The Master of Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering (M.Eng.) at UNH equips you with the expertise to lead sustainable and resilient infrastructure projects. With a focus on areas like environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation and water resources engineering, this program prepares you for a high-impact career. UNH’s innovative initiatives, including the Living Bridge Project and the Stormwater Center, provide hands-on experience and current UNH students can accelerate their path by completing the degree in as little as one year.
Credit Hours: 30 | Courses: 10 | Program Length: 1-2 years
Why get a Master of Engineering in civil engineering?
Earning a M.ENG. degree can be the key to unlocking your full career potential or launching a career as an entrepreneur. In fact, those with an advanced degree in engineering earn $15,000 more annually than those with an undergraduate degree alone. Our program will provide you with the knowledge and experience to advance sustainable civil and environmental infrastructure projects that emphasize public safety and health. You’ll enhance the quality of life for people by providing safe structures such as bridges, highways, skyscrapers, tunnels and dams, and by helping to restore and maintain water quality and the environment.
Why choose UNH’s civil engineering Program?
The civil engineering program offers multiple areas of focus, including environmental, geotechnical, materials, structures, transportation and water resources. The program is on the cutting edge of smart infrastructure technology through the Living Bridge Project, which monitors the structural health of the nearby Memorial Bridge and the characteristics of the Piscataqua River while harnessing the tides to power dozens of sensors. Our department features a variety of laboratories and centers, including the UNH Center for Infrastructure Resilience to Climate, the Coastal Response Research Center and the UNH Stormwater Center. You can earn this coursework-focused degree with no research requirement in as little as one year.
Potential careers
- Civil and environmental engineering
- Design
- Environmental services
- Private consulting
- Project management and construction
- Public regulatory agencies
- Transportation
Curriculum & Requirements
The goal of the Civil and Environmental Engineering program is to elucidate civil and environmental engineering technology by involving students in the design and construction of sustainable infrastructure projects that emphasize safety and public health. Our graduates enhance the quality of life for people both locally and around the world by providing safe structures such as bridges, highways, skyscrapers, tunnels and dams, and by helping to restore and maintain water quality and the environment. Civil Engineering has always been an exciting yet flexible profession filled with opportunities. The Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering requires a concluding experience in addition to coursework.
All master of engineering degree students must complete a minimum of 30 total credits. UNH bachelor’s degree students admitted to the Accelerated Master’s Degree program may register for a maximum of 8 credits of graduate-level courses prior to completing their bachelor's degree. Such courses may upon recommendation of the department and approval of the Graduate School count toward both a bachelor's and master's degree. M.Eng. students are required to complete one of the following options as a concluding experience (as determined by the Master's Committee):
- Option A, Master's Project: Students must complete a 3-credit master’s project (CEE 898 Master's Project Paper) on a civil engineering topic.
- Option B, Oral Exam: Students must complete an oral exam. The oral exam does not count toward the number of required credits.
- Option C, Written Exam: Students must complete a written exam. The written exam does not count toward the number of required credits.
The M.Eng. option is designed to facilitate completion of B.S./M.Eng. civil engineering degrees within five years. M.Eng degree students are not eligible for an assistantship. For graduation, a grade of B- or better in each course, an overall B average (3.00 GPA), and successful completion of one of the above concluding experiences must be achieved.
Specific course requirements vary with focus area within CEE, please refer to the "explore program details" section on our website.
This graduate program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with certain undergraduate degree programs.
General Accelerated Master's policy, note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher grade expectations) compared to the policy.
Please see the Graduate School website and contact the department directly for more information.
- Identify and use advanced mathematical, computational, design, and/or experimental skills to solve complex civil and environmental engineering problems;
- Demonstrate advanced technical knowledge in civil and environmental engineering subject areas (environmental, geotechnical, materials, structural, sustainability, transportation, or water resources);
- Effectively communicate and defend technical ideas, designs, or research results in written and oral form; and
- Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of sustainable engineering solutions in global, social, economic, public policy, and environmental issues.
Deadlines
Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:
- Fall: Feb. 15 (for funding); April 1 (recommended US; final international); July 1 (final)
- Spring: Oct. 15 (for funding); Dec. 1
- Summer: N/A
- Special: N/A
Application fee: $65
Campus: Durham
New England Regional: No
Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)
New Hampshire Residents
Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.
Transcripts
If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC.
If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.
If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:
- Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
- Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.
Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.
Letters of recommendation: 3 required
Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.
GRE Optional
The GRE scores are optional, if you wish to provide scores please email the scores directly to the department once you have submitted your application online.
Personal Statement/Essay Questions
Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:
- Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
- Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.
Important Notes
All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.
International Applicants
Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.
International applicants to this program with low TOEFL scores may be eligible for our Bridge Program.
Explore Program Details
An applicant must have completed a baccalaureate science degree in engineering, mathematics, or science at an accredited college or university. If coursework or laboratory experience is deficient, an admitted student will be required to fulfill, without graduate credit, all undergraduate prerequisites for graduate courses. In some cases, the student's adviser may require additional undergraduate courses in order to achieve a well-integrated program of study. Applicants must submit current scores (within five years) from the general test of the GRE, unless waived by the graduate coordinator (for current UNH undergraduate civil engineering (CIE) or environmental engineering (ENE) majors only).
The graduate level focus areas in the department of Civil & Environmental Engineering include: