Graduate

The Department of Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering offers graduate programs in the areas of structural engineering, general civil engineering, and construction management. The focus of the educational effort is on modeling, analysis, and practical methods used to design and construct structures and other civil engineering-related infrastructure systems. As such, many of the courses offered are beneficial to civil and construction engineers and construction managers interested in advancing their knowledge and enhancing their technical skills.

DEGREE PROGRAM

The Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering graduate program at Santa Clara University is designed to accommodate the needs of students interested in advanced study. An individual may pursue the degree of master of science (M.S.) as either a full-time or part-time student through a customized balance of coursework, design projects, and directed research. Program participants are also required to supplement their technical work with coursework on project management topics addressed in the graduate engineering core curriculum.

The structural engineering track provides students with an opportunity to effectively link theory and practice by completing a combination of analysis- and design-oriented courses. Options within the structural engineering track allow students to either complete a capstone design project or a faculty-directed research investigation. This program track is aimed at individuals looking to prepare for a career in consulting structural engineering or structural plan review.

The general civil engineering track has been configured to provide students with additional analytical and design coursework in several related areas of civil engineering. This could potentially include work in water resources engineering, environmental engineering, transportation engineering, and geotechnical engineering. A capstone design or research project with a required sustainability component is used to integrate these different elements. This track is geared towards individuals preparing for a career in land development, municipal engineering, or public works.

The construction engineering and management (CEM) track is designed to prepare students with the skills and knowledge required to effectively manage time, cost, safety, quality and sustainability requirements of construction projects. The track has some flexibility to accommodate students with interests in practical applications or research investigations. This track is designed for students with career objectives of managing building or heavy construction projects for contractors, owners, and developers.

The water and environmental engineering (WEE) track prepares students to engage in advanced engineering analysis, design, and research to solve complex issues by quantifying risks related to water supply, flooding, and contamination and designing systems to treat contamination to protect public health and the environment. This track is ideal for people interested in working on these topics with public agencies, consulting firms, nonprofits, or pursuing further graduate work.

Learning Outcomes:

1.  Students have acquired the fundamental technical knowledge and related expertise in the use of common civil engineering tools necessary to analyze/design civil engineering systems in a manner consistent with ASCE's Body of Knowledge recommendations and are prepared for the traditional professional registration process.  This will also include the necessary skills to effectively communicate technical information.

2.  Students have learned to identify, formulate, and analyze advanced level problems in a self-selected technical area within the civil engineering discipline.

3. Students will demonstrate the ability to:

  a.  identify the potential impacts of civil-type infrastructure projects in a global and societal context,

  b.  recognize their professional/ethical responsibilities including the need for life-long learning