The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers the MS and the PhD in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in one of three areas :
Transportation Systems Engineering
*There is a distinction between the program in Environmental Engineering, and the program in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering. Please review both programs in your research to determine which one is more relevant to your area of interest. Information on the Civil Engineering Program with an emphasis in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering can be found by clicking on the program description link above. Information on the graduate program in Environmental Engineering, which is an interdisciplinary program administered by the School of Engineering, is available at the Environmental Engineering website.
Constantinos V. Chrysikopoulos, Professor (CEE)
Ph.D., Stanford University
Transport in porous media and environmental systems; stochastic geohydrology; applied mathematics.James (Jay) Famiglietti, Professor (Earth System Science/CEE)
Ph.D., Princeton University
Hydrologic and climate system modeling.Xiaogang Gao, Associate Adjunct Professor (CEE)
Ph.D., University of Arizona
Hydroclimatology; remote sensing; precipitation estimation.Stanley B. Grant, Professor (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science)
Ph.D., CalTech
Microbial contaminants (viruses, bacteria, protozoa) in drinking water, urban runoff, and the coastal ocean.Kuo-lin Hsu, Assistant Adjunct Professor (CEE)
Ph.D., University of Arizona
Hydrologic modeling; artificial neural network applications in hydrology.Bisher Imam, Associate Adjunct Professor (CEE)
Ph.D., University of Arizona
Hydrologic modeling; artificial neural network applications in hydrology.Brett F. Sanders, Associate Professor (CEE)
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Computational hydrodynamics; modeling river, estuarine and coastal waters; coastal water quality, flood control.Jean-Daniel Saphores, Assistant Professor (Policy Planning and Design/CEE)
Ph.D., Cornell University
Environmental and natural resource economics.Jan W. Scherfig, Professor Emeritus (CEE)
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Waste-water treatment, reclamation, and reuse; water conservation; sewer exfiltration.Soroosh Sorooshian, Distinguished Professor (CEE/Earth System Science)
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Hydrologic systems; rainfall-runoff modeling; remote sensing.
Students may pursue Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Civil Engineering, a degree program administered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Alternatively, students may pursue Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Environmental Engineering (EnE), which is administered by the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. The EnE program is slightly more flexible for students with non-engineering undergraduate degrees. Students interested in Ph.D study under the advisement of a particular faculty member listed above should contact that person for guidance regarding the most appropriate degree program. Otherwise, students are encouraged to apply to the Civil Engineering degree program.
The Master of Science in Civil Engineering reflects an advanced level of competence for professional practice as demonstrated by the achievement of greater breadth than the bachelor's degree and by the development of some depth in a specific area of water resources and environmental engineering. Two plans are available to those working toward the M.S. degree: a thesis option and course work option. Opportunities are available for part-time study toward and M.S. degree.
The thesis option requires completion of 36 units of study (eight of which can be taken for study in conjunction with the thesis research topic); the completion of an original research project; the writing of the thesis describing it; and presentation of thesis research findings in a public seminar. Of the 36 units, a minimum of 20 units must be nonresearch, graduate-level courses (numbered 200-289).
The course work option requires the completion of 36 units of study, at least 30 of which must be in nonresearch graduate-level courses (numbered 200-289). The remaining six units may be earned as graduate-level course work, individual research (CE299) or upper-division undergraduate units.
A Program of Study form, approved by the student's faculty advisor, must be filed before the end of student's first quarter. An advancement to Candidacy form must be filed before the opening of the quarter in which the degree is to be conferred.
The Ph.D. degree indicates attainment of an original and significant research contribution to the state-of-the-art in the candidate's field and an ability to communicate advanced engineering concepts. The doctoral program is tailored to the individual needs of the student. The detailed program of study for each Ph.D. student is formulated in consultation with a Faculty Advisor, based upon mutual research interests, taking into consideration the objectives and preparation of the candidate. Students may select their own advisors. Students are required to obtain approval from their advisor of their program of study each quarter. it is the responsibility of the advisor to see that the student develops a broad foundation in the fundamentals of the student's general area, in addition to attaining a high degree of expertise in the student's area of specialty. Ph. D. degrees are usually earned within three to four years after the M.S. degree and must be completed within seven years.
There are no specific course requirements, but there are several milestones to be passed:
The preliminary examination is designed to test the student's undergraduate and first year graduate engineering understanding relative to their preparation to do advanced study and research necessary for the Ph. D. The examination assesses the academic competence of each student to pursue the Ph. D. degree. The preliminary examination can be oral or written or a combination of the two. The preliminary exam is required of each student and must be taken prior to the start of the fourth quarter of residency in the Ph. D. program. The examination may be repeated once, but must be passed prior to the start of the seventh quarter of residency. If the preliminary exam is repeated, the second exam must cover the same topics and, except in unusual cases in which one or more of the original examining committee is unavailable, must be given by the same committee used in the first exam. Failure to complete this requirement will result in dismissal from the Ph. D. program. To take the preliminary examination students must submit a Ph. D. Preliminary Exam Form to their Faculty Advisor at least 4 weeks prior to the preliminary examination date. The completed form contains the following:
After approving the Preliminary Exam form, the Faculty Advisor will pass it on to the Graduate Advisor and the Department Chair for approval. The Department Chair will assign one of the committee members other than the Faculty Advisor to chair the Preliminary Examination. After the request is approved, the preliminary exam should be scheduled by the student.
The following are undergraduate and graduate level courses that support the graduate program. For Civil Engineering students, up to six units of undergraduate course work can be counted towards the M.S. degree, while for Environmental Engineering students, up to eight units of undergraduate course work can be counted. All undergraduate courses are offered once per academic year. Most graduate-level courses are taught once per year while some are offered alternate years.
CEE 161 Water and Wastewater Treatment (Spring)
CEE 162 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry (Winter)
CEE 163 Advanced Treatment Processes (Spring)
CEE 168 Pollution Prevention and Waste Minimization (Winter)
CEE 170 Introduction to Fluid Mechanics (Fall)
CEE 171 Infrastructure Hydraulics (Winter)
CEE 172 Groundwater Hydrology (Fall)
CEE 176 Surface Water Hydrology (Spring)
CEE 178 River and Estuarine Flow (Fall)
CEE 262 Environmental Chemistry
CEE 263 Advanced Treatment Processes
CEE 267 Advanced Treatment Models
CEE 271 Flow in Unsaturated Porous Media
CEE 272 Stochastic Geohydrology
CEE 274A Transport Phenomena in Saturated Porous Media
CEE 274B Transport Phenomena in Unsaturated Porous Media
CEE 276 Surface Water Hydrology
CEE 277 Transport in Rivers and Estuaries
CEE 278 Flow in Rivers and Estuaries
CEE 279A Computations in Environmental Hydraulics
CEE 289B Computational in Subsurface Hydrology
CEE 283 Mathematical Methods in Engineering Analysis
New Courses Not Yet Numbered
CEE 2XX Hydrologic Systems (Winter)
CEE 2XX Hydrologic Modeling (Fall)
CEE 2XX Watershed Modeling (Winter)
A variety of courses outside Civil and Environmental Engineering may also be taken by students. Examples include the following: fluid dynamics and computational methods offered by the Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, transport phenomena and reactor design courses offered in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, atmospheric chemistry, and data analysis courses offered by the Department of Earth System Science in Physical Sciences; environmental economic, policy, and law courses offered by the Department of Policy, Planning, and Design in the School of Social Ecology; statistical analysis courses offered in the Department of Statistics in the School of Information and Computer Science.
(Presently under revision)
For further information on the Water Resources program, the faculty contact for this area is:
Dr. Brett F. Sanders
Associate Professor and Graduate Advisor
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-2175
bsanders@uci.edu (E-Mail)
(949) 824-4327 (Phone)
(949) 824-3672 (Fax)
For a graduate application and financial aid information, please contact:
Lorrie Aguirre
Graduate Coordinator
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-2175
llaguirr@uci.edu (E-Mail)
(949) 824-2120 (Phone)
(949) 824-2117 (Fax)
The Structures Program emphasizes the application of analytical and experimental approaches to the investigation of the effects of earthquakes and other extreme hazards on constructed facilities. Areas of specific interest include reliability of engineering systems, random vibration, passive, active and hybrid control of structural vibration, elastomeric and sliding base isolation systems, dynamic behavior of liquid storage tanks, seismic response of equipment and other secondary systems, liquefaction fragility of lifelines, the retrofitting of buildings and bridges, and stochastic fatigue, fracture and maintenance of structures.
The objectives of the program are to prepare graduates for responsible positions in industry and research institutions by providing an opportunity to become familiar with state-of- the-art methodologies applied to significant engineering problems. Part-time Masters students are encouraged, with many classes being offered early or late in the day for the convenience of those students that are employed full-time.
Coursework is tailored to the individual student in consultation with a faculty advisor. Students in the M.S. program are required to select between a Thesis Option or a Coursework Option. In either case, a minimum of 36 units (equivalent to 12 courses) is required, but this will include credit for research or project work. Students beginning study in a fall quarter should be able to earn their MS degree in three to four quarters, although completion of a thesis often adds an additional one to two quarters. The MS degree must be earned within four calendar years. There are no specific course requirements for the Ph.D. degree, which usually involves one year or more of coursework beyond the MS degree. A minimum two year residency is required for all Ph.D. students.
The purpose of a thesis is to demonstrate critical judgment, intellectual synthesis, and skill in written communication. The level of creativity and originality is not as great as that required for a Ph.D. dissertation. Soon after arriving at UCI, the MS candidate must meet with the assigned faculty advisor to prepare a plan of study and select a thesis topic. The thesis plan requires step-by-step supervision and guidance by the faculty research advisor and a final approval by a thesis committee which includes three or more full-time faculty. Of the 36 required course units, at least 20 must be non-research graduate courses (numbered 200-289). No more than eight thesis research units may be counted toward the degree. In general, the thesis plan does not require an oral examination; however, the thesis committee may, at its option, administer an oral examination of the student upon completion of the thesis. All students are required to present a one-hour long public seminar covering their research findings. Students must also file a sewn, hardcover copy of their thesis with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (in addition to University thesis requirements).
For this option, the candidate and a faculty advisor select a coherent set of courses. Of the 36 required units, 30 units must be in non-research graduate courses (numbered 200-289). The remaining 6 units may be earned as individual research units (CE299) or upper division undergraduate courses.
CEE 242 Advanced Strength of Materials
CEE 247 Structural Dynamics
CEE 250 Finite Element Method in Structural Engineering
CEE 283 Mathematical Methods in Engineering Analysis
CEE 284 Engineering Decision and Risk Analysis