Degree Offered
Degree Requirements
Graduate Student Advisory Committee
Management of Graduate Students
More Information

Degree Offered

The Virginia Tech Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers the following graduate degree programs in fields related to environmental engineering:

Master of Science in Environmental Engineering (ENE), thesis
Master of Science in Environmental Science and Engineering (ESEN), thesis or    non-thesis option
Master of Science in Civil Engineering (CE), non-thesis option
Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD CE)

The Environmental Engineering Master’s (MS ENE) and Civil Engineering Master’s (MS CE) Curricula are designed to build upon undergraduate engineering degrees in the fields of Civil, Environmental, Chemical, Mechanical, Mining, and Biological Systems Engineering, but is open to all students with a degree in engineering.

The MS ENE degree is accredited by the Associated Boards of Engineering and Technology (ABET), which qualifies graduates to take the Engineering Fundamentals (EF) examination. The MS ENE and MS CE degrees are open to those students who have earned undergraduate degrees in Engineering. Students entering the MS ENE degree with a non-engineering background must complete several required undergraduate courses, as listed in Appendix A.

The MS ENE and MS CE degrees are available with the following areas of emphasis:

Water and Wastewater Process Engineering
Air Processing Engineering
Natural Systems Engineering
Geo-environmental Engineering
Flexible Option

The Environmental Sciences and Engineering Master’s Curriculum (MS ESEN) is designed principally for students with undergraduate degrees in one of the physical or life sciences. The objective is to provide students with technical training that is intermediate between that in the sciences and engineering.


Degree Requirements

Candidates for the MS ENE and MS ESEN degrees take a minimum of 24 credits of course work, 6 credits of research and thesis, and complete a thesis. MS CE candidates must complete 30 hours of coursework and then pass a written, day-long, comprehensive exam. The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires at least 90 semester hours; usually 30 to 60 is awarded for the Dissertation.

A full-time graduate course load is considered to be 9 to 15 semester credit hours. A teaching or research assistant must carry 9-12 credits each semester. permission is required for higher credit loads. All students must register for a minimum of 3 hours for all semesters of their graduate program. Other details concerning degree requirements as well as admission and registration procedures may be found in the Graduate Catalog or online at www.grads.vt.edu.


Graduate Student Advisory Committee

A graduate advisory committee is established at the time that a Program of Study is submitted to the Graduate School. Before the end of the first semester, the student must select a full-time advisor and advisory committee and submit a Program of Study. Members of the graduate advisory committees will follow a student's progress and be available for consultation with the student. A Progress Report form is available in the Program’s main office. It should be signed by the student’s committee at the committee meeting to indicate that the student is making good progress and is on track for graduation.


Management of Graduate Students

Before arriving on-campus, the new graduate students are assigned temporary advisor and informed of special meetings (e.g., GTAs are notified of special teaching workshops and a meeting in which required tax forms are completed, etc.). The student is advised to communicate with their temporary advisor about any concerns and developing a schedule of classes for the fall semester. Generally, the graduate students meet with their temporary advisor at least one to two weeks before the start of the semester. The temporary advisor will also discuss with the student details about the timetable and policies for smoothly progressing through the program.

The week before classes begin we will hold an orientation for all new students to be introduced to one another, the faculty, and the staff. They are also given information about the University and Environmental Program, including such items as the location of their mailbox, the time of the lab safety film, information about the Honor System, information about the Graduate Student Assembly, a guide booklet on thesis writing, and much more.


More Information

MS
Ph.D