May 15, 2024  
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Master of Science in Civil Engineering


Minimum number of credits required to graduate:  32

Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate:  3.0

 

Program Director: Marc Veletzos, P.E., Ph.D.,

Program Advisors: Sadegh Asgari, Ph.D., Cynthia Carlson, P.E., Ph.D., James Kaklamanos, Ph.D., Seunggu Kang, Ph.D., and Joel Kuszmaul, P.E., Ph.D.

The Master of Science in Civil Engineering reflects the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of the practice of engineering.  The program provides student with the flexibility to design academic programs tailored to their interests, and provides advanced technical knowledge and practical skills for advancement in the civil engineering profession.  It addresses the significant demands for advanced degrees to address society’s civil engineering challenges concerning our environment and infrastructures, including water resources, structures, and geotechnical and transportation systems.

The program is housed in the Laurence J. and Roberta M. Palmisano Hall, home to the School of Science and Engineering.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the College’s requirements, including English proficiency test scores if necessary, applicants must hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering or Civil Engineering Technology from an accredited college or university.  

Applicants who hold a Bachelor of Science in another engineering discipline (i.e. chemical engineering, industrial engineering, etc.) or another closely related field (i.e. chemistry, geology, mathematics, etc.) will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  Such applicants may be required to take additional prerequisite courses, based upon guidance from the faculty advisor, to prepare them for their advanced studies in civil engineering.    

Required Prerequisite Courses

  • Calculus I-III
  • Differential Equations
  • Applied Statistics and Probability
  • Physics I
  • Chemistry I
  • Mechanics I (Statics) and Mechanics of Materials
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Minimum one civil engineering design course

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the Master of Science in Civil Engineering Program at Merrimack College, graduates will:

  • have expert-level knowledge and a high level of competence in applying it within his or her chosen area of engineering;
  • be able to communicate technical challenges, ideas, and results across disciplines and with local communities, managers, and policy makers;
  • understand group dynamics associated with leadership, membership, and peer-to-peer interactions;
  • be able to conduct research from a perspective well-grounded in their chosen area of engineering and with a broad understanding of scientific, engineering, and policy dimensions

Engineering Fellowships 

A limited number of Presidential and Provost Fellowships are available to qualified students. Fellowship applications are accepted annually with a deadline in the spring.  Please refer to website for application details and deadlines. 

Presidential Fellowship

This fellowship provides 100% of a student’s graduate tuition. It includes a non-credit fellowship course and a 25 hour a week unpaid fellowship placement. Please note: 

  • The placement will provide training and experience in the program area in which the student is enrolled and is intended for the educational benefit of the student.
  • Receipt of the fellowship and placement does not create an employment relationship with Merrimack and does not include any wages or monetary remuneration besides the tuition benefit.
  • Presidential Fellowships include primarily on-campus fellowship placements.
  • Students limited to 20 hours a week for the unpaid fellowship (e.g., international students, etc.) will work with the program director/dean to arrange and account for an additional 5-hour-a-week research component that may include (up to 5 hours per week) scheduled meeting time with the respective program director/dean/designated instructor.
  • If you are offered and accept a fellowship position, you will not be eligible for any other discounts or scholarships, including a merit-based Dean scholarship or the Double Warrior alumni scholarship.
  • If you are originally awarded a scholarship and then are given a fellowship placement, you will no longer receive the merit scholarship. The fellowship award will replace any other discounts.

Provost Fellowship

The Provost Fellowship provides half of a student’s graduate tuition. It includes a non-credit fellowship course and a 15 hour a week unpaid fellowship placement. Please note: 

  • This fellowship includes an on-campus fellowship placement.
  • The placement will provide training and experience in the program area in which the student is enrolled and is intended for the educational benefit of the student.
  • Receipt of the fellowship and placement does not create an employment relationship with Merrimack and does not include any wages or monetary remuneration besides the tuition benefit.
  • If you are offered and accept a fellowship position, you will not be eligible for any other discounts or scholarships, including a merit-based Dean scholarship or the Double Warrior alumni scholarship.
  • If you are originally awarded a scholarship and then are given a fellowship placement, you will no longer receive the merit scholarship. The fellowship award will replace any other discounts.

 

Program Requirements


The Master of Science in Civil Engineering requires a total of 32 credit hours and is typically completed with eight (8) four-credit graduate level Civil Engineering Core courses.  This program structure allows maximum flexibility to allow
students to tailor the program to their needs and interests.  Students can transfer in up to two (3 or 4 credit hour) approved graduate courses from a separate institution.  These transfer credits may reduce the required total credit hours to 30.

 

Engineering Management or Business Electives


Students may take up to 12 credits of Engineering Management or Business courses.

Engineering Management Electives

  • GEN 5055 Decision Analysis (4 cr.)
  • GEN 5057 Optimization (4 cr.)
  • GEN 6004 Engineering Project Management (4 cr.)

Note:  Students may take other Science & Engineering graduate courses with Advisor and Department Chair approval.  

 

Business Electives

Students may take up to 8 credit hours of graduate courses with the MGT prefix from the Master of Science in Management program in the Girard School of Business.  Please see elsewhere in the catalog for common MGT courses.