Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Summer 2014
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
Catalog Copy
Civil and Environmental Engineering
- M.S. in Civil Engineering
- M.S. in Engineering
- Ph.D. in Infrastructure and Environmental Systems (see the Infrastructure and Environmental Systems heading)
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Graduate Program Director
Dr. Srinivas S. Pulugurtha
Graduate Program Student Services Specialist
Adrienne Threatt
Graduate Faculty
James E. Amburgey, Associate Professor
James D. Bowen, Associate Professor
Shen-en Chen, P.E., Professor
John L. Daniels, P.E., Interim Department Chair and Associate Professor
Wei Fan, P.E., Associate Professor
Janos I. Gergely, S.E., P.E., Associate Professor
Edd Hauser, Professor
Hilary I. Inyang, Duke Energy Distinguished Professor
Rajaram Janardhanam, Professor
Martin R. Kane, P.E., Associate Professor
Olya Keen, Assistant Professor
Milind Khire, P.E., Professor
Sara McMillan, Assistant Professor
David Naylor, P.E., Lecturer
Vincent O. Ogunro, Associate Professor
Miguel A. Pando, Associate Professor
Youngjin Park, Faculty Associate
Srinivas S. Pulugurtha, P.E., Associate Professor
William Saunders, P.E., Lecturer
Brett Q. Tempest, Assistant Professor
Kimberly A. Warren, Associate Professor
David C. Weggel, P.E., Associate Professor
Matthew J. Whelan, Assistant Professor
Jy S. Wu, P.E., P.H., Professor
David Young, P.E., Professor
P.E. = Professional Engineer
P.H. = Professional Hydrologist
S.E. = Structural Engineer
Programs of Study
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) provides opportunities for discipline-specific and multidisciplinary graduate-level education in Civil and Environmental Engineering and closely related areas. Advanced coursework and research are used to enhance professional development, improve technical competency, and initiate a life-long learning experience. The Department has ongoing collaborative research and student exchange programs with several international institutions.
The Department offers graduate studies leading to a master’s degree (MSCE or MSE) in five areas of concentration:
- Environmental and water resources engineering
- Geo-environmental engineering
- Geotechnical engineering
- Structural engineering and structural materials
- Transportation engineering
Doctoral studies leading to the Ph.D. in Infrastructure and Environmental Systems (INES) are available in an interdisciplinary, inter-college program. See the Infrastructure and Environmental Systems heading for details.
Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) and
Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)
Admission Requirements
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering seeks the following from applicants to the Master’s programs in Civil Engineering:
- An earned undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering for the MSCE master’s program or a closely related field for the MSE master’s program
- An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better
- A satisfactory score from the Aptitude Portion of the GRE
- Three letters of recommendation
- An acceptable TOEFL score as required by UNC Charlotte for international students
- And any other appropriate credentials as required by the Graduate School
Additional Admission Requirements
- Admission to the MSE program may require completion of certain deficiencies as specified by each area of concentration
- Admission to the Early-Entry Program requires a minimum GPA of 3.2, completion of at least 75 hours toward the BSCE degree, and acceptance by the Graduate School to the MSCE or MSE programs at UNC Charlotte.
Early-Entry Program
Undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte with outstanding academic performance, and satisfying the requirements described above, may be admitted to the Early-Entry Program to pursue graduate study while completing the undergraduate degree requirements. Early-Entry students are dually enrolled with both undergraduate and graduate status, may request two graduate Civil Engineering (CEGR) courses to be applied to both their graduate and undergraduate programs (double-counting), and may complete up to 15 credits toward their MS degree prior to graduating with their BSCE degree.
Application Deadline
Applications for admission must be submitted online directly to the Graduate School. They may be submitted any time prior to their published application deadlines. To be considered for assistantships and tuition grants for the following academic year, students should apply by February 15 because the Department makes the first round of award decisions by March 15. However, the Department will continue to evaluate applications for admission provided the application is complete for admission consideration as determined by the Graduate School.
Assistantships
Research and teaching assistantships are available from the Department on a competitive basis to highly qualified applicants/students.
Tuition Grants
Tuition grants including Non-Resident Tuition Differentials and Resident Tuition Aids are available on a competitive basis for both out-of-state and in-state students, respectively.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 30 approved graduate credit hours is required for graduation. At least half of the approved graduate credit hours must be in courses numbered 6000 or above. A student may fulfill the 30-hour requirement by pursuing one of the three study options: (a) 24 hours of coursework plus 6 hours of thesis, (b) 27 hours of coursework plus 3 hours of research project, or (c) 30 hours of coursework and a comprehensive examination. Each student is limited to one individual study class within the 30-hour requirement.
Track Descriptions/Requirements
Required core courses for the various tracks are listed below, as well as additional recommended courses for each study track.
[Editor’s Note: Are there course numbers/titles that correspond with the below highlighted required courses that can be included instead of generic descriptions?]
Environmental and Water Resources Engineering
Environmental Engineering
CEGR 5142 Water/Wastewater Engineering (3)
CEGR 5143 Solid Waste Management (3)
CEGR 6141 Water Quality Modeling (3)
Water Treatment Engineering (3) CEGR 6243 Physical Processes in Environmental Systems (3)
CEGR 6245: Chemical and Biological Processes in Environmental Systems (3)
Water Resources
CEGR 6141 Water Quality Modeling (3)
CEGR 6146 Advanced Groundwater Analysis (3)
CEGR 6147 Watershed Modeling (3)
CEGR 6149 Watershed Analysis (3)
CEGR 6173 Environmental Aquatic Chemistry (3)
Environmental Management
CEGR 5237 Environmental Risk Management (3)
Natural Disasters (3)
ISO Management Systems (3)
Environmental Impact Assessment (3)
EMGT 6902 Legal Issues in Engineering Mgmt (3)
or EMGT 6950 Engineering Systems Integration (3)
Geo-Environmental Engineering
Required core courses:
CEGR 5145 Groundwater Resources Engineering (3)
CEGR 6253 Design and Analysis of Waste Containment Systems (3)
Soil and Groundwater Remediation (3)
Geotechnical Engineering
Required core courses:
CEGR 5145 Groundwater Resources Engineering (3)
CEGR 5270 Earth Pressures and Retaining Structures (3)
CEGR 5278 Geotechnical Engineering II (3)
CEGR 6268 Advanced Soil Mechanics (3)
CEGR 6251 Analysis and Design of Deep Foundations Engineering (3)
CEGR 6254 Experimental Soil Mechanics (3)
Additional recommended courses:
CEGR 5264 Landfill Design and Site Remediation (3)
CEGR 5271 Pavement Design (3)
CEGR 5272 Design with Geosynthetics (3)
CEGR 5273 Soil Improvement (3)
CEGR 5274 Site Characterization (3)
CEGR 6146 Advanced Groundwater Analysis (3)
CEGR 6252 Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (3)
Soil Improvement and Site Characterization (3)
Structural Engineering or Structural Materials
Required core courses:
CEGR 5108 Finite Element Analysis and Applications (3)
CEGR 5222 Structural Steel Design II (3)
CEGR 5224 Advanced Structural Analysis (3)
CEGR 5226 Reinforced Concrete Design II (3)
CEGR 6129 Structural Dynamics (3)
Additional recommended courses for the two tracks in Structural Engineering are:
Structural Analysis and Design
CEGR 5121 Prestressed Concrete Design (3)
CEGR 5123 Bridge Design (3)
CEGR 6124 Masonry Design (3)
CEGR 6126 Analysis of Plates and Shells (3)
CEGR 6127 Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue (3)
CEGR 6128 Structural Optimization (3)
CEGR 5125 Forensic Engineering (3)
CEGR 5223 Timber Design (3)
Structural Materials
CEGR 6127 Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue (3)
MEGR 6141 Theory of Elasticity I (3)
Composite Materials (3)
CEGR 6125 Structural Strengthening (3)
Transportation Engineering
Required core courses:
CEGR 5161 Advanced Traffic Engineering (3)
CEGR 5162 Transportation Planning (3)
CEGR 5185 Geometric Design (3)
CEGR 6161 Traffic Control and Operation (3)
And one of the following:
GEOG 6100 Quantitative Methods in Geography (3)
MATH 6107 Linear Algebra (3)
MATH 6172 Advanced Applied Mathematics II (3)
Note: Undergraduate students who have taken any of the courses listed above, or equivalent material, as part of their undergraduate program need not take the corresponding 5000-level graduate courses. Instead, they may choose other graduate courses as part of their master’s degree plan of study. Courses without designated course numbers are currently being offered as Special Topic classes with appropriate course numbers yet to be provided.
Admission to Candidacy Requirements
Each student is required to submit a Plan of Study to the Graduate Program Director before completing 18 hours of graduate credits. The Plan of Study will streamline coordination of the required coursework and research work between the student and his/her advisor before submitting the Admission to Candidacy.
Upon completion of a substantial amount of graduate work, each student must file an Admission to Candidacy form to the Graduate School by the filing date, typically at the beginning of the semester for graduation specified in the University Academic Calendar.
Application for Degree
Students preparing to graduate must submit an online Application for Degree by the filing date specified in the University Academic Calendar. If a student does not graduate in the semester identified on the Application for Degree, then the student must update his/her Admission to Candidacy and submit a new Application for Degree for graduation in a subsequent semester.
Transfer Credit
The Department accepts the transfer of graduate courses (6 credits maximum) taken at another institution or from UNC Charlotte prior to admission to the master’s program in Civil Engineering.
Electives
With advisor approval, a maximum of two graduate courses (outside CEGR or within CEGR) in a study area different from the student’s focus area may be incorporated into the 30-hour requirement. A student with a non-CEGR background is encouraged to fulfill the 30-hour requirement by taking all CEGR courses.
Advising
Each student is assigned an initial advisor. Upon developing a program of study, the student shall be supervised by his/her graduate advisor and a program committee.
Program Committee
The Program Committee shall consist of at least three UNC Charlotte graduate faculty members. A graduate faculty member (CEGR or non-CEGR) from outside the student’s major area-of-study may serve as a member of the Program Committee. The student’s CEE graduate advisor shall chair the committee.
Capstone Experiences
Students pursuing a master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering have three options to complete the 30-credit hour program. Students may elect to complete 24 credit hours of coursework plus 6 credit hours of thesis; 27 credit hours of coursework plus 3 credit hours of a directed project; or 30 credit hours of coursework plus a written comprehensive examination. All three options require the formation of a program committee as described above. The thesis and project options require students to submit a written thesis or project report, and orally defend their work before their program committee.
A student’s comprehensive exam may be taken once all core courses are completed, and at least 18 hours of graduate coursework are either completed or in progress. Core courses taken at the graduate level may be included in the 18 hours. The student’s graduate advisor and the examining committee will coordinate the examination (typically offered once in the Fall semester and once in the Spring semester), preparing the exam with the assistance of members of the student’s program committee. The exam will measure the student’s mastery of theories and applications in core courses and/or in the selected area of specialization within the discipline. Students will have only two attempts to pass the examination. All students passing the written examination will be assessed further on their oral communication effectiveness.
Research Opportunity/Experience
Students in Civil and Environmental Engineering enjoy a curriculum with opportunities for interdisciplinary research, study abroad, and active participation in a growing research program. Programs of study can be tailored to suit individual needs and interests. The CEE website (http://cee.uncc.edu) provides current areas of research conducted by the Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students completing master’s degree will demonstrate abilities to analyze and evaluate advanced topics in engineering, and to communicate technical information effectively. Achievement of these outcomes will prepare students to function professionally in their chosen careers.
Program learning outcomes for doctoral students are described in the “Infrastructure and Environmental Systems” section of this Catalog.
Courses in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEGR)
CEGR 5090. Special Topics in Civil Engineering. (1-4) Study of specific new areas emerging in the various fields of civil engineering. May be repeated for credit. (On demand)
CEGR 5108. Finite Element Analysis and Applications. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 4224 and permission of department. Finite element method and its application to engineering problems. Application of displacement method to plane stress, plane strain, plate bending and axisymmetrical bodies. Topics include: dynamics, fluid mechanics, and structural mechanics. (Fall)
CEGR 5121. Prestressed Concrete Design. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3225, CEGR 4224, and permission of department. Analysis and design of prestressed components and systems, including materials and systems for prestressing, loss of prestress, flexural and shear design in accordance with current building codes, analysis of indeterminate prestressed systems, and control of camber, deflection and cracking. (Spring) (Alternate years)
CEGR 5123. Bridge Design. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3221, CEGR 3225, and permission of department. Review of bridge design codes and loadings; superstructure and substructure design of short, intermediate, and long span bridges constructed of steel and concrete; earthquake design; segmental and cable-stayed bridges. (Spring) (Alternate years)
CEGR 5125. Forensic Engineering. (3). Prerequisite: CEGR 3122 and permission of department– Structural Analysis I, or consent of the instructor, graduate student status. Evaluation of structural and construction failures through review of case studies, types and causes of failures, and relevant methods of failure investigation; analysis of failures occurring in a variety of structures, involving a variety of materials, and resulting from a variety of causes; development, expression, and defense of opinions and conclusions, orally and in writing, with an understanding of the impact on the legal process surrounding a failure claim. (Fall, alternate years)
CEGR 5126. Codes, Loads, and Nodes. (3). Prerequisite: CEGR 3122 and permission of department– Structural Analysis I, with a grade C or better, graduate student status. Building systems and components; code requirements according to the latest ASCE Standard 7 pertaining to buildings and other structures; gravity load analysis including dead, live, roof live and snow loads; lateral load analysis focusing on wind and seismic forces, and applied to the main lateral load resisting systems; software applications using the SAP2000 tool, with 2-D and 3-D models loaded with gravity and lateral loads. (Fall)
CEGR 5127. Green Building and Integrative Design. (3). Prerequisite: CEGR 3122 and permission of department– Structural Analysis I, or consent of the instructor, graduate student status. Course topics prepare students to function in multidisciplinary design teams working to produce buildings, sites and coupled environmental-infrastructure systems with resilience and sustainability as design priorities. Focus areas include civil engineering aspects of energy use, material use, emissions generation and design strategies for integrated design. (On demand)
CEGR 5128. Matrix Methods of Structural Analysis. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Derivation of the basic equations governing linear structural systems. Application of stiffness and flexibility methods to trusses and frames. Solution techniques utilizing digital computer. (On demand)
CEGR 5141. Process Engineering. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3141 and permission of department. Applications of material and energy balance principles to the study of chemical, biological and environmental engineering processes. Overview of applied biotechnology, engineering thermodynamics and kinetics. (Fall)
CEGR 5142. Water/Wastewater Engineering. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3141 and permission of department. Analysis and design of water and wastewater treatment processes including: physical, chemical and biological treatment. Computer-aided design of treatment systems. (Spring)
CEGR 5143. Solid Waste Management. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3141 and permission of department. Solid waste management, sources, generation rates, processing and handling, disposal, recycling, landfill closures, and remedial actions for abandoned waste sites. (Spring) (Alternate years)
CEGR 5144. Engineering Hydrology. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3143 and permission of department. A quantitative study of the various components of the water cycle, including precipitation, runoff, ground water flow, evaporation and transpiration, and stream flow. Hydrograph analysis, flood routing, frequency and duration, reservoir design, and computer applications. (Fall) (Alternate years)
CEGR 5145. Groundwater Resources Engineering. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3143 and permission of department. Overview of hydrological cycle. Principles of groundwater flow and well hydraulics. Regional groundwater flow and flow nets. Water chemistry and contamination. Applications of groundwater modeling. (Fall)
CEGR 5146. Advanced Engineering Hydraulics. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3143 and permission of department. Problems of liquids as applied in civil engineering; open channel flow; dams and spillways; water power; river flow and backwater curves; pipe networks, fire flow, sewage collection, groundwater, computer applications. (On demand)
CEGR 5161. Advanced Traffic Engineering. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 and permission of department. Analysis of basic characteristics of drivers, vehicles and roadway that affect the performance of road systems. Stream flow elements, volume, density, speed. Techniques of traffic engineering measurements, investigations and data analysis, capacity analysis. Intersections, accidents, parking. (Fall)
CEGR 5162. Transportation Planning. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 and permission of department. Urban transportation; travel characteristics of urban transportation systems; analysis of transportation-oriented studies; analytic methods of traffic generation, distribution, modal split and assignment; traffic flow theory. (Spring)
CEGR 5171. Urban Public Transportation. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 and permission of department. Planning, design, and operation of bus, rail, and other public modes. Relationship between particular modes and characteristics of urban areas. Funding, security and other administrative issues. (On demand)
CEGR 5181. Human Factors in Traffic Engineering. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 and permission of department. Study of the driver's and pedestrian's relationship with the traffic system, including roadway, vehicle and environment. Consideration of the driving task, driver and pedestrian characteristics, performance and limitations with regard to traffic facility design and operation. (Alternate years)
CEGR 5182. Transportation Environmental Assessment. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. A study of the environmental impact analysis and assessment procedures for transportation improvements. Route location decisions. Noise, air quality, socio-economic, and other impacts. (On demand)
CEGR 5183. Traffic Engineering Studies. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 and permission of department. Introduction to the traffic engineering studies most used by traffic engineers including data collection techniques, statistical analysis procedures, report writing and presentation. One hour of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. (Fall) (Alternate years)
CEGR 5184. Highway Safety. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 and permission of department. Engineering responses at the state and local levels to the problem of highway safety. Extent of the highway safety problem, elements of traffic accidents, common accident countermeasures, collection and analysis of accident data, evaluation of safety-related projects and programs, and litigation issues. (Fall) (Alternate years)
CEGR 5185. Geometric Design of Highways. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 and permission of department. Theory and practice of geometric design of highways including intersections, interchanges, parking and drainage facilities. Driver ability, vehicle performance, safety and economics are considered. Two hours of lecture and three laboratory hours per week. (On demand)
CEGR 5222. Structural Steel Design II. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3221 and permission of department. Analysis and design of structural steel components and systems with emphasis on theories necessary for a thorough understanding of the design of complete structures. Compression members affected by local buckling, beams with lateral-torsional buckling, continuous beams and beam columns are covered. Welded and bolted connections. Current AISC Specifications used. (Spring)
CEGR 5223. Timber Design. (3). Prerequisite: CEGR 3122 – Structural Analysis I, or consent of the instructor, graduate student statusand permission of department. Principles of Timber Design. Principles of timber design. DDesign of simple timber structures subjected to gravity loads and lateral forces. Computation of design loads; formulation of structural systems; design/analyze structural components and connections; structural system analysis of timber structures. Analysis of light commercial and residential structures. (Ffall)
CEGR 5224. Advanced Structural Analysis. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3122 and permission of department. A continuation of CEGR 3122. Methods to determine deflections in structural members, including moment area, conjugate beam, virtual work, and Castigliano’s theorem. Analyze statically indeterminate structures, including approximate method, slope deflection, moment distribution, and matrix stiffness methods. Project to compare analysis techniques and introduce use of structural analysis computer programs. (Fall)
CEGR 5226. Reinforced Concrete Design II. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3225 and permission of department. Analysis and design of reinforced concrete components and systems with emphasis on the fundamental theories necessary for a thorough understanding of concrete structures. Concentrically loaded slender columns, slender columns under compression plus bending. Wall footings and column footings. Analysis of continuous beams and frames. Total design project involving the analysis and design of a concrete structure. Current ACI Specifications used. (Spring)
CEGR 5234. Hazardous Waste Management. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3141 and permission of department. Integration of scientific and engineering principles with legislation, regulation and technology in the management of hazardous wastes. Study of thermal, chemical, physical and biological systems and processes used in the treatment of hazardous wastes and the remediation of hazardous waste sites. (On demand)
CEGR 5235. Industrial Pollution Control. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Source and characterization of industrial wastewaters. Fundamentals of chemical and physical treatment processes. Biological treatment technologies. Waste minimization and reduction technologies. Sludge handling and toxicity reduction. Implementation of field or laboratory treatability study. (On demand)
CEGR 5237. Environmental Risk Management. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Review of legislation and requirements pertaining to spills and releases of chemicals to the environment. Fundamentals of fires, explosions, toxic emissions and dispersion, hazardous spills, and other accidents. Study of techniques for accident prevention and spill control, and hazardous and risk assessment. (On demand)
CEGR 5241. Chemical Processes in Water and Wastewater Treatment. (3) Prerequisites: CHEM 1252, CEGR 3141, and permission of department. Chemical principles involved in the treatment of water and wastewaters; principles of chemical equilibrium relevant to natural water systems; the nature and effect of chemical interactions of domestic and industrial waste effluents on natural water systems. (On demand)
CEGR 5243. Topics in Environmental Health. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3141, CEGR 4142, and permission of department. Study of contemporary environmental health problems and practices as they relate to groundwater pollution, food and water-borne diseases, radiological health, occupational health and risk assessment. Provides an introduction to epidemiology and toxicology, and a historical review of federal environmental policy and legislative action. (On demand)
CEGR 5262. Traffic Engineering. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 and permission of department. Operation and management of street and highway systems. Traffic control systems, traffic flow theory, and highway capacity. Evaluation of traffic engineering alternatives and the conduct of traffic engineering studies. (Spring)
CEGR 5264. Landfill Design and Site Remediation. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3258, CEGR 3278, and permission of department. Principles of waste disposal and sanitary landfill siting including design, construction, operation and maintenance. Site assessment of underground storage tank leaks; site remediation, and clean up technologies using choice and economic analysis and computer applications. (Spring) (Alternate years)
CEGR 5270. Earth Pressures and Retaining Structures. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3122, CEGR 3278, CEGR 4278, and permission of the department. Co-requisite: CEGR 4278 can be a co-requisite. Lateral earth pressure theory and the effects of wall friction, external loads, groundwater, and layered soils; design procedures and construction details associated with selected rigid and modular gravity/semi-gravity walls, mechanically stabilized earth walls, and externally supported structural walls. (Fall)
CEGR 5271. Pavement Design. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3161, CEGR 3278, and permission of department. Pavement design concepts and considerations; engineering properties of pavement materials including soils, bases, asphalt concrete, and Portland cement concrete; design of flexible and rigid pavements including shoulders and drainage; computer applications for pavement analysis and design. (On demand)
CEGR 5272. Design with Geosynthetics. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3258, CEGR 3278, CEGR 4278, and permission of department. Co-requisite: CEGR 4278 can be a co-requisite. Introduction to geosynthetic materials, properties, laboratory test procedures, and functions; geosynthetic design methods used for geotechnical, transportation hydraulic, and geo-environmental applications (roadways, walls, slopes, foundation soils, landfills, and dams); the incorporation of geosynthetics for soil reinforcement, separation, filtration, drainage and containment. (Spring)
CEGR 5273. Soil Improvement. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 3278 - Geotechnical Engineering I or consent of the instructor, graduate student statusand permission of department. Engineering principles of soil improvement as they relate to applications in both geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering; innovative techniques to improve soils to meet technical and economic requirements. (Spring)
CEGR 5274. Site Characterization. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 3278 - Geotechnical Engineering I or consent of the instructor, graduate student statusand permission of department. Site investigation and site assessment technologies employed in geotechnical and environmental engineering; Site investigation planning and various geophysical methods including: seismic measurements, ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity, and electromagnetic conductivity; Drilling methods for soil, gas and ground water sampling; decontamination procedures; and long term monitoring methods; Conventional and state-of-the-art in situ methods for geotechnical and environmental site characterization: standard penetration test, vane shear test, dilatometer test, pressure-meter test and cone penetration tests. Modern advances in cone penetrometer technology, instrumented with various sensors (capable of monitoring a wide range of physical and environmental parameters: load, pressure, sound, electrical resistivity, temperature, PH, oxidation reduction potential, chemical contaminants). (Fall)
CEGR 5278. Geotechnical Engineering II. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3258, CEGR 3278, and permission of department. Design of shallow and deep foundations, including structural considerations; lateral earth pressure theories; design of rigid and flexible earth retaining structures; advanced aspects of slope stability analysis; and computer applications. (Spring)
CEGR 5892. Individualized Study and Projects. (1-6) Prerequisite: permission of department. Individual investigation and exposition of results. May be repeated for credit. (On demand)
CEGR 5991. Graduate Research in Civil Engineering. (1-6) Prerequisite: permission of department. Independent study of a theoretical and/or experimental problem in a specialized area of civil engineering. May be repeated for credit. (On demand)
CEGR 6090. Special Topics in Civil Engineering. (1-6) Prerequisite: permission of department. Directed study of current topics of special interest. May be repeated for credit. (On demand)
CEGR 6122. Advanced Topics in Structural Steel. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 4222 and permission of department. Theory of plastic-behavior of steel structures; current topics in structural steel. (On demand)
CEGR 6124. Masonry Design. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3225 and permission of department. Introduction of masonry materials and systems, engineering and materials properties and testing procedures. Design of reinforced and unreinforced masonry (clay and concrete) walls, beams, and columns for vertical, wind, and seismic loads. Analysis and design of masonry structures and introduction to computer applications. (Spring) (Alternate years)
CEGR 6125. Structural Strengthening. (3) Prerequisite: CEGR 3221, CEGR 3225, and permission of department – Structural Steel Design I and CEGR 3225 – Reinforced Concrete Design I, with a grade C or better, graduate student status. Code requirements for the evaluation of existing structures; analysis of existing structures; performance based design of buildings and bridges; strengthening/retrofit techniques for concrete, structural steel, masonry and timber elements, such as beams, columns, shear/bearing/retaining walls, and slabs; studies of actual strengthening projects using innovative techniques and materials. (Spring)
CEGR 6126. Analysis of Plates and Shells. (3) Prerequisite: CEGR 4224 and permission of department. Analysis of rectangular and circular plates using classical as well as numerical methods; orthotropic and continuous plates and plate buckling. Analysis of thin shells and shells of revolution with and without bending; membrane theory of cylindrical shells; symmetric and unsymmetrical loading; pipes, tanks, and pressure vessels; computer applications. (On demand)
CEGR 6127. Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3221 and permission of department. Introduction to fracture mechanics and fatigue, including Griffith Theory, plane strain-stress conditions, critical stress intensity factors, factors influencing fracture toughness, fracture mechanics design principles, fatigue performance, and fatigue initiation and propagation. (On demand)
CEGR 6128. Structural Optimization. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 4224 and permission of department. Introduction to optimization concepts; reformulation of common structural analysis and design problems to an optimization format; optimization of constrained, unconstrained, linear, and nonlinear problems by classical and numerical techniques; and computer applications. (On demand)
CEGR 6129. Structural Dynamics. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3122 and permission of department. Methods for dynamic analysis of single and multiple degree of freedom systems. Topics include: free vibrations, dynamic response of simple structures under time dependent loads (e.g., harmonic, periodic, impulsive, general dynamic loading), support motion, frequency domain analysis, response spectra, earthquake engineering. (Spring)
CEGR 6141. Water Quality Modeling. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Mathematical modeling of water quality in receiving streams including: generation of point and nonpoint sources of pollution; formulation of transport equations for contaminants in stream and estuarine water; and prediction of the fate, persistence and transformation of chemical pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. Computer model simulation and case studies. (On demand)
CEGR 6142. Bioenvironmental Engineering. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3141 and permission of department. Theoretical principles and design of aerobic and anaerobic biological unit processes for renovating waters and wastewaters. Activated sludge, aerated and facultative lagoons, rotating biological contractors, trickling and anaerobic filters. (On demand)
CEGR 6144. Environmental Biotechnology. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Application of biotechnology to the management of environmental problems. Study of bioprocess principles, bioremediation of waste disposal sites, cell immobilization technology and innovative biotechnologies. (On demand)
CEGR 6145. Waste Incineration. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Fundamentals of incineration of hazardous/solid wastes. Thermochemical applications and equipment design. Computer modeling of the incineration process and air quality control. (On demand)
CEGR 6146. Advanced Groundwater Analysis. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Modeling of groundwater flow in saturated and unsaturated zones. Contaminant transport including advection, dispersion and numerical modeling. Groundwater remediation technology. (Alternate years)
CEGR 6147. Watershed Modeling. (3) Prerequisite: Permission of department. Characterization of non-point source pollution; modeling of flow and pollutant transport in storm runoff. Watershed modeling in a GIS environment including applications of SWIMM, BASINS, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, and NRCS models. (Spring)
CEGR 6148. Water Conservation. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Principles and issues concerning water conservation and methods for effecting water conservation, including residential, industrial, commercial, and agricultural water conservation; water rates, audits and reuse/reclamation as they relate to water conservation; and case studies. (On demand)
CEGR 6149. Watershed Analysis. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Study of NPS problems in urban and non-urban watersheds and from highway runoff. Estimate of sediment yield and design of BMP’s including sediment control structures. Introduction to monitoring and modeling of hydrologic systems. Watershed modeling in a GIS environment. (Fall)
CEGR 6161. Traffic Control and Operation. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 5161 and permission of department. Traffic control theory and application; traffic regulation, laws and ordinances; speed control, intersection control, flow control and parking control; design and application of control devices, investigation, evaluation techniques; statistical analysis; administration. (Spring)
CEGR 6162. Computer Applications for Transportation Engineers. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 – Introduction to Transportation Engineering or consent of the instructor, graduate student statusand permission of department. Apply analytical techniques using traffic simulation and transportation planning software to evaluate various transportation facilities; Emphasis on computer applications and software packages such as HCS, SYNCHRO/SimTraffic, and VISSIM; 4-Step planning process using TransCAD; Build mathematical models. (Spring, alternate years)
CEGR 6163. GIS for Civil Engineers. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 2101 – Engineering Drawing, AutoCAD, or consent of the instructor, graduate student statusand permission of department. Apply Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to solve Civil Engineering problems: add layers, label, & symbolize features, create maps in ArcMap, generate tables & spatial databases, address matching, query & join tables, peform spatial overlays, generate buffers, and conduct spatial analysis. Civil Engineering case studies. (Fall, alternate years)
CEGR 6164: Traffic Safety. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 3161 – Introduction to Transportation Engineering or consent of the instructor, graduate student statusand permission of department. Crash data elements and source of data; Crash site reconstruction; Quantifying risk; Safety evaluation process: Problem definition, high crash locations, ranking and prioritization, understanding causal factors, countermeasure selection, before-after evaluation; Crash prediction Modeling; Economic appraisal; Safety conscious planning. (Fall, alternate years)
CEGR 6165. Urban Systems Engineering. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3202 and permission of department. Survey of economic, political, sociological and technological factors affecting modern growth; a planning process and its role in solving selected urban problems with emphasis on engineering contributions. (On demand)
CEGR 6171. Air Quality Control. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Study of various types of air pollutants, their sources, nature and effects. Examination of air quality criteria, standards and monitoring. Analysis of feasibility, applicability and efficiency of diverse systems of control. Evaluation of goal and research needs in the future. (On demand)
CEGR 6172. Air Dispersion Modeling. (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. Atmospheric pollution problems, federal regulations, boundary layer meteorology, dispersion theory, Gaussian model, plume rise formulas, air toxics, and computer modeling of point area, line and mobile sources. (On demand)
CEGR 6173. Environmental Aquatic Chemistry. (3) Prerequisites: CHEM 3111, CHEM 3141, or equivalent; and permission of department. Concepts of chemical equilibrium applied to natural aquatic systems. Topics include: acid-base reactions, buffer systems, mineral precipitation, coordinate chemistry, redox reactions, adsorption phenomena and chemical-equilibria computer programs. (Spring) (Alternate years)
CEGR 6181. Traffic Flow Theory. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 5161 and permission of department. Logical foundations and mathematical representation of traffic flow; interrelation between microscopic and macroscopic equations of motion for highway traffic; stochastic properties of traffic at low and moderate densities. Car-following theories of traffic flow at high densities. Applications of queuing theory. (On demand)
CEGR 6182. Transportation Systems Analysis. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 5161 and permission of department. Issues, concepts and methods of transportation systems engineering and planning. Decision making in transportation management. The application of analytical methods to the development and evaluation of transport systems. (On demand)
CEGR 6243: Physical Processes in Environmental Systems. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 3141, CEGR 3143, MATH 2171, graduate student statusand permission of department. Environmental Engineering Processes. Physical Processes in Environmental Systems. Physical processes that describe the behavior of materials in natural and engineered environmental systems including transport, diffusion/dispersion, volatilization, sorption/desorption, flocculation, filtration, and sedimentation. (Fall)
CEGR 6244: Chemical Fate and Transport. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 3141 and permission of department. Fate of chemicals in the environment and transport processes within and between phases; Environmental chemo-dynamics; Volatilization, dissolution and adsorption from an equilibrium perspective; Evaluation of mass transfer kinetics across environmental compartments. (On demand)
CEGR 6245: Chemical and Biological Processes in Environmental Systems. (3) Prerequisites: CHEM 1251, CEGR 3141, and permission of department. Chemical and biological processes that describe the behavior of materials in natural and engineered environmental systems. Chemical processes to be covered may include acid-base reactions, equilibrium partitioning, pH buffering, precipitation/dissolution, complex formation, adsorption, oxidation-reduction, coagulation, and adsorption. Fundamentals of biological theories to be covered may include kinetics, bioenergetics, genetics, and cellular functions. (Fall)
CEGR 6251. Analysis and Design of Deep Foundations. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 3278 and permission of department- Geotechnical Engineering I or consent of the instructor, graduate student status. Methodologies for analysis and design of deep foundations including different construction layouts and configurations (e.g., single and group piles), different installation techniques (e.g., driven, drilled, ACIP, etc.), different loading conditions (e.g., axial compression, axial tension, lateral, general loading, etc), different design approaches (e.g., allowable stress design – ASD, and load and resistance factor design - LRFD), among other topics; New emerging technologies, construction and inspection aspects and their implications on deep foundation design, and other topics. (Fall)
CEGR 6252. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3122, CEGR 3278, and permission of department. Review of the dynamics of single and multi degree of freedom systems. Earthquake mechanism, distribution, magnitude, intensity, ground shaking, site effects, prediction, and response spectra. Soil liquefaction; aseismic design of foundations; seismic codes; and machine foundation design. (On demand)
CEGR 6253. Design and Analysis of Waste Containment Systems. (3). Prerequisites: permission of departmentConsent of the instructor, graduate student status. Types and function of containment systems; Selection of effective containment system and its design; Design and analysis of landfills, grout curtains and slurry walls; Degradation mechanisms and monitoring of containment systems. (Fall)
- CEGR 6254. Experimental Soil Mechanics. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 3278
- Geotechnical Engineering Ior consent of the instructor, graduate student statusand permission of department permission of department. Experimental methods, with emphasis on laboratory tests, to determine engineering soil properties and investigate soil behavior; i) classification tests (i.e., used to identify soil classification and identify general engineering behavior type); and ii) assessment of engineering properties, such as permeability, shear strength, stiffness, and compressibility; Primary lab tests to be covered in this course are: consolidation, direct shear, static tri-axial, cyclic tri-axial, cyclic simple shear, resonant column, and other advanced geotechnical laboratory tests; Also includes discussion on field sampling and testing, reconstituted samples, laboratory instrumentation and measurement techniques. (Spring)
CEGR 6255. Slope Stability and Earth Structures. (3). Prerequisites: CEGR 3278 - Geotechnical Engineering I or consent of the instructor, graduate student statusand permission of department. Soil and rock slope stability including the aspects of analysis, design, and stabilization within a geotechnical framework; Concepts related to seepage analysis of isotropic and anisotropic soil structures to relate the influence of groundwater conditions in slope stability problems; Presentation of slope stability analysis procedures based on limit equilibrium principles and stress-deformation analyses; Stability considerations of natural slopes and human-made soil structures; Computer software for seepage and slope stability analysis is explained. (Spring)
CEGR 6261. Traffic Signal Control Systems. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 6161 and permission of department. Study of control systems for isolated intersections, arterial streets, closed networks, and freeways. Emphasis on computer models; state-of-the-art detection, control, and communications equipment and software; and intelligent vehicle/highway systems. (Fall)
CEGR 6268. Advanced Soil Mechanics. (3) Prerequisites: CEGR 3258, CEGR 3278, and permission of department. One and two-dimensional consolidation, layered strata effects, and creep; seepage in layered strata, flow net, and seepage forces; shear strength parameters, effective and total stress paths, and application for slope stability evaluation; principles of critical state soil mechanics; computer applications. (Fall)
CEGR 6892. Individualized Study and Projects. (1-6) Prerequisite: permission of department. Individual investigation or exposition of results for the 3-hour MS project. May be repeated for credit. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
CEGR 6990. Industrial Internship. (1-3) Prerequisite: Completion of nine hours of graduate coursework. Full- or part-time academic year internship in engineering complementary to the major course of studies and designed to allow theoretical and course-based practical learning to be applied in a supervised industrial experience. Each student’s program must be approved by their graduate program director and requires a mid-term report and final report to be graded by the supervising faculty. Graded on a Pass/Unsatisfactory basis. Credit hours gained from Internship shall not be part of the minimum credit hours requirement for graduation. (On demand)
CEGR 6991. Graduate Master Thesis Research. (1-6) Prerequisite: permission of department. Individual investigation culminating in the preparation and presentation of a thesis. May be repeated for credit. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
CEGR 8090. Special Topics. Directed study of current topics of special interest. (See the Infrastructure and Environmental Systems heading for details.)