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2009–2011 Graduate Catalog

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering

The Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering is designed to provide specialized knowledge in selected technical areas of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). These areas include environmental engineering, geo-environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, transportation engineering, and water resources engineering.

The objective of this program is to expand the technical expertise of post-baccalaureate civil engineering graduates and allow them to further develop professionally. Both a thesis and a nonthesis option are available. The thesis option is tailored to provide exposure to research and could possibly lead toward doctoral study. The nonthesis option is tailored to provide course-intensive, practical, and professional training at an advanced level.

Admission Requirements. For unconditional admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements, in addition to the University-wide graduate admission requirements (refer to Chapter 1, Admission):

• an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related field from an accredited institution of higher education, or proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution;
• a satisfactory score, as specified by the Civil Engineering Graduate Program Committee, on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE);
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) minimum scores of 79 or 550 for Internet or paper versions, respectively;
• a statement of research/specialization interest; and
• a favorable recommendation by the Civil Engineering Graduate Program Committee.

Degree Requirements. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the degree is 34 for the nonthesis option and 30 for the thesis option. At least 24 semester credit hours must be taken at UTSA. Elective courses may be chosen from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering or outside the department, with approval from the CEE Graduate Program Committee. In addition, 6 hours of undergraduate courses may be taken toward the course requirements if not previously taken and counted toward the student’s undergraduate degree and approved by the CEE Graduate Program Committee. Any grade lower than “B” in a graduate course or in remedial coursework at the undergraduate level will not count toward the coursework requirement. Each candidate is required to pass either a thesis defense and/or a comprehensive examination administered by his or her advisory committee.

Advisory Committee. Students must choose an Advisory Committee consisting of a chair and at least two additional graduate faculty members. Students must submit the names of their Advisory Committee to the CEE Graduate Program Committee by the end of their first semester of study.

Program of Study

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Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering

The CEE Department offers the opportunity for advanced study and research leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Science and Engineering. This is a multidisciplinary program administered by the CEE Department. It encompasses faculty and facilities from the College of Sciences and the CEE Department, as well as individual faculty from other UTSA departments. Areas of research emphasis include water resources, environmental quality, environmental remediation, pollution control, conservation ecology, spatial analysis, remote sensing, and natural hazards. The Ph.D. degree in Environmental Science and Engineering is awarded to candidates who display an in-depth understanding of the subject matter and demonstrate the ability to make an original contribution to knowledge in their field of specialty.

The regulations for this degree comply with the general University regulations (refer to Chapter 2, General Academic Regulations, and Chapter 5, Doctoral Degree Regulations).

Admission Requirements. Applicants must satisfy the following requirements, in addition to satisfying the University-wide graduate admission requirements (refer to Chapter 1, Admission):

• a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree from an accredited university, and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in upper-division and graduate courses. The degree should be in biology, ecology, environmental science, chemistry, geology, geography, engineering, or other related scientific discipline. Exceptional applicants without a Master of Science may be considered for admission to the program on a case-by-case basis;
• three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic potential;
• official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores;
• a letter of research/specialization interest; and
• a résumé/curriculum vitae.

Applications must be submitted to the UTSA Graduate School online at http://www.utsa.edu/graduate/. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Acceptance to the program is decided by the Doctoral Studies Committee (DSC), comprised of graduate faculty members selected from the CEE Department and the College of Sciences. Full-time students accepted for the program are eligible to apply for financial support in the form of competitive teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or research fellowships.

Degree Requirements. The Doctoral program in Environmental Science and Engineering requires that students complete a minimum of 60 semester credit hours beyond the Master’s degree. This coursework includes courses that have been designed to provide advanced instruction in areas considered to form the foundation for the disciplines of environmental science and engineering. Enrollment in the Graduate Seminar is required for a minimum of 3 semester credit hours. A minimum of 15 semester credit hours of Doctoral Research and 15 semester credit hours minimum of Doctoral Dissertation must be completed prior to graduation. Any grade lower than “B” in graduate or remedial coursework at the undergraduate level does not count toward the 60 semester credit hours. Students can apply, with approval from the chair of their Dissertation Committee, up to 12 semester credit hours of graduate coursework to elective courses (see below), if not applied toward their M.S. degree. Students with only a baccalaureate degree are required to have a minimum of 75 semester credit hours to graduate with approval of the DSC.

18 semester credit hours of required electives are selected by the student with the approval of their dissertation committee. These elective courses may be offered by departments in the College of Sciences or the College of Engineering or by other departments at UTSA.

Dissertation Committee. Students must choose a Dissertation Committee consisting of a chair and at least four additional graduate faculty members. The committee must include a minimum of one faculty member from the CEE Department and one from the College of Sciences. Students must submit the names of their Dissertation Committee to the DSC Chair by the end of their second semester of study.

Advancement to Candidacy. Students must complete the core curriculum before taking the written qualifying examination. Full-time students must do so by the end of their second semester of study. Part-time students need to take the qualifying examination at a time dictated by the DSC. The written qualifying examination may include questions from five basic areas of environmental science and engineering, including geology, hydrology, biology, chemistry, and environmental engineering. This examination is administered by the DSC with input from the student’s Dissertation Committee. Qualifying examinations test the student’s undergraduate background, their degree of understanding of the material presented in graduate courses, as well as their critical thinking. No more than two attempts to pass the written examination are permitted.

Upon successful completion of the written qualifying examination and within the following two semesters, a student must notify the DSC in writing of their intention of taking the oral qualifying examination. The oral qualifying examination is a research proposal defense. The research proposal defense consists of the student’s dissertation topic, the experimental approach, the research novelty, and the potential contribution to their scientific field. The student’s Dissertation Committee chair must approve the student’s research proposal before scheduling the oral examination. No more than two attempts to pass the oral examination are permitted.

Results of the written and oral examinations must be reported to the DSC and the Dean of the Graduate School. Admission into the Doctoral program does not guarantee advancement to candidacy. After advancement to candidacy, the student’s Dissertation Committee can be changed at the student’s request and with the approval of the Dissertation Committee chair and the chair of the DSC.

Dissertation. Candidates must demonstrate their ability to conduct independent research by completing and defending an original dissertation. The Dissertation Committee guides and critiques the candidate’s research. The format of the dissertation document will follow the guidelines and rules published by the Graduate School and general University regulations in Chapter 5, Doctoral Degree Regulations.

Final Oral Dissertation Defense. The student must notify the Graduate School in writing two weeks prior to the final scheduled oral defense. The final oral defense consists of public presentation of the dissertation, followed by a closed oral defense. Results of the oral defense must be reported to the Dean of the Graduate School. Awarding of the degree is based on the approval of the Dissertation Committee and the Dean of the Graduate School. The Dean of the Graduate School certifies the completion of all University-wide requirements.

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