Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering

Web: www.civil.gmu.edu
Phone: (703) 993-1675

• Faculty
• Introduction
• Course Work
• Undergraduate Program
• Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, B.S.
• Degree Requirements
• Writing-Intensive Requirement
• Sample Schedule
• B.S./Accelerated M.S. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
• Admission Requirements
• Degree Requirements
• Conferral of Degrees
• Graduate Program
  • Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, M.S.
  • Admission Requirements
  • Degree Requirements
    • Core Courses
    • Emphases
    • Project or Thesis
    • Seminar Requirement
  • Ph.D. Study in Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering

Faculty

Professors: Arciszewski (chair), Bronzini, Houck

Associate professor: deMonsabert

Assistant professors: Flannery, Venigalla

Adjunct professors: Binning, Chase, Freas, Gagne, Goode, Harrop-Williams, Liner, Matusik, Medina, Shacochis, Spencer, Szykman, Ward, Zobel

Introduction

The Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE) Department administers two degree programs: the B.S. and M.S. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering. These degree programs complement the study of civil and environmental engineering with advances in information technology, and they focus on the physical and organizational infrastructure essential to the functioning of an urban society. The bachelor's program in civil and infrastructure engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, Md., 21202-4012; telephone, (410) 347-7700.

Civil and Infrastructure Engineering is the study of land, transportation, water, energy, and telecommunications systems from a civil engineering perspective, within a complex social, political, economic, and environmental context. The focus of the program is on how these systems are successfully conceived, developed, designed, built, operated, maintained, and renewed in the built environment such as the Washington metropolitan area.

An urban society thrives and prospers when adequate, appropriate, reliable, robust, and cost-effective infrastructure systems are provided. The investment in existing infrastructure and other urban systems in the United States is enormous. The investment required to maintain, operate, renew, and manage the evolution of these infrastructure systems in the future is even greater. The need for highly educated professionals to confront and solve these continuing vital problems is pressing. Examples of infrastructure systems include water supply and distribution; streets, roads, and highways; wastewater management; transit; stormwater management; public utilities; energy supply and distribution; telecommunications; buildings, facilities, and structures; and solid waste management.

Course Work

The Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering Department offers courses with the designator CEIE in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog.

Undergraduate Program

Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, B.S.

The bachelor's degree program includes a solid foundation in the theory of civil and infrastructure engineering. Students benefit from exposure to practical civil, environmental, and infrastructure engineering problems and their solutions in the classroom, lab, and field. Students also have the opportunity to work as junior engineers each summer. The goal of the department is to graduate students who are prepared to

• solve problems in the civil engineering domain, including (1) integrating traditional civil engineering disciplines such as transportation, environment, structures, construction, and water; (2) incorporating such elements as social, political, and economic considerations; and (3) including a conscious life-cycle costing philosophy;
• develop and apply information technology to civil engineering problems;
• communicate effectively in written, oral, and visual ways;
• pursue a lifelong process of learning; and
• enter the civil engineering profession as productive engineers.

The civil engineer can look forward to a career in local, state, and federal government organizations and architectural/engineering firms that specialize in land development, transportation, water resources, environment, construction, and other related civil engineering fields. The program also prepares students for continuing graduate studies.

Degree Requirements

Degree requirements for the B.S. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering include 120 credit hours distributed in courses in three main areas: mathematics and basic science; humanities and social sciences; and civil engineering analysis and design.

The prerequisite structure for these courses is extensive and complex. The sample schedule below provides not only a listing of the course requirements, but also a guide to the progression of the courses to satisfy all prerequisites.

Students are required to see their faculty advisors at least once each semester to plan for the following semester's registration. Each student is expected to complete an approved plan of study, which constitutes a learning plan for the degree program.

A variety of classes will count for credit as CEIE technical electives. All electives must be selected with the advice and approval of the academic advisor. Paid internships during the summer (CEIE 197/198/199, 297/298/299, and 397/398/399) may also be used as technical electives.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

The university's writing-intensive requirement for civil and infrastructure engineering majors is satisfied by the successful completion of CEIE 360.

Sample Schedule

The following table presents a sample schedule that an undergraduate civil and infrastructure engineering major would follow to obtain a bachelor's degree.

* Of the 12 credits of CEIE technical electives required, 3 credits of a CEIE transportation technical elective and 3 credits of a CEIE environmental elective are required.

B.S./Accelerated M.S. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering

The B.S./Accelerated M.S. degree option provides a way for a George Mason student to earn an M.S. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering in less time than if he or she graduated from the B.S. program and then applied to the M.S. program. The B.S./Accelerated M.S. program can be completed in 144 credits.

Admission Requirements

George Mason students in the B.S. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering program may apply for the B.S./Accelerated M.S. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering program if they have earned 90 undergraduate credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.300, or if their GPA in ENGR and CEIE courses is at least 3.300. Students who have not yet finished 90 credits may be accepted provisionally subject to satisfactory completion of 90 credits. All other criteria for admission into the B.S./Accelerated M.S. program are identical to criteria for admission into the M.S. program.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 144 credit hours that satisfy both the requirements for the B.S. program and the M.S. program. Students will register for 6 credit hours of CEIE 500-level courses in place of undergraduate technical elective courses. The CEIE 500-level courses selected for this purpose must be approved by the students' academic advisors. Students will complete all M.S. requirements and may apply the two CEIE 500-level courses included in the B.S. program toward satisfaction of these requirements.

Conferral of Degrees

Students in the B.S./Accelerated M.S. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering program may apply to have the B.S. degree conferred during the semester in which they expect to complete the B.S. requirements. The master's degree will be granted upon completion of the M.S. requirements.

Graduate Program

Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, M.S.

The M.S. program educates students in the theory and practice of civil, environmental and infrastructure engineering. Information technology and automated tools for analyzing and solving urban systems problems are important components of the program. The civil and infrastructure engineer can look forward to pursuing a career in the private and public sectors or to continuing graduate study toward the Ph.D.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the program, a candidate must

1. satisfy the general university requirements for admission to a graduate program;

2. have earned a baccalaureate degree in engineering, physical sciences, economics, or other civil and infrastructure engineering-related field; and

3. have three letters of reference submitted by former professors or supervisors.

Acceptance to the degree program is based on an assessment of the applicant's capacity to pursue these graduate studies successfully. Consideration is given to the applicant's undergraduate record, any previous graduate work, professional work experience, the letters of reference, and any recent Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (required for international students). Well-qualified students who present minor admission deficiencies may be admitted subject to completing an articulation program. Courses taken in the articulation program extend the minimum requirements for the degree.

Degree Requirements

The M.S. in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering program includes three core courses, electives selected by the student with the aid of a faculty advisor, a thesis or civil and infrastructure engineering project, and a seminar requirement. Students must complete a faculty-approved plan of study with a minimum of 30 credits of graduate work, including the thesis (6 credits) or the research project (3 credits).

Core Courses

Students must complete the following three core courses. These courses provide a common background for understanding the breadth and complexity of civil and infrastructure engineering, and for introducing the application of information technology and the systems approach to analyzing and solving problems in civil and infrastructure engineering.

• CEIE 601 Infrastructure Modeling
• CEIE 605 Infrastructure Systems Analysis
• CEIE 685 Civil Engineering Information Management

Emphases

Each student must select an additional five or six electives that together constitute an emphasis area. With the prior approval of a faculty advisor, a student may design his or her own emphasis, or may select from one of several standard emphases, including the following:

• Information Technology in Civil Engineering
• Infrastructure Management
• Land Development Engineering
• Transportation Systems
• Water and Environmental Systems

Project or Thesis

Students must complete a project (3 credits) or thesis (6 credits) under the direction of a CEIE faculty member.

Under the project option, the student completes 3 credits of CEIE 798 in which he or she prepares and presents a scholarly paper. The scholarly paper is a technical report on an independent study, laboratory or computer experimentation, or literature search on a current civil and infrastructure engineering topic, selected under the guidance of a faculty advisor. The student must demonstrate knowledge of the topic and make a satisfactory technical presentation of the paper in the CEIE graduate seminar (CEIE 795).

Under the thesis option, the student completes 6 credits of CEIE 799. The master's thesis should reflect a significant independent research effort. The work is conducted under the guidance of a faculty thesis advisor, and the final written thesis and oral defense are approved by a three-member faculty committee. In addition, the student must make a satisfactory presentation of the thesis in the CEIE graduate seminar. The thesis is particularly recommended for those students who wish to develop and document their research skills, and/or who contemplate subsequent enrollment in a Ph.D. program.

Seminar Requirement

All degree candidates must attend a minimum of 10 graduate seminars approved by the CEIE department for the degree program.

Ph.D. Study in Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering

Doctoral study in civil, environmental, and infrastructure engineering is available through the Ph.D. in Information Technology program, which offers advanced courses in this discipline. The doctoral program allows the student to take a broad range of courses and research options.