Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Master of Science (MS) and Master of Engineering (MEng) Program

MS and MEng Program

For a complete review of the steps to obtaining a Master’s degree, please refer to and read the Graduate School’s “Summary of Procedures for Master's Degree” at their website.

The Graduate Learning Outcomes for the MS and MEng programs are available online.

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MS Degree

The Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering program is designed to provide students with the technical and professional knowledge necessary to develop their abilities to seek creative solutions to complex problems in their field of interest. The program involves advanced courses in the areas of structural analysis and design, transportation engineering, water resources, environmental engineering, and geotechnical engineering, as well as science and mathematics. Flexibility is achieved by designing programs of study to meet individual needs. MS students must complete a thesis or research project conducted under the supervision of a faculty member.

MS Thesis Option Credit Requirements

The thesis option consists of a total of 45 credit hours, which includes:

  • 6-9 hours of CE 503 Thesis credits
  • Successful completion of a final oral examination covering the thesis

Coursework may include up to 6 credits total of the following:

  • CE 501 Research
  • CE 504 Internship
    • Internship credits require a project and final report
  • CE 505 Reading and Conference
  • CE 506 Projects
  • The above credits must be arranged in advance between the CEE faculty adviser and the student

MS Project Option Credit Requirements

The project option requires the completion of 45 credit hours, which includes:

  • 4 CE 501 Research credit hours on a research project
  • Produces a report and technical presentation

Coursework may include up to 8 credits total of the following:

  • CE 504 Internship
    • Internship credits require a project and final report
  • CE 505 Reading and Conference
  • CE 506 Projects
  • The above credits must be arranged in advance between the CEE faculty adviser and the student

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MEng Degree

The Master of Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering program is a non-research based professional degree. MEng students may be full-time or part-time while working in the engineering field. These students complete an advanced degree without a thesis/project requirement and can also use internship credits toward their degree.

MEng Credit Requirements

A total of 48 graduate credits are required for the MEng program.

Coursework may include up to 8 credits total of the following:

  • CE 501 Research
  • CE 504 Internship
    • Internship credits require a project and final report
  • CE 505 Reading and Conference
  • CE 506 Projects
  • The above credits must be arranged in advance between the CEE faculty adviser and the student

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Departmental Requirements for all Masters Students (MS and MEng)

Specialization

All students must select a specialization in one of the four areas on their program of study:

Program of Study

Master’s students are required to file the Program of Study form with the department after completing 18 credits. For a full-time student, this would be at the end of the second term of enrollment. The Program of Study form can be found on the CEE graduate advising website. The Program of Study form must be approved by the student’s adviser. Submit the form to ceedept@pdx.edu. The following links are helpful for completing the Program of Study:

If a course listed on the program of study is not available to be taken due to changed course offerings, schedule conflicts, or other reasons, another course can be substituted with adviser approval. A new program of study form is not required.

CEE Department Credit Minimum

A minimum of 30 credit hours must be taken in the CEE Department unless otherwise approved by the Graduate Program Chair.

Academic Standing

The academic standing policy is set by Portland State University’s Graduate School. All students are expected to be aware of this policy, which can be found in the PSU Bulletin.

Pre-admission and Transfer Credits

CEE Master’s students may use up to 16 pre-admission credits (credits taken before the formal term of admission) toward their degrees with adviser approval. To apply pre-admission credits toward your degree, please contact the CEE Academic Program Administrator at ceedept@pdx.edu.

CEE Master’s students may also use up to 16 transfer credits (credits taken at any other institution at any time) toward their degrees, with adviser approval. To apply transfer credit toward your degree, please submit the GO-21M form to the CEE Academic Program Administrator as early in your degree program as possible.

Conditional Admission

There are two types of conditional admission, University Conditional and Departmental Conditional:

  • Students admitted with Departmental Conditional status are required to meet the conditions listed in their departmental admission letters. Students should plan to meet these conditions as early on in the degree program as possible.
  • Students admitted with University Conditional status must complete the first 9 letter-graded graduate credits after admission with a GPA of 3.00 or higher. This condition is listed on the University admission letter.

Students admitted with both University Conditional and Departmental Conditional status must meet the requirements of both conditions.

Please refer to the PSU Bulletin for more information about University and Departmental Conditional status.

Policy Regarding Grades of C+ or Below

Graduate courses for which the student receives a grade of "C+" or lower will not be counted toward fulfilling the degree requirements. Grades of C+, C, or C- may sometimes be counted toward the degree with the approval of the student’s adviser and the Graduate Program Chair. A Departmental Petition to Allow Grade of C+, C, or C- is required if a graduate student wants to count a course with a grade of C+, C, or C- towards graduation credit

Pass/No Pass Grading Policy

All courses taken in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering by degree candidates must be taken for a letter grade, unless a course is only offered with a pass/no pass option. Courses outside the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering may be taken pass/no pass only with the consent of the student’s adviser. Non-degree seeking students may take Civil and Environmental Engineering courses pass/no pass with the consent of the instructor. Exceptions to the policy include Spring 2020 through Spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Time Limits for Master’s Degree Students

All coursework applied to the master’s degree program must be completed within the seven years prior to the awarding of the degree (e.g., a course started in the fall term of 2015 will be beyond the seven-year limitation at the close of fall term 2022). A PSU course more than seven years old at the time of graduation, but no more than ten years old at the time of graduation, may be used toward master’s degree requirements after a successful validation exam, which may be arranged at the discretion of the department that offered the course. Note that validation exams are not routine and require a great deal of time and effort on the part of the student, instructor, and departmental staff alike, so in general, it is best to plan ahead to avoid having any credits expire. More information about the validation exam process can be found in the PSU Bulletin.

Applying for Graduation

Students must apply for graduation by the first Friday of the term in which they wish to graduate. Additional information may be found on the Graduate School website.

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MS Thesis Defense Requirements

Graduate School (GS) Requirements and Deadlines

Thesis requirements are set by PSU’s Graduate School (GS). All thesis students are expected to review the “Thesis and Dissertation Information” page on the GS website. Students are also expected to be aware of the deadlines for graduate candidates, which include deadlines for the submission of the GO-16M form (Appointment of Thesis Final Oral Examination Committee), application for degree, thesis defense, and thesis submission for final approval. These deadlines can be found on the GS website.

Scheduling the Thesis Defense

The thesis defense should be scheduled on a date that meets the GS deadline for the desired graduation term (see above).  A room for the thesis defense may be scheduled through the CEE Department Services Coordinator or the Academic Program Administrator (presentation may be hybrid or fully remote). Students are expected to provide a flyer to the CEE Department to advertise the thesis defense no later than one week prior to the defense date. The PSU flyer template can be found on the CEE Graduate Advising website. The flyer should include the following information:

  • Student’s Name
  • Title of thesis
  • Date
  • Time
  • Location (or Zoom link if remote)
  • Adviser’s Name
  • Summary/abstract of thesis
  • An image or photo relevant to the thesis

Suggested Timeline for Thesis Defenses

Always check with your adviser on the preferred schedule and procedure. This is a typical timeline:

  1. At least four weeks prior to defense:
    1. Decide on some dates for a defense that works with your adviser’s schedule and meets GS requirements. Come up with a few alternate dates and times and schedule the defense date with your committee. Check their teaching schedules to minimize effort.
    2. Reserve a room for your defense.
  2. Two weeks prior to your defense:
    1. After approval from your adviser, share the draft thesis document in PDF form with your thesis committee. In the text of your email include the date and location of the defense and offer to print a copy of text if committee member desires.
    2. Prepare the announcement flyer for your defense. Send it to the CEE office staff so that they can advertise the defense to the CEE Department.
    3. Schedule a meeting with your adviser to review the defense presentation PowerPoint.
  3. One week prior to your defense:
    1. Send your adviser the draft defense PowerPoint to review.
    2. Meet with your adviser and revise the presentation
    3. Practice!
  4. Forms required for the thesis defense
    1. Share the date of the defense with the CEE Academic Program Administrator as soon as possible. They will prepare the GO-17 form and the Thesis Signature Page. These forms will be given to the committee for signature on the day of your defense.

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MS Project Report Requirements

Project Report and Presentation Requirements

MS Project students should meet with their advisers to determine the project topic and scope. All projects require a report and technical presentation. The MS Project Approval form must be submitted to the CEE Graduate Program Administrator after completion of the report and presentation. The final, advisor-approved project report must be uploaded to PSU’s digital archive, PDXScholar. The Department will approve graduation only after the final copy of the project report has been approved by the adviser and the report has been uploaded to PDXScholar.

The MS Project Approval form, Project Template, and Instructions for submitting the final report to PDX scholar are available on the CEE Graduate Advising website.

Scheduling the Project Presentation

The project presentation should be scheduled and completed by the Friday of finals week for graduation in that term (end of eighth week for Summer term). The report must be shared with the faculty adviser at least one week before the project presentation. The presentation must be announced and given in a public forum. A room for the project presentation may be scheduled through the CEE Department Student Services Coordinator or the Academic Program Administrator (presentation may be hybrid or fully remote). Students are expected to provide a flyer to the CEE Department to advertise the project presentation no later than one week prior to the presentation date. The PSU flier template can be found on the CEE Graduate Advising website. The flier should include the following information:

  • Student’s Name
  • Title of project
  • Date
  • Time
  • Location (or Zoom link if remote)
  • Adviser’s Name
  • Summary/abstract of project
  • An image or photo relevant to the project

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Graduate Advising FAQs

Q: How do I change advisers?

A: Your adviser’s name and email can be found on your admission letter. An MEng or MS student may change his or her assigned adviser if another faculty member is a better match for the student’s research or academic interests and is available to advise the student. For an MS student, this change would ideally take place before the student begins work on the research project or thesis. Students wishing to change advisers must obtain the approval of both the old and the new adviser, and then notify the CEE Academic Program Administrator of the change at ceedept@pdx.edu.

Q: How do I change from the MEng to the MS?

A: Students admitted to the MEng program may switch to the MS program if a faculty member agrees to advise them in a research project or thesis. Students must complete the GO-19 form to change their degree program.

Q: How do I change from the MS to the MEng?

A: Students admitted to the MS program may switch to the MEng program with the permission of the MS adviser. Ideally, this change would take place before the student begins work on the research project or thesis. Students must complete the GO-19 form to change their degree program.

Q: How do I change my specialty area?

A: Changing specialty areas is not advised. Courses taken toward a program of study in one specialty area will not necessarily count toward a program of study in another specialty area; this is true even for CEE Department courses. Furthermore, students admitted to the MS program in one specialty area may not be able to transfer to the MS program in another area; if an MS adviser is not available in the new specialty area, the student would need to switch to the MEng program. Because of the issues involved, students wishing to change their specialty area must first meet with the CEE Graduate Program Chair.

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