Overview
The Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering (CAE) offers a 5-year BS/MS program that allows students to earn both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in civil or architectural engineering.
The educational objectives, specialty areas, and learning outcomes of each Master of Science program are shown in their respective sections MSAE and MSCE.
This 5-Year program is open to students who are admitted to the graduate program at the end of their junior year. Students applying for this program should have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.
Admission Requirements
Undergraduate students of the CAE department having a GPA of 3.0 or better are encouraged to apply to the 5-year BS/MS program during their junior year. Applicants are required to submit official transcripts, and three letters of reference. Admission criteria are described under College of Engineering - Graduate Admission Requirements.
Graduation
Requirements for graduation are:
- Minimum of 30 graduate-level credits with a GPA of at least 3.000, and no grade lower than C; refer to the Curriculum Requirements for details regarding the distribution of the credits
- Completion of the BS degree requirements
Curriculum Requirements
The Program of Study is the student's specific set of coursework that defines the course requirements for graduations and must be approved by an advisory committee (known as the Supervisory Committee). The Program of Study is tailored to the student's background and goals by their advisor, and must be approved as constituting an MS in Civil Engineering by the student's Supervisory Committee.
For the M.S. portion of the curriculum, students must complete a minimum of 30 graduate-level credits with a GPA of at least 3.000, and no grade lower than C. More details on the course group classifications can be found in the CAE Courses section.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BSCE Requirements (124 credits) | ||
| Engineering Courses | ||
| CAE 115 | Introduction to Engineering II: Geospatial Data (Surveying and GIS) | 2 |
| CAE 210 | Mechanics of Solids I | 3 |
| CAE 211 | Mechanics of Solids II | 3 |
| CAE 212 | Structural Laboratory | 1 |
| CAE 310 | Structural Analysis 1 | 3 |
| CAE 320 | Concrete Structures 1 | 3 |
| CAE 321 | Steel Structures 1 | 3 |
| CAE 330 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| CAE 350 | Transportation Engineering I 1 | 3 |
| CAE 361 | Building Information Modeling I | 3 |
| CAE 370 | Geotechnical Engineering I 1 | 3 |
| CAE 371 | Geotechnical Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| CAE 401 | Civil and Architectural Engineering Seminars (Civil and Architectural Engineering Seminars (NEW COURSE)) | 1 |
| CAE 402 | Professional Engineering Practice | 3 |
| CAE 403 | Senior Design Project I - Engineering Design 1 | 3 |
| CAE 430 | Water-Resources Engineering I 1 | 3 |
| CAE 470 | Foundations and Earth Retaining Systems 1 | 3 |
| CET 340 | Introduction to Environmental Engineering 1 | 3 |
| CET 440 | Water Quality Control Systems 1 | 3 |
| ECE 205 | Principles of Electrical Engineering--I | 3 |
| EGN 114 | Global Challenges Addressed by Engineering and Technology | 3 |
| ISE 311 | Applied Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| MAE 303 | Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CEN Tech Elective Course 4 | 3 | |
| CEN Design Electives: | ||
| CAE 530 | Water Resources Engineering II | 3 |
| or CAE 570 | Advanced Foundation Engineering | |
| CAE 520 | Advanced Design of Concrete Structures | 3 |
| or CAE 521 | Advanced Design of Steel Structures | |
| Math and Science Courses | ||
| MTH 151 | Calculus I for Engineers | 5 |
| MTH 162 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MTH 211 | Calculus III | 3 |
| MTH 311 | Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations | 3 |
| CHM 151 | Chemistry for Engineers | 3 |
| CHM 153 | Chemistry Laboratory for Engineers | 1 |
| PHY 221 | University Physics I | 3 |
| PHY 222 | University Physics II | 3 |
| PHY 106 | Physics Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| Basic Science Elective 3 | 3 | |
| General Education Requirements | ||
| Written Communication Skills: | ||
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| WRS 107 | First-Year Writing II: STEM | 3 |
| Quantitative Skills: | ||
| Calculus I for Engineers (fulfilled through the major) | ||
| Areas of Knowledge: | ||
| Arts and Humanities Cognate 2 | 9 | |
| People and Society Cognate 2 | 9 | |
| STEM Cognate (9 credits) (fulfilled through the major) | ||
| MS Requirements (30 credits) | ||
| CAE 604 | Master's Design Project 1,5 | 3 |
| 6 credits from the following Group A electives (700-level lecture-based CAE courses in civil and architectural engineering): | 6 | |
| Theory of Elasticity | ||
| Structural Reliability | ||
| Structural Dynamics | ||
| Fracture Mechanics | ||
| Concrete Materials Science | ||
| Molecular Simulation of Materials | ||
| Risk Management and Resilience | ||
| Construction Project Management | ||
| Control Theory and HVAC Applications | ||
| Advanced Topics | ||
| 9 credits from the Group A electives above or from the following Group B electives (600-level lecture-based CAE Courses in civil and architectural engineering): | 9 | |
| Advanced Structural Analysis | ||
| Advanced Design of Concrete Structures | ||
| Advanced Design of Steel Structures | ||
| Design of Prestressed Concrete Structures | ||
| Design of Masonry Structures | ||
| Timber Structural Systems | ||
| Water Resources Engineering II | ||
| Surface-Water Hydrology | ||
| Ground-Water Hydrology | ||
| Sustainable Construction | ||
| Computer Aided Architecture Engineering Design | ||
| Advanced Foundation Engineering | ||
| Energy-Efficient Building Design | ||
| Building Energy Modeling and Simulation | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| 9 credits from Groups A or B electives above or from Group C electives below (600- or 700-level CAE courses in construction management). A student can also take pre-approved coursework in any UM department at the 600- or 700-level except UMI to satisfy this category. | 9 | |
| Facilities Operation and Management | ||
| Construction Management Seminars | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Construction Accounting and Finance | ||
| Construction Management Capstone Internship | ||
| Advanced Topics in Construction Management | ||
| 3 credits from Groups A and B electives above, or: | 3 | |
Any pre-approved course in any UM department at the 600- or 700-level except UMI | ||
| Special Problems | ||
or CAE 795 | Special Problems | |
| Special Problems | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 154 | |
- 1
Only offered once a year in the semester indicate in the curriculum
- 2
To be selected from the approved lists. Students take a minimum of 3 courses (9 credits) in the AH cognate and 3 courses in the PS cognate (9 credits).
- 3
Basic Science Elective - BIL 150, BIL 160, ECS 111, GSC 110, ATM 102, or MSC 301
- 4
CEN Technical Elective – Any CAE course 300 or above.
- 5
CAE 604 is in lieu of CAE 404
- Notes
- All courses are 3 credit hours unless otherwise indicated
- Master's Thesis (CAE 810) will not count towards the degree requirements
- Courses may not count towards multiple requirements
- The following graduate-level courses in CET (previously offered in CAE) will count as CAE courses: CET 633, CET 640, CET 641, CET 642, CET 643, CET 730, CET 735.
Refer to the Additional Details section (below) for additional options and restrictions.
Transfer of credits from other institutions
- A total of 6 credits of transfer and/or exchange coursework not counted towards the student’s B.S. may be taken at another institution and used to satisfy requirements for the M.S. The number of eligible credits for transfer is 9, when pre-approved coursework is taken as part of a semester abroad experience.
Additional Details
- The classification of courses into their respective Groups can be found in the CAE Courses section.
- Internships, Practical Training, workshops, or other types of practicum are neither required nor optional credit-earning components in the established graduate curriculum (Program of Study). Credit earned through these experiences (such as UMI 605) will not count towards any CAE degree requirements.
- The Supervisory Committee must have a minimum of 3 members, including:
- Committee Chair (Advisor) shall be full-time CAE faculty and a member of the Graduate Faculty
- Full-time or part-time CAE Faculty
- Non-CAE member with an earned PhD
In addition to the Committee Chair, at least one member must be tenured/tenure-earning or a member of the Graduate Faculty.
Plan of Study
The course requirements for the BS and MS portion of the five-year BS/MS program can be met as follows:
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Credit Hours | |
| EGN 114 | Global Challenges Addressed by Engineering and Technology | 3 |
| MTH 151 | Calculus I for Engineers | 5 |
| PHY 221 | University Physics I | 3 |
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| PS Cognate 2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| CAE 115 | Introduction to Engineering II: Geospatial Data (Surveying and GIS) | 2 |
| CAE 210 | Mechanics of Solids I | 3 |
| CHM 151 | Chemistry for Engineers | 3 |
| CHM 153 | Chemistry Laboratory for Engineers | 1 |
| MTH 162 | Calculus II | 4 |
| WRS 107 | First-Year Writing II: STEM | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| CAE 211 | Mechanics of Solids II | 3 |
| CAE 212 | Structural Laboratory | 1 |
| ISE 311 | Applied Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| MTH 211 | Calculus III | 3 |
| PHY 222 | University Physics II | 3 |
| AH Cognate 2 | 3 | |
| PHY 106 | Physics Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| CAE 310 | Structural Analysis 1 | 3 |
| CET 340 | Introduction to Environmental Engineering 1 | 3 |
| ECE 205 | Principles of Electrical Engineering--I | 3 |
| MTH 311 | Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations | 3 |
| AH Cognate 2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| CAE 320 | Concrete Structures 1 | 3 |
| CAE 330 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| CAE 350 | Transportation Engineering I 1 | 3 |
| MAE 303 | Thermodynamics | 3 |
| Basic Science Elective 3 | 3 | |
| PS Cognate 2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 18 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| CAE 321 | Steel Structures 1 | 3 |
| CAE 361 | Building Information Modeling I | 3 |
| CAE 370 | Geotechnical Engineering I 1 | 3 |
| CAE 371 | Geotechnical Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| CAE 430 | Water-Resources Engineering I 1 | 3 |
| CET 440 | Water Quality Control Systems 1 | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| CAE 401 | Civil and Architectural Engineering Seminars | 1 |
| CAE 403 | Senior Design Project I - Engineering Design 1 | 3 |
| CAE 470 | Foundations and Earth Retaining Systems | 3 |
| CAE 530 or 570 | Water Resources Engineering II or Advanced Foundation Engineering | 3 |
| PS Cognate 2 | 3 | |
| Graduate Level Course 5 | 3 | |
| Graduate Level Course 5 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 19 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| CAE 402 | Professional Engineering Practice | 3 |
| CAE 521 or 521 | Advanced Design of Steel Structures or Advanced Design of Steel Structures | 3 |
| CEN Tech Elective Course 4 | 3 | |
| AH Cognate 2 | 3 | |
| CAE 604 | Master's Design Project 6 | 3 |
| Graduate Level Course 5 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 18 | |
| Fifth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Graduate Level Course 5 | 3 | |
| Graduate Level Course 5 | 3 | |
| Graduate Level Course 5 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Graduate Level Course 5 | 3 | |
| Graduate Level Course 5 | 3 | |
| Graduate Level Course 5 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 154 | |
- 1
Only offered once a year in the semester indicate in the curriculum
- 2
To be selected from the approved lists. Students take a minimum of 3 courses (9 credits) in the AH cognate and 3 courses in the PS cognate (9 credits).
- 3
Basic Science Elective - BIL 150, BIL 160, ECS 111, GSC 110, ATM 102, or MSC 301
- 4
CEN Technical Elective – Any CAE course 300 or above.
- 5
Graduate Courses must follow the distribution detailed in the Curriculum Requirements table. More details can also be found in the CAE Courses page.
- 6
CAE 604 is in lieu of CAE 404

