Sustainable Pavement Design and Construction—Graduate Certificate

Use innovation and strategy in pavement engineering.

The certificate will introduce students to best practices in pavement design and construction, with a strong emphasis on recent advances in sustainability. Learn about asphalt and concrete materials. Deploy mechanistic-empirical pavement design methods, life cycle assessment, life cycle cost analysis, and sustainability practices in project procurement and construction. Apply advanced knowledge of innovative materials in design and specification of construction practices. Create long-term performance and reduce environmental impacts while improving access and socioeconomic equity.

Progress quickly with a compact curriculum.

Work with the program advisor to select courses that fit your interests and prerequisite skills. This is a 9-credit certificate.

Check your preparation.

Here are some of the pre-requisite courses for this certificate.

CEE 3101 - Civil Engineering Materials

Covers properties and behavior of typical civil engineering materials, including wood, metals, aggregates, asphalt cement concrete, portland cement concrete, and composites. Laboratory exercises demonstrate selected engineering mechanics principles, including elastic, inelastic, and time-dependent material behavior. Additional topics include testing techniques, materials standards, report writing, and presentation of experimental data.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-2-3)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): ENG 2120 or MEEM 2150 or CMG 2120 or ME 2150

CEE 3401 - Transportation Engineering

Introduction to transportation in the United States, transportation mode characteristics and applications, highway geometrics and design standards, pavement design and management.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman

Take 6 credits of required courses.

Take CEE 4401 Pavement Design and choose either CEE 5109 or CEE 5350.

CEE 4401 - Pavement Design

Analysis, behavior, performance, and structural design of highway pavements. Introduces pavement types and performance concepts, highway traffic and subgrade characterization, materials employed in highway construction, and highway drainage. Presents common methods used for designing pavement structures as well as mechanistic- empirical approaches.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 3401 and CEE 3101

CEE 5109 - Sustainable Pavement Engineering and Civil Engineering Materials

This class will develop fundamental knowledge of sustainable pavements, recycled materials, asphalt and concrete materials, basic concept of characterization of pavement materials, data analysis, and basic modeling procedures. The course will cover a wide range of advanced knowledge of sustainable pavements and materials.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Restrictions: Permission of instructor required
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 3101

Take a 3 credit elective course.

Take an elective which is not already counted in required coursework.

CEE 5101 - Bituminous Materials

Applications and properties of asphalt binder, aggregates for bituminous mixtures, and analysis and design of asphalt concrete mixtures. Includes asphalt cement production, rheology, chemistry, and grading, aggregate grading and blending, and mixture design and characterization. Also discusses asphalt mixture production, construction, and recycling.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-2-2)
Semesters Offered: Fall
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 3101

CEE 5102 - Advanced Concrete Materials

Properties and applications of portland cement and portland cement concrete. Includes cement production, chemistry and hydration, concrete admixtures, and the properties of fresh and hardened concrete. Presents concrete microstructure and durability. Other topics include high-strength and high early-strength concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, and advanced cement-based materials.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-2-2)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate

CEE 5109 - Sustainable Pavement Engineering and Civil Engineering Materials

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Restrictions: Permission of instructor required
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 3101

The minimum completion time is two semesters.

Typical Schedule

Fall:
CEE 4401
Spring:
CEE 5109 or CEE 5350

Upon completion of the certificate, students will be able to:

Apply life cycle assessment and explain how it applies to innovative and sustainable pavement designs.
Apply pavement design guides, standards and construction best practice frameworks, to pavement selection and project procurement.

Application Process and Admissions Requirements

Applications are reviewed on an individual basis using a holistic approach. Fill out our free graduate application online to apply to any of our programs. Official transcripts and scores are not required for the initial application, although you will need to upload them later.

Graduate School Admissions Process

Applying to the Graduate School is free (no application fees) and fast (no official transcripts, test scores, or letters needed to start). The application process involves three easy steps.

See Admissions Steps

Graduate School Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Graduate School as a degree- or certificate-seeking student, you need to:

have a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution, and
be prepared for advanced study in your chosen field, as demonstrated by your previous degree and your scholastic record.

See additional application requirements, including required materials:

Student Statements

Official Transcripts

Program Specific Requirements

Program Specific

Admitted applicants typically have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale
GMAT/GRE: Not required
Preferred major: Civil, environmental or related degree

International Students

TOEFL scores as of January 21, 2026: Recommended Score of 4.5
- For tests taken before January 21, 2026: Recommended Score of 79 iBT
IELTS: Recommended Overall Band Score of 6.5

Admissions Decisions

Made on a rolling basis.

Certificate Admissions

Prospective Students

Prospective students and non-degree seeking students interested in obtaining a graduate certificate must apply to the certificate program using the online application.
Accelerated certificate options exist for current Michigan Tech undergraduate students in good standing and have achieved at least junior-level standing or recent bachelor’s graduates of Michigan Tech (less than two years).
The number of credits earned prior to admission that can be counted are restricted.

Current Graduate Students

Current Michigan Tech graduate students who are in a degree program do not need to formally apply. Current students must still submit the appropriate degree schedule in order to complete the certificate.

International Student Requirements

International Students must apply and be accepted into a degree-granting program in order to earn a graduate certificate. A non-refundable $10 processing fee per application is required.

See International Applicants

Accredited by HLC

Michigan Tech has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) since 1928. Our Graduate School offers over 125 certificates, master's, and PhD programs to provide our students and the world with what tomorrow needs.