Master of Science and Doctoral Degrees

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers the Master of Science degree for students who wish to study a particular research area in greater depth than their undergraduate work provided, and a Doctoral Degree for students who want to conduct in-depth research and pursue a research career in academia or elsewhere. Applications for the Master of Science (S.M.) or Doctoral Degree program are made directly to CEE and should indicate the type of academic and research work the student hopes to pursue.

Areas of Study for a Master of Science Degree

Master of Science Course Requirements

  • 66 course units, at least 42 of which are graduate H-level units.
  • To qualify for a degree with specification, at least 34 of these H-level units must be in civil and environmental engineering subjects.
  • Transfer credit is limited to the equivalent of one MIT subject. An upper-level undergraduate subject (if not used for the undergraduate degree) may be transferred by petition.
  • Please visit the M.S.T. section of our website for information on the degree requirements for that program.

Master of Science Thesis Requirement

  • 24 thesis units, minimum (1.ThG).
  • S.M. Thesis Approval Form (available in the department's Academic Programs Office, Room 1-281). This form must be submitted by the end of the fifth week of the term in which the student first registers for Thesis (1.ThG).
  • If an out-of-department advisor is selected, a thesis reader from CEE must sign the S.M. Thesis Approval Form and the title page of the completed thesis.
  • Please visit the M.S.T. section of our website for information on the thesis requirements for that program.

Leaders for Global Operations

Applicants interested in combining their engineering S.M. with a management degree through the Sloan School of Management may wish to enroll in the Leaders for Global Operations program. The dual-degree program awards an M.B.A. or a Master of Science from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Master of Science from the MIT School of Engineering. The two-year program features a cross-disciplinary curriculum, a global orientation, significant internship opportunities and an emphasis on leadership and teamwork.

Areas of Study for a Doctoral Degree

While the areas of concentration for doctoral study in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are very similar to those of the S.M. degree, doctoral students are encouraged to select a very specific area of concentration, usually within the broader areas of study listed (above) for the Master of Science degree.

Students interested in the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Transportation, which is administered by CEE, should visit that page of our website for information on admissions requirements.

Doctoral Course Requirements

  • 150 total graduate subject units
  • Students in Parsons Lab are required to have five MIT subjects form the basis for the general examination.
  • Students in the Mechanics area need six MIT subjects to form the basis for the general examination.
  • Students in the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Transportation should visit the General Examination in Transportation page (below) for information on the MIT subjects that form the basis for that general examination.
  • Units associated with core program subjects are credited to students who pass the general examination whether or not the subjects were taken at MIT.
  • All subjects used to bring the total units to 150 must be taken for credit at MIT or elsewhere.
  • A maximum of 45 transfer units are allowed.
  • One upper-level undergraduate subject outside the student's major field may be included.
  • For more information on requirements for the Doctoral Degree, please visit the relevant section:

Completion of Degree Requirements

Before the end of the first week of the term in which the student expects to graduate, an Application for Advanced Degree must be completed.

Once the Application for Advanced Degree is on file, the candidate's name will appear on the degree list for that term and the MIT Libraries will provide the student with the publication "Specifications for Thesis Preparation." Please refer to the section on thesis submission for the deadline for submitting your thesis to the CEE Academic Programs Office.

To remove your name from the degree list, email CEE's academic programs administrator, Kris Kipp, and Marti Ward in the Registrar's Office. The student must register for Thesis (1.ThG) and complete a new Application for Advanced Degree in order to graduate the following term.

MIT Bulletin

See the MIT Bulletin course catalog for information on course credit hours.
For course descriptions visit the MIT subjects listing page.

Graduate Policies and Procedures

For detailed information about graduate education at MIT, please consult the online publication "Graduate Policies and Procedures."