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The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering specializes in environmental, geotechnical and structural engineering. Environmental engineering deals with water and wastewater treatment, chemical and biological unit operations, hazardous waste treatment and pollution prevention. Structural engineering emphasizes finite element methods, computer aided structural analysis and design, pre-stressed concrete and plastic analysis. Geotechnical engineering focuses on advanced concepts in soil mechanics, soil dynamics, tunneling, earth dams and pavement design.

Detroit and its environs provide the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with large-scale local engineering activities and facilities, including research and development, industrial operations, and civil construction. These opportunities offer the engineering student a stimulating environment for study and considerable future employment potential.

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Program prepares students for careers as consulting engineers, engineers in industry and government, and researchers for university and industrial laboratories.

The Master of Engineering with a major in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Doctor of Engineering with a major in Civil and Environmental Engineering are described in the following sections. In addition to these, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is also involved in two interdisciplinary programs: a joint Master of Architecture/Master of Civil Engineering; and the Master of Community Development with the School of Architecture. For more information about these two programs, please visit the following sites:

Masters of Engineering
Traditional Masters vs. 5 year Bachelors/Masters

Students may enter the Masters program one of two ways: Traditional (non-UDM students or UDM students who do not qualify for the 5-year Bachelors/Masters program when they apply) and 5-year Bachelors/Masters (UDM BCE students when they apply).

Traditional: Students who are not UDM students or UDM students who do not qualify for the 5-year Bachelors/Masters program may apply for graduate school either on-line or by completing a written application. Typical (but not absolute) minimum requirements include an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering or closely related discipline. Although the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (if applicable) are not required as part of the application, they can be useful in facilitating the admission process.

5-year Bachelors/Masters: Students who are completing their Bachelors degree at UDM may apply for the 5-year Bachelors/Masters program in their senior year if they have a GPA of 3.25, are in good standing with UDM, and are within two to three terms of graduating. If accepted in the 5-year Bachelors/Masters program, students can receive up to nine transfer credits to their Masters program from their Bachelors program.

The Master of Engineering with a concentration in environmental/geotechnical/ structural engineering may be completed by a thesis or non-thesis plan. The thesis plan requires six semester credit hours of thesis and 24 semester credit hours or more of course work. The non-thesis plan includes a total of 30 semester credit hours (30-39 semester credit hours in the environmental engineering concentration, depending on background) of course work. Students must also take CE 592, Capstone Design, as a part of the degree requirements.

Courses offered in civil and environmental engineering may be supplemented with approved courses in mathematics, chemistry, biology, other branches of engineering, law and other areas to suit the student's individual needs. Suggested Civil and Environmental Engineering courses in each of the specializations appear in the box. Additional courses also are available. Doctoral students must satisfy all requirements for the Doctor of Engineering program in the College of Engineering and Science.

Doctor of Engineering
The Doctor of Engineering in Civil Engineering requires that students complete the doctoral core courses, the core courses for one concentration, as well as the remaining courses as specified by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and 30 credit hours of dissertation research. The Doctoral program is divided into three parts: Coursework, Dissertation and Examination.

Coursework
Coursework consists of 51 post-baccalaureate course credit hours at the graduate level. Up to 30 credit hours can be transferred but at least 21 additional graduate credits must be accrued at UDM. Coursework is divided into Doctoral Core, Concentration Core and Discipline Specific. There are three Doctoral Core courses (or equivalent): E 502, Design of Experiments; E 520, Optimization; and E 530, Advanced Engineering Mathematics. For Concentration Core courses, each concentration has a number of associated courses, all of which must be taken to fulfill the requirements for the concentration. Discipline Specific courses are those related to Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Dissertation
Dissertation credits consist of research credits under the guidance of a Doctoral Dissertation committee headed by a faculty member who acts as the supervisor. Although Doctoral research is independent, novel and advances the state of the art, the committee members can provide guidance, advice and technical expertise. A minimum 30 dissertation credits is required for the Doctor of Engineering degree.

Examination
Examinations comprise three stages: Qualifying, Dissertation Topic and Final. The Qualifying Examination is administered and interpreted by the college-level doctoral Graduate Committee. The exam consists of three parts: Mathematics, Computer and Discipline Specific (in this case, Civil and Environmental Engineering topics relevant to the individual examinee). The Qualifying Exam must be taken as soon as the student has completed the Doctoral Core Courses. Students passing the Qualifying Exam are allowed to advance in the Doctoral program. Students failing the Qualifying Exam are dismissed from the Doctoral program. The Dissertation Topic Examination consists of the formal presentation of the dissertation topic to the supervisory committee. The committee provides feedback to the student regarding scope, depth and relevancy of the topic. With approval of the committee, the student can proceed with the research and subsequent accrual of dissertation credits. The Final Examination consists of the formal and public presentation of the dissertation results. The written dissertation must also be approved and accepted by the supervisory committee. The Final Examination, in concert with submission of the approved version of the written dissertation, constitutes the last step in completion of the Doctor of Engineering degree.