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Masters Program - Civil Engineering

The Department of Civil Engineering offers both the thesis and non-thesis option in pursuing a Master of Engineering degree with a concentration in Civil Engineering.  If the thesis option is chosen, the student is required to take 24 credits of course work and six credit of thesis. If the non-thesis option is chosen the student is required to take 30 credits of course work and submit a report from one of the courses.

Completion of the Master of Engineering degree program with a concentration in civil engineering is important for entry into the profession.

Within the civil engineering program, students may elect to pursue specialized study through an appropriate choice of electives in two areas:

  • Structural and Geotechnical Engineering
  • Water Resources and Environmental Engineering

The student must complete a coherent concentration of graduate-level courses approved by the department.

Total Credits: 30

Thesis Requirements

The 30 credits offered for the thesis program degree must satisfy the following distribution:

  • Major: Complete a minimum of 12 credits of graduate level courses in one of the two specialized areas
  • Complete a minimum of 12 further credits of graduate level courses
  • Thesis Project:  6 credits

Cooper alumni enrolling in the thesis program will be awarded a 25% Cooper merit scholarship.

Non-Thesis Requirements

The 30 credits offered for the non-thesis program degree must satisfy the following distribution along with a special project requirement:

  • Major: Complete a minimum of 18 credits of graduate level courses in one of the two specialized areas
  • Complete a minimum of 12 further credits of graduate level courses
  • Non-thesis projects should produce an individual report in a civil engineering graduate course within one of the two specialized areas. The report must include substantial design and research, and take at least 6 weeks to complete.
  • Please refer to this document for detailed guidelines and formatting instructions for the non-thesis project report.

More details can be found at: https://cooper.edu/engineering/curriculum/master. Information about tuition and fees can be found here.

Graduate students with a concentration of civil engineering become equipped with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to solve many problems facing both our built and natural environments. Coursework grounded in the principles of mathematics, structural mechanics, fluid mechanics, soil mechanics, environmental sciences, and computer applications prepares students for careers in structural engineering, construction management, infrastructure rehabilitation, BIM, geotechnical engineering, water resources and environmental engineering.

Graduate level courses in these areas are available to seniors with superior academic records as indicated in the following lists:

Structures and Geotechnical Engineering:

Water Resources and Environmental Engineering:

The civil engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

Employers of our graduates include: Thornton Tomasetti, Arup, Mueser Rutledge, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Skanska, Gilbane, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and the NYC Department of Design and Construction.

Graduate level courses are taught by a combination of full-time faculty members as well as carefully selected adjunct faculty members with a P.E. and years of professional experience within the field of Civil Engineering. Current adjunct professors include chief engineers, senior project managers, directors, senior principal engineers, and senior vice presidents at NYC companies such as Tutor Perini Corporation, WSP, Thornton Tomasetti, MTA and DeSimone among others.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.