommendation, send reminder emails to recommenders, and send requests to new recommenders by checking your Activity Log once you have submitted your application. Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that letters of recommendation are submitted on time. If a recommender is unable to complete a letter of recommendation online, please provide him or her with the Department's Personal Evaluation for Graduate Admission form. If this form is used, it should be sent directly from the recommender to ceedept@cecs.pdx.edu (preferred) or mailed to the Department in a sealed/signed envelope.
  4. Resume or curriculum vitae.  You will be able to upload this document when you fill out the Departmental application.
  5. M.S. and Ph.D. applicants only -- statement of career plans. You will be able to upload this document when you fill out the Departmental application
  6. M.S. and Ph.D. programs only -- GRE scores (mandatory for international students, strongly recommended for students with a degree granted from a university in the USA). Please have official scores sent directly to us from ETS using the following codes:
    • PSU School Code: 4610
    • CEE Department Code:1102

To be considered for a Graduate Research Assistantship, you need to submit each of the following items. You will be able to upload these documents when you fill out the Departmental application.  

  1. Sample of your technical writing in English, i.e. any English publication, thesis, or professional work where your authorship can be validated (include contact numbers and emails). Contact information is not required when you submit a paper or article that has been published in an internationally recognized and peer reviewed journal.
  2. Statement of your skills/potential as a Graduate Research Assistant.  Indicate in clear and concise language how your skills, experience, and interests may be relevant or set you apart for your graduate studies and your work as a research assistant. A illustrative sample (not comprehensive) of skills and abilities include work/research experience, modelling or programming skills, writing and analytical skills, ability to work in groups, leadership, etc. Length limit: one thousand words.

To be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, you need to submit each of the following items. You will be able to upload these documents when you fill out the Departmental application.  

  1. Statement of teaching skills and qualifications. Length limit: five hundred words.
  2. Summary of teaching experience, please list: educational institution (include website), year, course(s), language used,  number of students, and your role.

Transcripts for your Departmental application may be sent to the Department at:

Civil & Environmental Engineering
Portland State University
PO Box 751 - CEE
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Most research groups are able to offer financial assistance to strong applicants (including international students). These assistantships are offered on a competitive basis. In a few select cases and dependent on research funds, financial assistance may not be available until after at least one full term of successful graduate coursework. Each applicant is strongly encouraged to contact faculty in the desired research group to find out about available financial support opportunities.

Complete applications received before the first Monday of January will receive preferential consideration  for Graduate Research Assistantships and Graduate Teaching Assistantships. Applications received after the deadline will be considered for assistantships on a waiting list basis only. A complete application consists of all necessary items listed on the Application Checklist. Applicants are advised to begin the application process early to make sure that the application and supporting documents arrive in time for the deadlines.

Incomplete applications lacking any of the listed application items will not be reviewed by the admissions committee and will not be considered for funding.

The probability of your receiving a Graduate Research Assistantship or Teaching Assistantship offer depends on the strength of your background (including courses taken and grades), extracurricular activities, communication skills, and GRE scores. The strength and level of detailed knowledge in reference letters from professors or professionals that know you and your work are also significant.

The CEE faculty will evaluate your submission and contact you. The order of the listed items does not imply importance or weight, each research project requires a unique set of skills.

Note for Ph.D. Applicants: Since the Ph.D. student must have a supervising advisor for admittance, all prospective Ph.D. students must contact one of the faculty members in their research area of interest prior to submitting their Ph.D. application.

If you do not register for the term to which you are admitted, your admission will be automatically cancelled unless you notify PSU Admissions and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of your intent to change the date of enrollment. Notification must be given prior to the term for which you are admitted.

Failure to supply complete and accurate information will subject a student to the University’s policies governing academic dishonesty.

Admission requirements – MS and MEng

Admission requirements for the MS and MEng degrees include a B.S./B.A. degree in an engineering field, science, or closely related area with a minimum GPA of 3.00. Courses should include calculus through differential equations, physics and chemistry, computer programming, and all the necessary prerequisites for the graduate courses that comprise the student’s program of study. Applicants without these qualifications may be considered for conditional admission.  To be considered for admission as a conditional student, the applicant must have a minimum GPA of 2.75.   Applicants must also meet PSU graduate admission requirements.

Admission requirements – PhD

Admission requirements for the PhD program include a M.S. degree in an engineering field, science, or closely related area.  All applicants must contact a CEE faculty member prior to submitting an application seeking a PhD advisor. For admission, a student must have a CEE faculty member agree to be his/her PhD advisor. Applicants must also meet PSU graduate admission requirements.