Civil and Environmental Engineering

Graduate students and faculty in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering have experience in diverse areas such as civil engineering, environmental science, mechanical engineering, economics, architecture, urban and regional planning, management, electrical engineering, physics, biology, microbiology, chemistry, computer science, geology and oceanography.

Graduate students in the department collaborate with professors and researchers to engage in research projects involving the environment as an integral part of engineering design. We seek to understand natural systems, foster the intelligent use of resources, and design sustainable solutions for energy, transportation, manufacturing, housing, agriculture, water and public health. Students conduct their research in one of the department’s many labs or in the field, in areas ranging from geotechnical engineering to hydrology to the mechanics of natural materials at the nano level.

Some representative areas of graduate study:

*These programs emphasize Ph.D. level research.

Graduate Degree Options

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers the following graduate degree programs:

  • Master of Engineering

    This nine-month degree program is designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a closely related field, and provides additional technical depth and an educational experience geared to professional practice. The degree offers four tracks: environmental, geotechnical, high-performance structures, and transportation. Students are required to complete a group project and an individual, practice-oriented thesis.

  • Master of Science

    These two-year, research-oriented degree programs are for students who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of an aspect of civil engineering or environmental engineering science and work closely with a faculty member on a research project, which usually forms the basis of the master’s thesis. The majority of students who earn the Master of Science degree stay on in the department to earn a doctoral degree.

  • Doctoral Degree

    The doctoral degree is a research-intensive degree program. Students are expected to select a research project in one of the focal areas of the department and work with faculty to design and complete the research program, leading up to the writing of a doctoral thesis. Students who earn doctoral degrees often go on to academic careers in teaching and/or research, or careers in industry working in basic or applied research. Others work in the public sector or join engineering consulting firms.

  • Interdepartmental Master of Science or Doctorate in Transportation

    The Master of Science and the Doctorate in Transportation are offered through an interdisciplinary degree program administered through the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with involvement of faculty from several departments at MIT. Students work closely with a faculty member on a research project, which usually forms the basis of the thesis. About 75 percent of students leave with the Master of Science, while the other 25 percent stay on to earn a Ph.D. in transportation.

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