Civil Engineering, M.S.

Admission Requirements

Students must meet the CSU requirements for admission to a master’s degree program. Please consult the Graduate Admissions section in this catalog for complete information. In addition, to qualify for admission with conditionally classified standing, applicants must meet the following departmental requirements:

• Minimum GPA of 2.5 for applicants graduated from domestic (U.S.) institutions with undergraduate degrees in engineering or computer science
• Minimum GPA of 2.5 for applicants graduated from ABET-accredited international institutions with undergraduate degrees in engineering or computer science
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 for applicants graduated from domestic (U.S.) institutions with undergraduate degrees other than engineering or computer science
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 for applicants with undergraduate degrees from non-ABET accredited international institutions

Applicants meeting these requirements will be admitted to the graduate program in Civil Engineering and will advance to classified standing immediately after filing an adviser-approved study plan in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department office. Students not meeting the above requirements may be admitted and will be required to take additional prerequisite coursework.

Any student entering the M.S. degree program without a B.S. in Civil Engineering will be required to complete deficiency courses prior to beginning coursework for the master’s degree. All deficiency courses must be completed before the final semester of coursework.

Students who possess a bachelor’s degree from a postsecondary institution where English is not the principal language should submit a TOEFL/IELTS/PET score (minimum score: TOEFL Internet 80/Paper 550, IELTS 6.5 or PTE 58). The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department does not require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

Application Deadlines

Refer to: fullerton.edu/ecs for application information.

Classified Standing

Students will be advanced to classified standing and are eligible to take graduate courses for which they are qualified by meeting the following requirements.

1. Complete all deficiency work specified by the graduate adviser with a “B-” (2.7) or better before starting graduate courses (unless approved by the chair);
2. meet with an adviser prior to completing 13 units toward the M.S. degree at CSUF to develop a study plan, which must be approved by the department chair and Office of Graduate Studies; and
3. fulfill the university writing requirement prior to completing nine units at CSUF toward the M.S. Degree by successfully completing one of the following:

• An upper-division writing requirement at any CSU campus
• An upper-division writing course from another university that is equivalent to a course satisfying the CSUF Upper-Division Writing Requirement. Equivalency must be certified by the department chair
• Cal State Fullerton Examination in Writing Proficiency (EWP)
• CSUF upper-division or graduate-level course that is certified as meeting the writing requirement and is approved by the department chair. A grade of “C” (2.0) or better is required.

Study Plan

The study plan consists of adviser-approved upper-division or graduate-level coursework, which must be completed with an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0. At least half the units required for the degree must be in approved graduate (500-level) courses.

Culminating Experience

Subject to approval by the department head, students may select one of the following three options for final review by a department committee:

1. Comprehensive examination
2. EGCE 598  -  Thesis (1-6)  
3. EGCE 597 - Graduate Projects (1-6)  

Students enrolling in less than six units of Independent Study/Thesis/Project will be required to take a comprehensive examination. Students enrolling in six units of thesis or project may defend their thesis or project instead of taking a comprehensive exam.