The CEE Graduate Programs
Many things in our
surroundings have been planned and designed by civil engineers. As a
civil engineer, you may be involved in the planning of such diverse
projects as residential and commercial buildings, urban renewal and
development projects, transportation systems, water and waste-disposal
systems, dams, power plants, harbors, offshore facilities, coastal
protection structures, flood, and pollution-control systems, and even
the design of space vehicles. As you work to control and improve our
environment, you may often find yourself teamed with scientists and
engineers from other disciplines.
Civil engineering has been offered at GW for more than 100 years. We
update courses frequently so you can immerse yourself in the latest
knowledge and advances in the field, developing a strong analytical
background and a foundation in the design of systems.
Implementing numerical techniques coupled with the use of personal
computers, computer workstations, and mainframe computers, you analyze
large and complex civil engineering systems. Beginning with a strong
foundation in fundamentals, you select courses of study that enable you
to specialize in a selected area.
Environmental engineers must combine knowledge and techniques from many
different disciplines with the civil engineer's purview over water,
soil, and public works facilities to achieve environmentally compatible
design and construction.
GW's environmental engineering programs explore solutions to problems
in the protection and control of the environment. In these programs,
you develop an understanding of numerical techniques, a strong
analytical background, and an awareness of the many considerations and
potential problems in design. In consultation with your advisor, you
develop an individual program of study, which may include
multidisciplinary study in other departments in the University.
The Master of Science Degree Program
Because many
technologically related problems facing society today bring multiple
disciplines into their solutions, Civil and Environmental
Engineering graduate programs at the School of Engineering and
Applied Science (SEAS) are flexible.
In the thesis option, you complete 24 credit hours plus 6 credit hours
of thesis research. In the nonthesis option, you complete at least 33
credit hours with a 3.0 GPA.
Admissions Requirements
- Undergraduate
degree in engineering, physical sciences, or applied mathematics from
an accredited university.
- GPA of 3.0/4.0
for the last two years of undergraduate study.
Areas of Concentration
Engineering Mechanics
Courses in this
concentration teach you to develop and apply means of describing and
predicting the mechanical behavior of materials (crystalline and
polycrystalline metals, insulators, semiconductors, amorphous
materials, and composites) and structures (individual elements or the
whole of machine, spacecraft, bridge, or other structure) in their
interaction with physical environments. The study of engineering
mechanics allows you to draw on the resources of the GW Departments of
Physics and Chemistry, while featuring concentrated study of:
- Mechanics of continua with emphasis on solids
- Science of materials and materials behavior
- Applied mathematical analysis
- Numerical and finite element analysis
Environmental Engineering
This program is
designed to provide students with the fundamentals and knowledge about
the various specializations within environmental engineering.
These include among others, water, wastewater, hazardous wastes,
industrial wastes and pertinent regulatory requirements. The
students are given a broad overview of each area, which enables them to
select specific areas for advanced study, if they should choose to do
so. In this program, the students have to take a number of required
courses, along with courses selected from the following subject areas:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes
- Advanced Sanitary Engineering Design
- Industrial Waste Treatment
- Hazardous Waste Management
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Environmental Microbiology
- Advanced Treatment Processes
Geotechnical Engineering
The main goal in this
area of concentration is to provide essential tools for civil engineers
who want to specialize in foundation engineering, rock mechanics, and
soil mechanics. A variety of courses in the theoretical and practical
aspects of geomechanics are available. Students are trained to
undertake the analysis and design of such geotechnical structures as
earth dams, embankments, and abutments. The program also provides the
knowledge necessary to design geo-environmental structures such as
landfills and general infrastructure systems constructed on or in
geomaterials. Some of the main topics covered in this area are:
- Theoretical soil mechanics
- Groundwater and seepage
- Physicochemical aspects of soil behavior
- Foundation engineering
- Geotechnical earthquake engineering
- Finite element methods in solid mechanics
- Rock mechanics
- Environmental geotechnology
- Soil dynamics
Structural Engineering
This area enables you
to specialize in computer-aided structural design or structural
dynamics. You develop specialized methods to analyze the effects of the
environment, large-scale human occupancy, heavy traffic, and various
types of dynamic excitation on the infra-and super-structures of
complex building and bridge systems. You'll focus on topics such as:
- Reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete
design
- Metal structure design with emphasis on steel
structures>
- Soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering
- Advanced mechanics and materials science
- Composite materials
- Analysis of plates and shells
- Vibration and stability analysis
- Structural analysis
- Probabilistic methods and random vibrations
- Numerical and finite element methods
- Computer applications
Transportation Engineering
This program offers a
focused and comprehensive study of vehicle crashworthiness including
finite element modeling, occupant safety, restraint systems, government
regulations, injury analysis, and crash test analysis. Students will
utilize all the facilities at the NCAC including the Crash Film
Library, supercomputers and workstations, commercial and public domain
crash codes, crash test databases and files, and the Vehicle
Digitization Laboratory.
Students are required to complete the following courses:
- Crash Investigation and Analysis
- Biomechanics
- Vehicle Standards and Crash Test Analysis
- Vehicle Dynamics
- Finite Element Methods in Engineering
Mechanics
- Advanced Finite Element Methods
- Advanced Strength of Materials
- Deformation and Failure of Materials
- Numerical Methods in Engineering
- Computational Methods and High Performance
Computing
- Analytical Methods in Engineering
- Statistical Data Analysis
For additional
information, please see the Graduate Program at
The National
Crash Analysis Center.
Water Resources Engineering
In
this area, you deal with the increasingly complex problem of planning
and designing sustainable physical systems for water storage, delivery,
and utilization. You develop special skills needed to design water
supplies for domestic, industrial, and agricultural use; flood hazard
mitigation; control of rivers for navigation, water conveyance, flood
control, and recreation; and manage soil loss from watersheds and its
impact on waterways and storage dams. You follow a program of required
courses specific to this area and a carefully selected list of courses
covering topics such as:
- Open channel flow
- Groundwater and seepage
- Advanced hydrology
- Water resources planning and control
- Hydraulic engineering
- Design of dams
- Ocean and coastal engineering
- Pollution transport systems
- Sedimentation engineering
- Mechanics of alluvial channels
- Hydraulic modeling
- Numerical methods in water resources
engineering
The Professional Degree
Program:
Applied Scientist or Engineer
The professional degree
program is designed for individuals who want in-depth study in their
field beyond a master's degree, but who want to concentrate on applied
subject material rather than on basic science. This post-master's
program provides advanced study in preparation for pragmatic
application and leads to the degree of Engineer or of Applied
Scientist. In addition to the requirements listed in Graduate Programs
Bulletin, you plan and undertake a six credit-hour design project or
prepare a comprehensive technical report demonstration your ability to
make independent use of the knowledge you have acquired.
The Doctor of Science Degree Program
The Doctor of Science
program is designed for individuals who want to focus on careers in
creative scholarship or research. You acquire a broad but balanced
background combined with guidance in research. The two-stage program
begins with course work in your general area of original research
project that is documented in a dissertation and defended in a final
examination.
Financial Assistance
You
may be eligible for financial assistance in the form of a research
assistantship for specialized work under a sponsored research contract.
Aid consists of a tuition award and a stipend. Often, thesis and
dissertation research is conducted as an integral part of the
assistantship. In addition, as a graduate engineering student, you may
apply for a cooperative education position, which is a salaried,
professional employment academic program.
Research Opportunities
An important objective of
the graduate program is to encourage research. Join the faculty in
exploring research topics such as geotechnics, environmental and
structural engineering, solid mechanics and materials engineering,
water resources, and computer-aided design. In addition, employment
possibilities at government laboratories, in local and federal
government agencies, and with contractors in the Washington area offer
you exciting opportunities to interact with experts in engineering and
science.
Research Institutes and Centers
University Policy on
Equal Opportunity
The George Washington
University does not unlawfully discriminate against any person on the
basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age handicap,
veteran status, or sexual orientation. This policy covers all programs,
services, policies, and procedures of the University, including
admissions to education programs and employment. The University is
subject to the District of Columbia Human Rights Law.
Inquiries concerning the application of this policy and federal laws
and regulations regarding discrimination in education or employment
programs and activities may be addressed to Susan B. Kaplan, Associate
Vice President for Human Resources, The George Washington University,
Washington, D.C. 20052, (202) 994-6503, or to the Assistant Secretary
for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education.
Disabled individuals who require special information may direct
inquiries to Disabled Student Services, (202) 994-8250 (TDD/voice).
Inquiries
For more information,
please contact the
Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Top
of Page |