Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering 

Located in California’s Central Valley, the M.S. in Civil Engineering (MSCE) Program offers a graduate program of excellence that provides opportunities for advanced education and research in civil and geomatics engineering. The program’s mission is to offer a curriculum that combines preparation for professional practice as well as preparation for research and further advanced studies. The graduate program fosters student-teacher interaction in an intimate classroom setting allowing for greater one-to-one collaboration on thesis,' projects, independent studies, and research. 

Graduate Programs and Options: 

The Civil Engineering Program advanced study in the following areas: 

• Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)
• Master of Science in Civil Engineering with an Option in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering (MSCE – WREE)

Curriculum and Specialization

Program curriculum is comprehensive, coherent, and sufficient with coursework is delivered in all five major technical areas of civil engineering practice as follows:

1. Geomatics
2. Geotechnical
3. Structural
4. Transportation
5. Water resources and environmental engineering (option available)

Students who wish to specialize in one area can do so by taking the available graduate courses in the focal area and up to two courses each from:

a) the undergraduate technical elective selections,
b) another program (e.g., Mechanical engineering),
c) graduate independent study courses (CE 290).

In addition students can pursue project or thesis in the discipline. Students in the WREE option are required to take 4 core courses and 6 units of approved coursework outside of civil and geomatics engineering.

Why Graduate School?

Engineering education at the graduate level is a bold endeavor because it equips students with diverse backgrounds and life experiences to perform amazing tasks of innovation that lead to highly valuable products that serve the critical needs of society. These products of engineering are in their very nature remarkable, inspirational and, in many cases, breathtaking. Examples include the Golden Gate Bridge, the International Space Station, and clean water delivered to our homes. Our Program empowers its graduates to create the valuable and elegant physical infrastructure that society depends on, and that has profoundly improved the quality of life of millions of people.

The vast majority of graduates of our program are employed as professional practitioners of civil engineering who receive excellent compensation and enjoy a quality of life. Engineering education is truly a bold endeavor that produces graduates that go on to achieve great accomplishments in life and, in doing so, support the University’s mission. 

A majority of our students remain in the Central Valley where they serve societal infrastructural needs in transportation, structures, foundations, water resources, environmental, surveying and geomatics. The evidence is abundant from the roads that we drive, the buildings that we reside in, to the water that we drink.

Admission Requirements

The requirements for graduate admission to California State University, Fresno must be met.

For the Civil Engineering program requirements, applicants should possess:

• a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, geomatics engineering, or a related field from an institution accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
• must have a 3.0 grade point average in the last 60 semester-units of engineering courses attempted, on the basis of 4.0 being A, or the approval of the Graduate Committee of the Department of Civil and Geomatics Engineering.

If an applicant’s preparation is deemed insufficient by the Graduate Committee of the Department of Civil and Geomatics Engineering, the applicant is required to take additional courses which are specified in writing to remove the deficiency. Such courses, taken as an unclassified student, are in addition to the minimum of 30 semester hours credit for the master’s degree in engineering. The department graduate program coordinator shall appoint an interim graduate adviser for each student when that student is accepted into the graduate program. The coordinator will take into account student interests and correlated faculty interests when making this appointment.

A student must pass CE 210 with a grade of B or higher and satisfactorily complete a written examination (typically administered in CE 210) before being eligible for Advancement to Candidacy; this satisfies both the university’s graduate writing requirement and demonstrates the student has sufficient technical proficiency to continue in the program.

Program Requirements

Helpful Links

• Civil Engineering course descriptions and degree requirements.
• Introduction to the Civil Engineering Program. William Wright
• MSCE Graduate Student Handbook
• A Guidance Manual on the Preparation of Technical Reports, Papers, and Presentations, Revised 2nd Ed. G. Tchobanoglous and Harold Leverenz (2013).
• Professional Skill: Communication. Tony Akel
• Student-Advisor Agreement Form
• Graduate Admission
• Division of Research & Graduate Studies
• Graduate Net Initiative
• International Student Services
• Fees/Tuition

Contact Information:

Dr. William Wright, Ph.D., P.E
Graduate Program Coordinator,
Civil Engineering Program
Office: Engineering East 170
Phone: 559.278.5591
E-mail

Department Office:
The department main office is located at EE178 in the Engineering East building.

The office is open Monday - Friday, 8AM to 5PM PDT (closed 12-1PM).

Contact Information:

Dr. Xiaojun Li, Ph.D., P.E.

Graduate Program Coordinator,
Civil Engineering Program
Office: Engineering East 174
Phone: 559.278.1874
E-mail

Department Office:

The department main office is located at EE178 in Engineering East building.

The office is open Monday - Friday, 8AM to 5PM PDT (closed 12-1PM).

MSCE Handbook (722K)

Related Links

• Graduate Admission
• Division of Research & Graduate Studies
• Graduate Net Initiative
• International Student Services
• Fees/Tuition