Admission to Candidacy
The program of study is formally approved through the filing of an admission to candidacy form (masters). For students who will be completing a thesis, the admission to candidacy form is submitted to the supervisory committee no later than the end of the student's second semester in the program (regardless of the number of credits completed). The admission to candidacy form includes all course work and thesis work that the student expects to complete for the M.S. degree. Thesis-option students also submit a written thesis proposal (typically one page) to the supervisory committee along with the admission to candidacy form. The supervisory committee must approve this proposal before the student begins significant work in the selected research area. Upon approval by the supervisory committee, the chair of the supervisory committee submits the form to the Graduate College. No thesis credits may be attempted before the admission to candidacy is approved.

For students electing one of the project options, the program of study should be submitted to the student's academic advisor by the end of the student's second semester in the program (regardless of the number of credits completed). Project-option students also submit a written project proposal (typically one page) to the academic advisor along with the admission to candidacy form. The academic advisor must approve this proposal before the student begins significant work on the project. Upon approval by the academic advisor, the form is submitted to the Graduate College.

Program Supervision
All graduate students are assigned an academic advisor who approves all course selections each semester. For project-option students, the academic advisor also approves the program of study.

Students pursuing the thesis option must also select a supervisory committee no later than the end of the second semester in the program (regardless of the number of credits completed). The supervisory committee acts as a unit to approve the student's program of study and has at least three members. The chair of the committee, who is normally the student's academic advisor, and at least one of the other members must be chosen from the civil engineering faculty. The third member may be chosen from the civil engineering faculty, or from outside the department with the permission of the chair of the supervisory committee and the graduate studies coordinator. The third member may also be a professional from the practicing engineering community. However, no more than one member may be a non-faculty appointment. The student should obtain the consent of all members to serve on the supervisory committee and submit their names with the admission to candidacy form. The supervisory committee also acts as the research committee and guides the development and completion of the thesis. Thus, the supervisory committee members should be selected so that areas relevant to the thesis research are fully represented.

The department graduate studies coordinator provides overall supervision of all graduate programs.

The Thesis
The master's thesis is a comprehensive original work that contributes to the understanding of an engineering problem. Students can expect to focus much of their academic effort for at least two semesters on completion of a thesis. Students planning to continue graduate studies to the doctoral level are strongly encouraged to select the thesis option. The supervisory committee approves the thesis topic as part of the admission to candidacy (see above).

The thesis is presented at an oral defense, the time and date of which must be approved by the supervisory committee. A minimum of two weeks prior to the anticipated defense, the written thesis must be delivered to the supervisory committee in the format described in a pamphlet titled "Requirements and Guidelines for Graduate Theses and Dissertations" that is available from the Graduate College. The time and location of the defense will be announced to the entire College of Engineering and Computer Science community, through e-mail and physical postings, one week prior to the scheduled defense. The supervisory committee determines the format of the defense and, in private consultation at the completion of the oral defense, whether or not the defense was successful and that the thesis is acceptable in scope and quality.

The Practice-Oriented Project
The practice-oriented project applies concepts and methodologies to the solution of a practical engineering problem. The project may be job related but must significantly not reproduce a job-related product. The academic advisor approves the project topic as part of the admission to candidacy (see above).

A project presentation is given at a seminar, the time and date of which must be approved by the academic advisor. A minimum of two weeks prior to the anticipated seminar, the written project report must be delivered to the academic advisor and a faculty reader appointed by the graduate studies coordinator. The time and location of the seminar will be announced to the entire College of Engineering and Computer Science community, through e-mail and physical postings, one week prior to the scheduled seminar. The academic advisor determines the format of the seminar. The academic advisor and the appointed faculty reader determine, in private consultation at the completion of the seminar, whether or not the presentation and the report are acceptable in scope and quality.

Course Load
A full-time load is defined as a minimum of 9 credits in the fall semester, 9 credits in the spring semester, and 6 credits in the summer semester. All international students must be registered as full-time students. No student may take more than 15 credits in a given semester.