Masters Programs
excellence through experience
With a reputation for high-quality academics, an emphasis on experiential learning, and a focus on mentorship and professional development, Cal Poly’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is a great place to pursue your graduate education.
Learning Objectives
The M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering program enables our graduates to:
- Apply and synthesize technical knowledge to provide solutions to advanced Civil and Environmental Engineering challenges.
- Demonstrate the ability for lifelong learning necessary for the constantly evolving nature of engineering design and practice.
- Effectively communicate technical information orally and in writing.
- Demonstrate independent thinking and decision making skills.
- Integrate ethical and professional components into the solutions of complex engineering problems.
- Evaluate engineering systems for sustainable performance and create solutions to encompass a project’s full lifecycle.
Degree Options
Cal Poly’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department offers unique flexibility so you can tailor your master’s curriculum to your goals. We have TWO options for pursuing an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering: the thesis option and the coursework option.
The thesis option includes a research-based experience under the guidance of a faculty advisor.
The coursework-based program includes a culminating project and comprehensive exam in place of a thesis.
Admission Requirements
For admission as a graduate student, an applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a closely related physical science with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 90 quarter units (60 semester units).
An applicant who meets these standards but lacks prerequisite coursework may be admitted as a conditionally classified student and must make up any deficiencies before advancement to graduate standing.
Information pertaining to specific requirements for admission to graduate standing (classified or conditionally classified) may be obtained from the Graduate Program Coordinator, Rebekah Oulton.
How to Apply
- Go to Cal State Apply for the online application.
- You will need to provide your official transcript, a statement of purpose describing your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree and preferred area of study, and contact information for three references.
- Details of the program can be found in the Cal Poly Catalog.
- The GRE is not required, but scores may be submitted if you feel they will strengthen your application.
- Once your application has been submitted you will receive an email confirmation from Cal Poly confirming that your application has been received.
- Your application is later loaded into the student database and you will be emailed instructions on accessing Cal Poly’s university portal: MyCalPoly. Applicants should access MyCalPoly to view further application requirements and admission status.
- For questions regarding Cal State Apply or MyCalPoly, you may contact the Admissions Office.
- If you need help through the application process, we’ve created a Graduate Applicant Tips Guide to help you.
- Application deadline can be found here.
Details of the program can be found in the Cal Poly Catalog.
Admitted students will work directly with an advisor to develop a graduate program of study.
Contact Information
Questions should be directed to the Graduate Program Coordinator, Rebekah Oulton (roulton@calpoly.edu).
How to Apply
- Complete our online application which includes:
- Unofficial transcripts
- Statement of purpose
- 3 letters of recommendation, including one from your intended research advisor.
Deadline
- Friday of the first week in the quarter before you want to be in the system (e.g. if you are graduating in the spring, then the end of the first week of winter is your deadline).
Admission Requirements
Applicants need to:- Be pursuing a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cal Poly.
- Have a GPA > 3.0 in the last 90 units to be considered.
- Have worked out a research plan with a faculty member in the Department prior to applying.
- Be within 2 to 3 quarters of graduating.
- All lower-division coursework (including lower division GEs and American Institution courses), as well as the GWR, must be completed prior to acceptance to the BMS program.
Contact Information
Questions should be directed to the Graduate Program Coordinator, Rebekah Oulton (roulton@calpoly.edu).The Transportation Planning specialization is a joint interdisciplinary program between the College of Engineering (Civil and Environmental Engineering Department) and the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (City and Regional Planning Department). Participation in the program requires enrollment in both colleges.
Participants completing the program are awarded both the Master of City and Regional Planning and the MS Engineering degrees, each with a specialization in Transportation Planning.
Students come from a diversity of undergraduate backgrounds, which include professionals returning for advanced degrees. The program combines the elements of transportation planning with city and regional planning to address a need for professionals who understand the technology of transportation planning and the importance of transportation within the urban environment. The applied aspects of the curriculum enable students to integrate knowledge and skills in hands-on projects that benefit communities.
Details of the program can be found in the Cal Poly Catalog.
Admission Requirements
Applicants for admission are expected to:
- Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college,
- Have attained a grade point average of 3.0 in last 90 units of undergraduate work.
- Give indications of motivation, maturity, and high standards of academic involvement through work and references (three letters required) and submission of a project or paper demonstrating writing ability,
- Once your application has been submitted you will receive an email confirmation from Cal Poly confirming that your application has been received.
- Your application is later loaded into the student database and you will be emailed instructions on accessing Cal Poly’s university portal: MyCalPoly. Applicants should access MyCalPoly to view further application requirements and, later, the admission status.
- If you need help through the application process, we’ve created a Graduate Applicant Tips Guide to help you
Applicants lacking prerequisites or other background requirements for classified standing may be admitted on a conditionally classified basis, depending on the results of an individual analysis of their applications.
Prerequisites
Applicants must have satisfactorily completed courses that cover the following or equivalent subject areas:
- CE 321 Fundamentals of Transportation Engineering and CRP 435 Transportation Theory
- COMS 101 Public Speaking
- ECON 201 Survey of Economics or ECON 222 Macroeconomics
- ENGL 148 Reasoning, Argumentation, and Professional Writing or ENGL 149 Technical Writing for Engineers
- MATH 142 Calculus II
- PHYS 141 General Physics IA
- STAT 312 Statistical Methods for Engineers or STAT 321 Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists
How to Apply
- Go to Cal State Apply for the online application.
- Once your application has been submitted you will receive an email confirmation from Cal Poly confirming that your application has been received.
- Your application is later loaded into the student database and you will be emailed instructions on accessing Cal Poly’s university portal: MyCalPoly. Applicants should access MyCalPoly to view further application requirements and, later, the admission status.
- For questions regarding Cal State Apply or MyCalPoly, you may contact the Admissions Office.
- If you need help through the application process, we’ve created a Graduate Applicant Tips Guide to help you.
Contact Information
College of Engineering
Engineering Bldg. (13), Room 266
Phone: 805.756.2131
City and Regional Planning
Architecture & Environmental Design Bldg. (05), Room 313
Phone: 805.756.1315
https://planning.calpoly.edu
FAQs
This PDF contains updated information about the graduate program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cal Poly.
CE/ENVE graduate program coordinator
rebekah oulton
Graduate Program Coordinator
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Email: roulton@calpoly.edu
Phone: 6-1367