Civil and Environmental Engineering Accelerated MS

Civil and Environmental Engineering Accelerated MS

Earn a Bachelor's and a Master's in Less Time

Accelerate your education, and get on the fast track to advanced studies in civil and environmental engineering.

The accelerated master’s programs in civil engineering and environmental engineering allow students to count up to 6 senior-level credits toward both a Bachelor of Science in Civil or Environmental Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil or Environmental Engineering. Students completing a bachelor’s degree at Michigan Tech in either civil engineering or environmental engineering may apply to either accelerated master’s program, provided the double-counted credits are transferable to the respective master’s degree (for details, see your academic advisor).

Our accelerated master’s programs offers thesis, report, and course work-only options designed for highly motivated students who would like to pursue doctoral studies in civil and environmental engineering or gain a competitive edge in industry with an accelerated advanced degree. There is a growing demand for graduates with a master’s degree in engineering, and the accelerated program will provide you with a pathway to meet this need in fewer semesters.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Accelerated MS Requirements

Admissions

  • Undergraduate students must apply for admission to the accelerated master’s program though the standard Graduate School application process (letters of recommendation not required) during their junior year or early in their senior year.
  • The accelerated master’s program requires you to be accepted into the Graduate School and the Master of Science in Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering program prior to the awarding of your bachelor’s degree.
  • Only students who will complete both a bachelor’s and a master’s in civil or environmental engineering at Michigan Tech are eligible to enroll in the accelerated program.
  • Students already enrolled in a graduate program may not retroactively enroll in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Accelerated Master’s program.

Credits

Students must earn 30 credits past the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering to complete the requirements for the Master of Science in Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering; however, up to 6 credits taken as an undergraduate student can be applied toward both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, so long as they are at the 4000 or 5000 level and satisfy the requirements for both degrees.

These 6 credits would typically be earned through technical electives and are independent of Senior Rule credits that may additionally count toward the master’s degree. For the entire 30 credits required for the MS degree, however, not more than 12 credits of undergraduate course work may be counted.

GPA

Only students in good academic standing are eligible to enter the Civil and Environmental Engineering Accelerated Master’s program. A student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 at the time the bachelor’s is awarded. If the GPA is less than 3.25, a student may be considered for the non-accelerated master’s program and may be allowed to pursue the master’s degree via the normal pathway (which does not allow the 6 credits to be double-counted) without re-applying and notifying the Graduate School.

Courses and Research (30 credits total)

  • The detailed course and course-level requirements for the Thesis Option, Report Option, and Course Work Option are outlined on the degree web pages for the Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering.
  • The credit requirements for each degree option follow:
    • The Thesis Option requires 20–24 course credits, with at least 8 at the graduate level, with the remainder of the 30 total required credits being made up of research credits.
    • The Report Option requires 24–28 course credits, with at least 12 at the graduate level, with the remainder of the 30 total required credits being made up of research credits.
    • The Course Work Option requires 30 course credits, with at least 18 at the graduate level.
  • To help ensure an accelerated degree schedule for Thesis Option students, the student should begin conducting degree research with their advisor during the senior year; however, master’s research credits may be earned only after the bachelor’s degree is awarded.
  • Any 4000- or 5000-level courses related to the course of study and approved by the student's adviser may be double-counted.

Advising

  • To help expedite degree completion, a student should begin to work with a faculty research advisor at the time of application to the accelerated master’s program.
  • Each student will work with a faculty research advisor who is a member of the civil or environmental engineering faculty. The advisor’s primary responsibility is to supervise the student’s research and academic and professional growth, as well as to work with the student to develop an academic plan for enrolling in the appropriate courses for the student and program.
  • The academic plan developed by the student and academic advisor will need written approval from the faculty advisor and either the departmental graduate director or the department chair.
  • All students must complete a minimum of 131 credits in appropriate subjects before the bachelor’s will be awarded and the student is considered a graduate student.
  • The maximum time to degree for students in the accelerated master’s program is five years from the time the student is accepted into the program.
  • Students will be considered undergraduates for the purposes of financial aid, tuition, and class standing until their undergraduate degree has been awarded. Once students are awarded their undergraduate degree, they will be considered graduate students for the purposes of financial aid and tuition.