Online Civil Engineering Degree Programs: Master's Degrees (MCE)

Admissions Requirements for Online Civil
Engineering Programs (What to Expect)

Applying to any university program can be stressful, particularly if you don't know exactly what to expect from the process. While it can be quite different for graduate and undergraduate admissions (and varies from school to school), some commonalities are helpful to understand.

Undergraduate Online Civil Engineering Programs

In applying to an undergraduate civil engineering program, students should expect to demonstrate an aptitude for math and science, through high school transcripts and standardized testing. The online application process generally comes along with a nominal fee and must include transcripts, test scores, personal essays, and letters of recommendation.

Every program is different, but most undergraduate programs start during the fall semester, with applications being due towards the beginning of the year (January or February is common). Those programs that allow for spring admission tend to accept applications for that semester during the previous fall (September or October is common).

Graduate Online Civil Engineering Programs

Graduate programs for civil engineering can be quite competitive and have stricter experience and academic requirements for admission. Most civil engineering graduate programs require that entering students already have a bachelor of science (BS) degree in civil engineering, although some programs may accept degrees in a closely related field.

Similarly, civil engineering doctoral programs require that applicants obtain a master's degree in civil engineering before admission. Some schools, such as Columbia University, offer programs that allow students to earn a master's degree from the same program before admission to the doctoral track.

Civil Engineering Curriculum & Specializations

As with most academic programs, the exact curriculum for one online civil engineering program will not be the same as another, but there are similarities.

Bachelor’s Degrees in Civil Engineering Courses

Undergraduate online civil engineering students can expect to take many foundational courses in engineering, including courses in design, construction, soil mechanics, and AutoCAD. Many programs also include some degree of research or internship that involves hands-on professional experience.

In addition, undergraduates should expect to complete any university prerequisites required for an undergraduate degree, which may include courses in liberal arts, languages, writing, or elective courses. These prerequisites may be decreased for students who transfer into a program from a community college.

Master's Degrees in Civil Engineering Courses

Pursuing a master's degree is typically the right course of action for civil engineers who want to specialize in a certain field. Most programs offer a master's of science (MS) degree, although some offer a master’s of engineering (ME).

Courses in master's programs will be, in many cases, higher-level versions of undergraduate courses, such as advanced foundation design, computational hydraulics, or air pollution control engineering. High-level courses in statistics, physics, chemistry, and other sciences may be required depending on which undergraduate courses were completed.

Licensing exams for civil engineers are offered by the NCEES in five separate specializations:

• Construction
• Geotechnical
• Structural
• Transportation
• Water Resources and Environmental

These specialties closely mimic the types of programs that are available to graduate students in civil engineering programs and will determine what type of curriculum a student should expect. In general, students must choose one specialty and earn a degree in that area. A standard MS or ME program takes approximately two years to complete, regardless of specialization.

Graduate Certificates in Civil Engineering Courses

Civil engineers who are not ready to commit to a master's program (or who have already earned a master's degree but want to expand their credentials) can choose to earn a graduate certificate.

At the University of Illinois, for example, there are several specialized graduate certificates in civil engineering. Their focuses include construction management, pavement engineering, railroad engineering, and transportation engineering.

Doctoral Degrees (PhDs) in Civil Engineering Courses

Doctoral programs vary widely depending on the specialty that a student chooses to pursue. For instance, a PhD candidate in transportation engineering will have to take courses in traffic flow theory, while someone studying water resources will take courses in river mechanics.

All PhD students will have to complete a dissertation to complete the degree. PhD programs can take around four years to complete, depending on the final dissertation project.

1Auburn University - Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Auburn University, based in Alabama, offers an online master of civil engineering (MCE) degree program, with tracks in environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, pavements and materials, and structural engineering. (It has additional tracks available on-campus only.) These programs are available through the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The U.S. News and World Report have ranked Auburn’s master’s offerings among the best online engineering programs in the country.

To be eligible for this program, students must have a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or a similar discipline from an accredited institution, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, and TOEFL scores (for international applicants only).

This 30-credit program involves courses such as advanced analysis of framed structures; fatigue and fracture mechanics; earthquake engineering; pavement management and rehabilitation; advanced stress analysis; and advanced flow and water quality models.

• Location: Auburn, AL
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Estimated Tuition: $949 per credit

3Kansas State University

Kansas State University offers a fully online civil engineering master’s degree allowing students to customize their curriculum and meet their career goals. The program provides the following five concentrations:

• Environmental
• Geotechnical
• Structural
• Transportation
• Water resources

Admission requirements for the program include a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from an institution accredited by ABET, a statement of objectives, three professional references, and unofficial transcripts from each institution attended. Students who do not have a bachelor’s degree from an ABET-accredited institution must submit GRE scores.

Designed for working professionals, this online master’s degree is made up of 30 credits. Courses in the program might include water treatment processes; environmental engineering chemistry; advanced soil mechanics; advanced geotechnical design; advanced steel design; traffic engineering; and design of groundwater flow systems.

Graduates of this program will be ready to construct working and living spaces, provide water for industrial use and drinking, clean the environment, dispose of waste generated by humans, and create a reliable transportation system for people and food.

• Location: Manhattan, KS
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Estimated Tuition: $800.30 per credit

5Iowa State University

Iowa State University offers a 100 percent online master's degree program in civil engineering. Students can also pursue a master's degree program in civil engineering with an emphasis on construction engineering and management. This highly practical degree requires students to learn management techniques and other real-world skills besides the engineering component. The program provides students with managerial and technical education, helping them overcome problems in a construction environment.

For admission, students must have an undergraduate degree in engineering from an accredited program with a GPA of 3.0 (or higher), three letters of recommendation, and English language proficiency for international students.

Made up of 30 credits, the program includes courses such as construction finance & business management; construction special topics: planning & scheduling; construction special topics: engineering for disaster and climate resilience; applied foundation engineering; and dynamics of soils and foundations.

• Location: Ames, IA
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Estimated Tuition: $752 per credit

7North Carolina State University

The North Carolina State University offers an online master of civil engineering program, which can be completed entirely online and does not have any on-campus residency requirement. The program provides the following concentrations:

• Construction engineering
• Environmental, water resources, and coastal engineering
• Geotechnical/geoenvironmental engineering
• Structures and mechanics
• Transportation materials
• Transportation systems

To be accepted into this program, students must have a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from an accredited institution, an overall grade point average of 3.0, and TOEFL or IELTS scores (for all international applicants, except those who have completed one year of full-time study at a U.S. university). The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is automatically waived for applicants who have an engineering degree from a US institution.

Made up of 30 credits, the program includes courses such as information technology and modeling; construction project management; the physical principles of environmental engineering; geomechanics of stress and deformation; and transportation systems engineering.

• Location: Raleigh, NC
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Estimated Tuition: Residents of North Carolina ($505.28 per credit); Nonresidents of North Carolina ($1,572.28 per credit)

9University of Houston

University of Houston’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers an online Master of Science in Civil Engineering program that connects structural engineering with the disciplines of hydrosystems engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, subsea engineering, and geosensing & geoinformatics. This program is ideal for working professionals as it only requires one on-campus orientation at the program's start.

To get accepted into the program, applicants must have a bachelor of science in civil engineering degree, or the equivalent, from an ABET-accredited (or similar) program, a GPA of 3.0, GRE test scores, and TOEFL or IELTS scores for international students without U.S. degrees.

This 31-credit program can be completed in as little as two years, including courses such as constitutive modeling of materials; advanced foundations; advanced steel design; introduction to dynamics of structures; water quality; environmental chemistry; and computational mechanics, among others.

The program equips students with an extensive background in civil engineering focusing on design, management, operation, and construction, enabling graduates to solve current and future challenges faced by the civil engineering field.

• Location: Houston, TX
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Estimated Tuition: $745 per credit

11Norwich University

Norwich University's online master of civil engineering (MCE) program provides students with the project management knowledge, practical skills, and technological expertise needed to advance in the rapidly evolving and complex civil engineering industry. Students in this program can expand their knowledge in one of four concentrations available: structural engineering; construction management, geotechnical engineering, and environmental/water resources engineering.

Applicants to the program must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited US institution, or an equivalent degree from a foreign institution with an undergraduate GPA of 2.75. Application requirements include a completed application form, a current resume with three professional references, official transcripts, a letter of intent, and proof of English language proficiency for students whose first language is not English. GRE or GMAT scores are required for admission.

The 36-credit curriculum of this program includes courses such as engineering mathematics; project management techniques, tools, and practices; classical, matrix, and dynamic analysis of structures; stormwater management and GIS applications for water resources; information technology; and earthquake engineering and soil stabilization.

• Location: Northfield, VT
• Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
• Estimated Tuition: $808 per credit

Other Considerations for Selecting the Right Program

Choosing the right online civil engineering program will depend largely on what the student hopes to achieve in the program. While many master's level programs make it easy to complete an entire degree online, more advanced students may find it difficult to complete a doctoral dissertation without one-on-one counseling.

Internships are another critical portion of advanced engineering education. While an internship cannot take place online, students need to ensure that the program can help them identify appropriate internships and work experiences that they can participate in locally to complete their education. Some programs leave the internship portion up to the student but have staff available to assist in the process.