Courses
Civil Engineering
5048. Probability and Statistics in Engineering (3 s.h.)
This course is designed to build a conceptual background in probability, statistics, and stochastic analysis. It prepares the graduate student for research in uncertainty analysis and stochastic models in engineering. It begins by building a solid integrated background on the subjects that conform uncertainty analysis in engineering: probability, statistics, and stochastic modeling. The theory is complemented with numerous exercises of application in engineering uncertainty analysis, and with computer simulations using modern computer algebra software, such as MAPLE. Students are gradually taken to more advanced subjects and eventually to the analysis of differential equations subject to random initial conditions, random forcing terms, and random parameters. Partial differential equations and nonlinear stochastic equations are treated.
5201.
Transportation Systems Management (3 s.h.)
This course covers cost-effective techniques for the rebuilding of deteriorated transportation systems; pavement management and traffic systems management; and extensive use of advanced computer software packages.
5202. Transportation Engineering (3 s.h.)
This course focuses on the principal modes of transportation, including highway, rail, and air; analysis of elements of transport technology; and transportation system development, planning, design, construction, and maintenance.
5203. Structural Design of Pavements (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: CE 3331.
This course covers basic characteristics of different pavement structures; various modes of failure and design of pavement structures; identification and analysis of stresses; strains and deflections in flexible and rigid pavements; computation of traffic loading and volume for the structural design of pavements; engineering properties of pavement materials; pavement performance and distress; and empirical and mechanistic-empirical approaches.
5211. Bridge Design (3 s.h.)
This course covers bridge design in structural steel and reinforced concrete; application of AASHTO bridge design specifications; and analysis techniques for complex structures. Preliminary designs include investigating alternative structural systems and materials. Final designs include preparation of design calculations and sketches.
5212. Transportation Engineering Materials (3 s.h.)
Topics include physical properties of asphalt, aggregates, portland cement, portland cement concrete, and their combinations; advanced techniques in material characterization in the lab and field; material variability, sampling, and statistical techniques; the impact of these properties on their characterization of the design, construction, rehabilitation, and management of transportation facilities, including portland cement concrete pavements with steel reinforcement; construction methodologies, recycling, and energy consideration; and application of state-of-the-art computer software packages.
5221. Intelligent Transportation Systems (3 s.h.)
Coverage embraces the multidimensional upgrades needed for highways and vehicles for developing intelligent transportation systems. Contributions from important related fields such as telecommunications, safety, management, urban and regional planning, and economics where they interface with transport are included. Several case studies constitute an integral part of the course.
5241. Pavement Management and Traffic Systems Management (3 s.h.)
This course covers development of management methods for analysis, planning, design, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation of pavements and traffic systems. The objective functions include creation of more efficient use of existing facilities through improved management and operation of vehicles and roadways.
5301. Construction Administration (3 s.h.)
This course focuses on the engineering and construction industry; the basis of construction contracting; organizational structure and its functions; management structure and its functions; office administration, employment practices, and labor relations; organizational financing and accounting; and safety practices, risk management, and industrial insurance.
5302. Engineering Project Management (3 s.h.)
This course provides an overview of the basic principles underlying all methods of project management, including project estimating, planning and scheduling, budgeting, cost accounting and cost control, project documentation, tracking, and resource levelling. It also focuses on utilization of project management software packages for selected civil engineering projects; different types of projects; organization of project management functions; setting up the project team; starting up and managing engineering projects; and ensuring effective completion of the project on time, within budget, and to meet specifications.
5303. Construction Financial Management (3 s.h.)
Coverage includes project development in construction, project budgeting and job costing approaches, cost management and financing alternatives, evaluation of financial and accounting objectives required with each project, forecasting cash needs and profit, and financial reporting procedures.
5312. Construction Equipment Management (3 s.h.)
This course focuses on the concepts and theories of construction equipment operation, ownership costs, and their relationship to production systems; analysis of depreciation and fixed costs for equipment pricing on construction projects; selection and use of construction equipment; and equipment economics and financing.
5321. Geotechnical Engineering (3 s.h.)
This course deals with soil testing, site investigation, design of shallow and deep foundations, earth retaining structures, and advanced topics in soil behavior and stability.
5411. Structural CADD Systems (3 s.h.)
Topics include behavior and analysis of simple and complex structures subjected to dynamic loads; using exact and approximate analytical techniques; determination of free response and force response using modal superposition and numerical integration; review of the characteristics of earthquakes with consideration of site and structural parameters on the response of buildings; and application of analysis and design procedures required to achieve earthquake-resistant structures in accordance with building code specifications.
5421. Structural Dynamics (3 s.h.)
This design course addresses developments in theory and practice of earthquake engineering. It familiarizes students with new techniques of analysis and seismic design. Students learn advanced concepts in applied mathematics, especially structural dynamics and application of seismic building and bridge codes. Familiarity with differential equations, matrix methods of analysis, non-linear equations, eigenvalue solutions, and finite elements modeling are required. Students are instructed to learn and apply new software for dynamic analysis. Laboratory work includes the study of experimental models such as for bridge piers (frames, walls, and hammerhead columns) using an MTS machine for applying dynamic loads.
5431. Behavior and Design of Steel Structures (3 s.h.)
The design objective for this course is to develop within the student an awareness of the fundamentals required to produce safe, functional, and economical steel structures, which are in conformance with national building codes and industry specifications and standards. This is an advanced course in structural engineering intended to develop professional-level competence in the design of steel-framed buildings, utilizing the most up-to-date design code.
5432. Structural Mechanics (3 s.h.)
Topics include principles of mechanics and stress and strain at a point; analysis of statically determinate and indeterminate structures with static and moving loads using energy methods and force and deformation methods; beam theory, shear center, unsymmetrical bending, introduction to numerical methods, and computer techniques; and introduction to the use of the GT-STRUDAL and ANSYS computer programs.
5433. Behavior and Design of Masonry Structures (3 s.h.)
Coverage includes the fundamental principles of masonry behavior and design. In this course, up-to-date information about material testing, research methodology in the area of masonry structures, and codes are presented. The first part of the course presents the fundamental behavior and characteristics of masonry materials and masonry assemblages, the deformational characteristics of brick and block masonry, performance of load-bearing wall systems and shear wall systems, the design of unreinforced and reinforced masonry elements, and the construction details of masonry structures. The second part of the course concentrates on the seismic resistance of masonry structures, prestressed masonry, and applied design of low and high-rise buildings.
5621. Engineering Hydrology (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: ENGR 3553 and MATH 2043.
Quantifying water flow in watersheds is a crucial step in the design of environmental facilities, such as drinking water treatment plants, and in delineating floodplains. This course deals with the water cycle over watersheds by addressing the motion of water masses in the atmosphere and in surface and subsurface systems. Students who successfully pass this class are able to deal with most hydrology problems treated in the industry sector.
5622. Fate of Pollutants in Subsurface Environments (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: CHEM 1031/1033 and GEO 8411.
This course focuses on integrated chemical, physical, and microbiological principles of contaminant fate and transport processes necessary in the use of engineered approaches toward selecting and implementing subsurface cleanup options. It also covers abiotic processes, biotic processes, empirical models, and vulnerability mapping.
5623. Near-Surface Environmental Systems (3 s.h.)
Environmental systems near the air, water, and water sediment interfaces are exceptionally important to aquatic ecosystem functioning. This course covers gas exchange across the air:water interface in rivers and lakes as well as the solute exchange across the water:sediment interface. It is here that steep gradients in chemical concentration can be found and significant nutrient cycling occurs. The course also discusses the concept of transient storage and hyporheic exchange; issues surrounding modeling of transient storage and hyporheic exchange; phosphorus and nitrogen biogeochemistry within the hyporheic zone; and biotic/abiotic nutrient cycling.
5631. Environmental Hydrology (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: MATH 1042 and PHYSICS 1061.
Topics include the physics of surface and subsurface circulation; storage of water; the transport of contaminants in watersheds, soils, aquifers, rivers, the ocean, and the atmosphere; and the laws and equations that govern the recharge, flow, storage, and discharge of water in natural environments. Emphasis is given to qualitative analysis and quantitative evaluation methods of the different hydrologic processes with potential applications in surface and groundwater resources engineering. Environmental analysis is also covered. Analytical and numerical procedures to solve the arising equations are presented, along with the most commonly used models to solve water resource problems. Also studied are engineering methods for the sustainable use of water resources; engineering methods for the containment and treatment of surface and groundwater pollution; and the restoration of aquifers.
5641. Urban Streams and Stormwater Management (3 s.h.)
Stormwater management has become a significant issue in recent years. In the past, the typical thinking was "get it out of my town," which resulted in downstream communities suffering the brunt of poor or inadequate management. In fact, only the rate of runoff was addressed, not the volume nor the quality of that runoff. In urban areas, the volume of runoff increases significantly due to additional impervious cover (e.g., pavement and rooftops), and urban stormwater runoff causes water quality degradation due to excess amounts of nutrients, metals, bacteria, and sediment. This course addresses the impact of improperly controlled runoff on urban streams and how the rate, volume, and quality of urban stormwater runoff can be properly controlled through appropriate Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation.
5701. Physical Principals of Environmental Systems (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: ENGR 3553 and MATH 2043.
This course covers basic principles of process engineering as they relate to pollution control, including heat and mass transfer; mixing, chemical, and biological reactions; and reaction and kinetics.
5702. Chemical Principles of Environmental Systems (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: CHEM 1031/1033 and MATH 1041.
This course focuses on the essential chemical principles necessary to understand the nature of commonly occurring pollution problems and engineering approaches to their solutions. Covered are thermodynamics, chemical equilibria, acid-base chemistry, carbonate system, Redox chemistry, and adsorption/desorption phenomena.
5703. Mathematical Modeling (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: ENGR 3553 and MATH 2043.
This introductory graduate course focuses on numerical modeling of engineering systems. It covers standard mathematical techniques, such as interpolation, numerical integration, numerical solutions of ordinary and partial differential equations, parameter estimation, and optimization. Students use an algorithmic programming language, such as MATLAB, Fortran, or C++.
5711. Air Pollution Control (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: CHEM 1031/1033 and MATH 1042.
Topics include theory and principles of the design and operation of the major categories of air pollution control equipment and an introduction to dispersion modeling. An extensive design problem is a major course component.
5731. Solid Wastes Engineering (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: CHEM 1031/1033.
Coverage includes engineering principles of solid waste generation; characterization; collection and transport; separation; source reduction and recycling; and physical, chemical, and biological treatment strategies.
5771. Chemistry for Environmentally Sustainable Engineering (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: CHEM 1031/1033.
This course is a survey of environmental chemistry as it relates to the development of environmentally sustainable engineered systems.
5772. Sustainable Development and Industrial Ecology (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: ENGR 3553 and MATH 2043.
As an introduction to the concepts of industrial ecology and sustainability, the course focuses on an interdisciplinary framework for the design and operation of industrial systems as living systems interdependent with natural systems.
5792. Biological Principles of Environmental Systems (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: ENGR 3553 and MATH 2043.
Applications of biological processes in environmental engineering are historic and eminently modern, from traditional ones like activated sludge and anaerobic digestion to emerging applications like detoxification of hazardous chemicals and biofiltration of drinking water. This course is designed to identify the biological principles essential for the understanding and designing of biological processes used for environmental protection and improvement. While many biological processes are being employed and developed by environmental engineers, the standard civil engineering curriculum does not allow for detailed discussion of the underlining principles and their applications. This course emphasizes the comprehension of theoretical concepts and their application in a variety of situations. It covers the fundamental biological principles by their practical applications in engineered and natural environments.
5799. Environmental Engineering (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: CHEM 1031/1033 and MATH 1041.
This course focuses on the generation, transport, effects, and control of environmental pollution within and across media, as well as problem analysis and control design. Theoretical development is augmented with applications of state-of-the-art software packages. Students complete a term project.
8302. Advanced Project Management (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: CE 5301 and CE 5302.
This course covers analysis of project control, job budgeting and costing, safety and risk management, bidding strategies and management, construction information management, and case studies of construction projects and company profiles.
8703. Computer Modeling of Environmental Transport (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: ENGR 3553 and MATH 2043.
Topics include theory and computer modeling of transport and diffusion within and across media. Models are also applied to problems of air, water, and soil pollution with case studies.
8751. Water and Wastewater Systems Design (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: CHEM 1031/1033, ENGR 3553, and MATH 2043.
This course covers the design of water distribution and sewage handling facilities, including sewers, pumping stations, seepage beds, septic tanks, spray irrigation, and natural treatment systems, such as overload and swamp treatment.
9991.
Directed Research (1-6 s.h.)
Under the guidance of a faculty member, the student conducts independent research on a selected topic in engineering.
A project is assigned with the approval of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Committee and conducted under the supervision of a graduate faculty advisor. An oral presentation in an open seminar and a written report are required to complete the independent project. Projects related to industrial applications are encouraged. For non-thesis students only.
Master's thesis. May be taken twice.
Updated 6.14.10