Infrastructure Materials Engineering

Master of Science Degree – Infrastructure Materials Engineering

The M.S. degree program with an emphasis in Infrastructure Materials Engineering (IME) is intended to provide students with a strong background in infrastructure materials for careers in the design of new sustainable materials and efficient use of conventional materials for infrastructure applications, forensics and repair.  The program permits considerable flexibility in the selection of courses and participation in research experiences, thereby allowing students to tailor the M.S. program according to their background and educational objectives.

Entering M.S. students in IME are expected to have already completed at least one lower division undergraduate course in engineering materials.  If this is not the case, the student is expected to correct the deficiency as soon as possible in their M.S. program by taking CE 324P Properties and Behavior of Engineering Materials. This course cannot be counted towards fulfillment of coursework requirements for the M.S. degree. The student is responsible for developing a suitable program of coursework and research in consultation with a faculty advisor in IME.

The M.S. degree includes both coursework requirements and opportunities for research. To provide flexibility in balancing the emphasis between coursework and research in their M.S. program, students can choose from one of the following M.S. degree options: Thesis Option, Graduate School Report Option, Departmental Report Option, or Coursework Only Option. Students are not required to choose among the four degree options at the time of initial enrollment in the M.S. program. Students should discuss the degree options with a faculty advisor.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree – Infrastructure Materials Engineering

The Ph.D. program with an emphasis in Infrastructure Materials Engineering is highly flexible to accommodate a wide range of student educational objectives and research interests. Overall, however, the Ph.D. program demands very high standards of scholarship from students. Students are expected to develop both great depth and breadth in their knowledge and to conduct research that is a significant and original contribution at the frontiers of knowledge. The program is intended to prepare students for careers in teaching and research in academia or careers in research and advanced engineering applications in industry.

The Doctor of Philosophy is a research degree, and conducting high quality original research represents the most fundamental requirement of the degree. The Ph.D. degree also requires the completion of significant coursework beyond the M.S., conducting independent research leading to the preparation of a dissertation, and completion of major examinations including a coursework-based oral qualifying exam after the first year and a research-based comprehensive exam (dissertation proposal) after the second year. There is no specific minimum number of courses required for the Ph.D. degree. Nonetheless, Ph.D. students are expected to take a significant number of courses to develop breadth and depth in their knowledge and to prepare them to conduct independent research. Courses should be selected by the student in consultation with their Research Supervisor and their Dissertation Committee.

Examples of courses commonly chosen in the IME major area

CE 391Q Bituminous Materials

CE 393 Advanced Concrete Materials

CE 393C Experimental Methods in Cement Chemistry

CE 393N Novel Structural Materials

CE 397 Advanced Characterization of Bituminous Materials

CE 397 Characterization of Viscoelastic Materials

CE 397 Concrete Durability

CE 397 Evaluation, Materials, and Techniques for Concrete Repair

CE 397 Advanced Concrete Processing

CE 397 Sustainable Materials

CE 383P Prestressed Concrete

CE 391P Pavement Design

ARE 345K Masonry Engineering

ARE 362L Structural Design in Wood

ME 349 Corrosion Engineering

ME 378P Properties and Applications of Polymers

ARC 385T Materials Conservation: Field Methods (or Laboratory Methods)