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Civil Engineering

Dr. Kerrie Schattler,
Graduate Program Coordinator

Graduate Faculty: Professors Elhouar, Khodair, Maillacheruvu, Schattler (Chair); Associate Professors Hossain, Lee; Assistant Professors Ashraf, Soltani, Spelman, Terreno; Assistant Professors in Residence George.

MSCE Mission and Objectives

Offer a MSCE program that provides unique opportunities for students to synthesize advanced quantitative and qualitative knowledge in the interfaces of civil engineering, construction management, and business practices. To achieve our mission, our department will strive to achieve the following objectives:

  1. Student Driven Scholarship- Offer a graduate program that encourages student and faculty collaborations in research through thesis mentoring, assistantships, and partnerships with industry, state /federal agencies with an emphasis on student scholarship.  
  2. Business Focused Collaborations - Offer a graduate program that evolves and continues to integrate business practice and construction management into graduate education in civil engineering.
  3. Practice Based Engineering - Offer a graduate program that provides opportunities to advance communication skills, learn quantitative and qualitative methods, and gain insights into globalization and sustainability.

The Department of Civil Engineering and Construction offers an MSCE degree program that prepares graduates for thriving engineering careers characterized by continued professional growth. Our graduates are given unique opportunities to acquire the talents and skills needed in a highly technical society facing serious uncertainties and challenges in the environment and infrastructure. Our program provides students with the broad scope necessary for a fruitful and successful career in the practice of civil engineering and construction management.

To meet the needs of industry and students, the department routinely upgrades its laboratories with sophisticated civil engineering and construction equipment, software, and hardware, which demonstrates our department’s commitment to excellence. Our goal is to provide an educational experience that is nationally and internationally recognized. Our students and faculty aspire to be leaders in their respective fields on and off campus.

Admission into the MSCE program requires a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or construction. Qualified graduates from other engineering or related fields may be admitted conditionally. The conditional status may be changed to unconditional only after all required prerequisites are met, and stated conditions are satisfied. Students are not required to take the GRE general test for admission into the MSCE program. Details on admission requirements and categories of admission can be found in the Graduate Education catalog under the Admissions section.

MSCE Degree Requirements

Student may study in any one or more areas of emphasis: construction management, structural, geo-environmental/water resources, or transportation engineering. Students have the opportunity of selecting a thesis or a non-thesis option. A total of 30 hours are required for the MSCE degree. The thesis option requires 6 semester hours of CE 699 (Thesis) and 24 hours of coursework. The non-thesis option requires 30 hours of coursework.

In addition to the requirements of Graduate Education, the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction has the following requirements:

  1. The MSCE program requires a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree.
  2. All MSCE students are required to take CE 520 to meet the mathematics requirement. Students must take a minimum of 18 semester hours from the department, in CE and/or CON designated courses. Students may take up to 12 semester hours from other related departments, per the approved Elective Courses listed below.
  3. Students should work with the program coordinator to create a course plan by the end of the first semester. The plan lists the courses required for completion of the program. Courses not on the approved plan may not be counted towards the MSCE degree.
  4. Graduate students are required to pass a comprehensive examination during the last semester of their study. Students seeking the thesis option are required to make an oral defense of their thesis and submit their written thesis document instead.
  5. Admission of undergraduate students into 500-level courses requires that the students have the necessary prerequisites and a minimum average of 2.75/4.0 overall GPA.

Exceptions to the departmental requirements listed above may be made with the approval of the department chair. Such exceptions are rare and will only be granted in cases where clear justification can be demonstrated.

Financial Support Graduate assistantships are available for qualified graduate students through the department and ongoing funded research projects. Currently, a substantial portion of our graduate students are being supported. The department has numerous endowed scholarships, and some of these funds provide fellowships to selected graduate students. Qualified students may also receive up to 100% tuition waiver from the University. Additionally, faculty and graduate students have received research grants from major companies, state agencies, the National Science Foundation, and other private and government sources.

Abundant opportunities exist to gain practical experience off campus either part-time or full-time during semester breaks and summers. For example, the Illinois Department of Transportation and engineering firms and contractors in Illinois and across the nation frequently hire our graduates.

Programs of Study/Areas of Emphasis The graduate program can be characterized by areas of emphasis: construction management, structures, geo-environmental/water resources, and transportation engineering. Selected courses from other engineering departments, the college of business, and computer science may be taken per the Elective Courses listed below. The program’s flexibility provides graduate students with a wide variety of means to prepare for their future careers.

  1. Construction Management The construction industry is the largest industry in the United States. Its impact is felt in every area of civil engineering, both nationally and internationally. This fast-growing area provides courses that enhance the education of students by examining the most recent trends and methods in the management of the construction process. Opportunities are provided through coursework dealing with Building Information Modeling, advanced construction scheduling and estimating, contract administration, productivity analysis, total quality management (TQM), green and sustainable construction, and many other areas that affect the profession.
  2. Structural Engineering The graduate structural engineering program offers a wide variety of courses that provide a strong theoretical and applied background suitable for both practice and research. The structural engineering group has faculty members with a diverse academic background. The faculty employs experimental, numerical, and analytical techniques in their research activities. The research interests within the faculty include: behavior and design of reinforced concrete, analysis and design of steel structures, structural durability, analysis and design of the superstructure and substructure of bridges, finite element analysis, computational mechanics, structural stability, seismic analysis and design, sustainable technologies in concrete, 3D printing and the use of novel materials in extraterrestrial applications.

    Students are given the opportunity to utilize a spectrum of computer facilities, including networked personal computers and workstations. These computers are equipped with the state-of-the-art structural engineering and finite elements software packages. The well-equipped structural and concrete laboratory provides state-of- the-art research tools, data acquisition systems, and compression testing machines. The new state-of-the-art structural facility has strong floor and strong wall, MTS actuators, overhead crane and is designed for small and large scale testing.
  3. Geo-Environmental/Water Resources Engineering This program option meets the growing need for professionals who are well educated in the science and engineering of treatment processes, pollutant transport and our society’s impact and reliance on the environment. The program also addresses the need for more informed decision-making with respect to environmental risks, sustainability, and the global nature of today’s challenges. Graduates from this program are employed by governmental agencies, by consulting companies that specialize in environmental engineering and environmental planning, and by industrial manufacturing companies in pollution prevention or environmental control rules. Funded research from Caterpillar Inc. local water and wastewater municipalities and from regional and national environmental agencies provides an opportunity for graduate students to participate in the research of hazardous waste treatment, biological wastewater treatment, physiochemical treatment, and management models of environmental policies and systems.
  4. Transportation Engineering The transportation industry and the motoring public rely on transportation systems that can move people and goods safely and efficiently. Graduate studies in the transportation focus on planning, design, operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, performance, and evaluation of transportation systems that provide optimal economic and sustainable societal benefits. Areas of emphasis include urban transportation planning, geometric highway design, traffic signal systems, highway safety, traffic flow theory, transportation economics, pavement materials, pavement design and analysis, and infrastructure asset management. Graduates from this program are employed by governmental agencies at the federal, state, county, or city levels and by consulting firms specializing in transportation engineering. Funded research from the Federal Highway Administration, the Illinois Center for Transportation, state and local governmental agencies, and organizations, such as the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association (IAPA), provide opportunities for graduate students to participate in the research of highway and work zone safety, traffic engineering operations, asset management systems, asphalt pavement technologies, and the use of sustainable technologies in infrastructure.

Elective Courses (Optional)

Elective courses are not required for the MSCE degree.  A graduate student may select all 30 semester hours from courses offered in the department (CE and/or CON designated courses). 

A maximum of 12 semester hours may be taken from the following list, in consultation with the Program Coordinator

  • College of Business Courses - Any 500 or 600 level business course that the student satisfies the prerequisite for, subject to consent and approval by the College of Business. This includes courses under the designations of Accounting (ATG), Economics (ECO), Finance (FIN), Management (ML, MIS, IB, ENT), Marketing (MTG), and Quantitative Methods (QM).
  • Computer Science and Information Systems Courses - Any 500 or 600 level computer science and information system course that the student satisfies the prerequisite for, subject to consent and approval by the Computer Science and Information Systems department. This includes courses under the designation of Computer Information System (CIS) and Computer Science (CS).
  • CHM 516 - Environmental Chemistry (3 hours)
  • IME 501 - Engineering Cost Analysis (3 hours)
  • IME 511 – Probability and Statistics for Analytics (3 hours)
  • IME 512 – Regression and Experimental Design (3 hours)
  • IME 514 - Introduction to Operations Research (3 hours)
  • IME 515 - Linear Programming and Extensions (3 hours)
  • IME 522 - Manufacturing Quality Control (3 hours)
  • IME 524 - Six Sigma Theory and Methodologies (3 hours)
  • IME 526 - Reliability Engineering (3 hours)
  • IME 586 - Logistics & Supply Chain Systems (3 hours)
  • IME 587 - Occupational Safety and Health (3 hours)
  • M E 509 - Solar Engineering (3 hours)
  • M E 536 - Industrial Pollution Prevention (3 hours)
  • M E 537 - Building Energy Management (3 hours)
  • M E 556 - Mechanics of Composite Materials (3 hours)
  • M E 577 - Finite Element Methods in Engineering (3 hours)

Engagement and Service Graduate students have numerous opportunities to develop through professional activities such as the student chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Associated General Contractor (AGC) and the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA). These organizations sponsor noted speakers on a variety of topics and provide a forum for interaction between students and industry. In addition, graduate students may become involved with community service projects such as the Bridge Pal program, habitat for humanity, building pocket parks and playgrounds, Illinois River Sweep and others to strengthen their leadership abilities. Ample opportunities also exist for students to present their work in research at symposiums and conferences. 

The departmental advisory board is composed of successful civil engineers and construction leaders. Advisory board members are very active as speakers and outside professional contacts for our students. The university-wide job fair has attracted many companies interested in hiring civil engineers and construction managers. The Smith Career Center is an additional robust resource for students in their job search.

This is the official catalog for the 2022-2023 academic year. This catalog serves as a contract between a student and Bradley University. Should changes in a program of study become necessary prior to the next academic year every effort will be made to keep students advised of any such changes via the Dean of the College or Chair of the Department concerned, the Registrar's Office, u.Achieve degree audit system, and the Schedule of Classes. It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of the current program and graduation requirements for particular degree programs.