Benefit from hands-on learning, state-of-the-art research, flexible course offerings and multiple program options that align with your career goals through our Master's in Civil Engineering.

Master's in Civil Engineering

Elevate your career with a degree that aligns with industry demands with our Master's in Civil Engineering. Whether you're passionate about sustainable infrastructure, transportation systems, structural engineering or environmental protection, this program will provide the skills and knowledge to lead in this growing and dynamic field.

At UMass Lowell, you'll benefit from an interdisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes practical, real-world problem-solving and prepares you for leadership roles in civil engineering. Choose from specialized options in environmental, geoenvironmental, geotechnical, structural, and transportation. 

The program offers flexibility, allowing you to complete coursework in the evening, on-campus, online, part-time and full-time. Students interested in completing their degree entirely remotely may do so through the online structural and online geotechnical options, which are offered in the online HyFlex format.

Master's in Civil Engineering Curriculum

The Master of Science in Engineering in Civil Engineering degree requires successful completion of 30 credit hours of course work, or 24 credit hours of instruction and a publishable thesis, or 27 hours of course work and preparation of a project report. For a complete list of academic requirements and courses, please refer to the Academic Catalog.

Focus your degree by choosing one of these program options:


Core Courses
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total15
CIVE.5610Physical and Chemical Treatment Processes 3
CIVE.5620Physical and Chemical Hydrogeology3
CIVE.5670Environmental Aquatic Chemistry3
CIVE.5680Environmental Fate and Transport3
CIVE.5780Biological Wastewater Treatment3
Elective Courses (Up to 5 total)
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total Required15
CIVE.5270Geotechnical and Environmental Site Characterization 3
CIVE.5640Hydraulics and Hydrology3
CIVE.5290Engineering with Geosynthetics 3 
CIVE.5670Environmental Aquatic Chemistry3
CIVE.5690Micropollutants in the Environment3
CIVE.5720Marine and Costal Processes3
CIVE.5730Solid Waste Engineering3
CIVE.5750Groundwater Modeling3
CIVE.5950Hazardous Waste Site Remediation3
ATMO.5230Air Pollution Control3
ATMO.5710Air Pollution Phenomenology 3
CHEM.5140Advanced Analytical Chemistry3
CIVE.5760GIS Applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering 3
CIVE.5870Introduction to Data Science for Engineers 3
ENVS.5010Wetlands Ecology3
ENVI.5020Freshwater Ecology3
ENVS.5810Understanding the Massachusetts Contingency Plan3
GEOL.5100Geology of New England3

Updated 4/17/26


                                    Core Courses
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total12
CIVE.5310Advanced Soil Mechanics3
CIVE.5330Physical and Chemical Hydrogeology3
Geotechnical Cores - select 1; courses not taken can be used as electives
CIVE.5270Geotechnical and Environmental Site Characterization3
CIVE.5380Soil Behavior3
CIVE.5290Engineering with Geosynthetics3
CIVE.5360Soil Engineering3
Environmental Cores - select 1;  courses not taken can be used as electives



CIVE.5340Environmental Aquatic Chemistry3
CIVE.5360Hazardous Waste Site Remediation3



Elective Courses (Up to 6 total)
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total Required18
CIVE.5210Reliability Analysis in Engineering3
CIVE.5280Drilled Deep Foundations3 
CIVE.5300Driven Deep Foundations3
CIVE.5320Theoretical and Numerical Methods of Soil Mechanics3
CIVE.5330Advanced Foundation Engineering3
CIVE.5340Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering3
CIVE.5370Experimental Soil Mechanics3
CIVE.5380Soil Behavior3
CIVE.5390Ground Improvement3
CIVE.5610Physical and Chemical Treatment Process3
CIVE.5640Hydraulics and Hydrology 3
CIVE.5660Environmental Applications & Implications of Nanomaterials 3
CIVE.5680Environmental Fate and Transport3
CIVE.5690Micropollutants in the Enviromental3
CIVE.5730Solid Waste Engineering3
CIVE.5750Groundwater Modeling3
CIVE.5760GIS Applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering 3
CIVE.5870Introduction to Data Science for Engineers3
ENVS.5810Understanding the Massachusetts Contingency Plan3

Additional advanced courses may be taken as electives after consultation with a faculty advisor and approval from the Department.

Total credits required for the degree = 30

Total courses required = 10

Updated 4/17/26


                                    Core Courses
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total15
CIVE.5310Advanced Soil Mechanics3
(Select any 5 of the following as core courses, others may be used as electives)
CIVE.5270Geotechnical and Environmental Site Characterization3
CIVE.5280Drilled Deep Foundations3
CIVE.5300Driven Deep Foundations3
CIVE.5290Engineering with Geosynthetics3
CIVE.5380Soil Behavior3
CIVE.5390Ground Improvement3
CIVE.5320Theoretical and Numerical Soil Mechanics3
CIVE.5330Advanced Foundation Engineering3
CIVE.5340Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering3
CIVE.5360Soil Engineering 3
CIVE.5370Experimental Soil Mechanics3
Elective Courses (Up to 4 total)
Course NumberCourse NameCredits

Total Required

Total credits required for degree = 30

Total classes required for degree = 10

Updated 4/17/26

12
CIVE.5040Advanced Strength of Materials 3
CIVE.5210Reliability Analysis in Engineering3
CIVE.5460Pavement Design 3 
CIVE.5110Inspection and Monitoring of Civil Infrastructure 3
CIVE.5720Marine and Costal Processes3
CIVE.5500Behavior of Structures3
CIVE.5560Finite Element Analysis3
CIVE.5620Physical and Chemical Hydrogeology3
CIVE.5810Engineering Systems Analysis3
CIVE.5750Groundwater Modeling3
CIVE.5760GIS Applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering 3
CIVE.5870Introduction to Data Science for Engineers3
GEOL.5560Applied Geophysics3


                                    Core Courses (select 3 courses; courses not taken may be used as electives)
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total9
CIVE.5510Advanced Steel Design3
CIVE.5520Design of Concrete Structures3
CIVE.5580Bridge Design3
CIVE.5030Computer-Based Analysis of Structures3
CIVE.5040Advanced Strength of Materials3
CIVE.5500Behavior of Structures3
CIVE.5560Finite Element of Analysis (or equivalent)3
CIVE.5120Structural Stability 3
CIVE.5050Concrete Materials3
CIVE.5150Cementitious Materials for Sustainable Concrete3
CIVE.5570Structural Dynamics3
Elective Courses (Up to 7 total)
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total Required15
CIVE.5080Practice of Structural Engineering3
CIVE.5280Drilled Deep Foundations3
CIVE.5300Driven Deep Foundations3
CIVE.5110Inspection and Monitoring of Civil Infrastructure3
CIVE.5210Reliability Analysis in Engineering3
CIVE.5340Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering3
CIVE.5310Advanced Soil Mechanics3
CIVE.5330Advanced Foundation Engineering3
CIVE.5360Soil Engineering3
CIVE.5390Ground Improvement3
CIVE.5410Traffic Engineering3
CIVE.5460Pavement Design3
CIVE.5530Wood Structures3
CIVE.5540Pre-stressed Concrete Design3
CIVE.5590Masonry Design3
CIVE.5760GIS Applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering 3
CIVE.5810Engineering System Analysis3
CIVE.5830Stochastic Concepts3
CIVE.5870Introduction to Data Science for Engineers3

Total courses required = 10

Total credits required for the degree = 30

Notes:

1. Additional geotechnical and geoenvironmental courses and appropriate advanced courses from the Departments of Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering may be taken as electives after consultation with a faculty advisor and with the approval of the Department.

2. With the approval of the Department, a student may substitute one of the core requirements with another advanced Mathematics or Engineering course.

Updated 4/17/26


Core Courses (Select 3 courses; those not chosen can be used as electives)
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total9
CIVE.5400Urban Transportation Planning 3
CIVE.5410Traffic Engineering3
CIVE.5420Transportation Network Analysis3
CIVE.5480Traffic Management and Control3
CIVE.5490Traffic Flow and Emerging Transportation Technologies3
Elective Courses (Choose 7 total)
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total21
CIVE.5415Hazardous Materials Transportation3
CIVE.5405Advanced Highway Geometric Design3 
CIVE.5430Traffic Principles for Intelligent Transportation Systems3
CIVE.5440Transportation Economics and Project Evaluation3
CIVE.5450Public Transit Planning and Design3
CIVE.5460Pavement Design3
CIVE.5470Airport Planning and Design3
CIVE.5760GIS Applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering 3
CIVE.5810Engineering Systems Analysis3
CIVE.5850Transportation Safety3
CIVE.5870Introduction to Data Science for Engineers3

Note. Other than the above listed elective courses, students may take courses from other appropriate disciplines such as engineering, management, computer science and mathematics as electives after consultation with a faculty advisor and with the approval of the Department. A few examples are:

Total courses required for the degree = 10

Total credits required for degree = 30

UpUdated 4/17/26

Why Study Civil Engineering at UMass Lowell?

Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge in Boston looking at Cambridge during Sunset.
  • Experiential Learning: Gain practical work experience while pursuing your degree through the Graduate Master’s Co-Op Option in Engineering.
  • Research: Access state-of-the-art facilities and equipment for research and education.
  • Flexibility: Courses are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening to provide study opportunities for students with full-time employment.
  • Reputation: UMass Lowell is a nationally ranked public research university.
  • Value: According to payscale.com, UMass Lowell ranks #1 for lifetime return on investment among public research universities in Massachusetts.

Where Our Graduates Work

  • Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
  • HNTB
  • AECOM
  • Weston & Sampson
  • New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NH DOT)
  • Howard Stein Hudson
  • Hancock Associates
  • Stantec
  • Department of Environmental Protection
  • O'Connor Corporation
  • GeoSciences Testing & Research Inc.
  • Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
  • Skanska USA
  • GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Tuition and Admissions

Eligible students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for financial assistance.

Complete the FAFSA

Cost Per Credit*

  • Online: $610
  • Online Business: $655
  • Online Engineering: $655
  • Online Education: $470
  • Online 7000-Level Education: $750
  • Online Hyflex: $850
  • Select Online Nursing M.S. Courses: $750
  • Term Registration Fee: $30

*Please note: Tuition and fees are subject to change. Please see the online tuition and fees page for more program-specific information.

As a graduate student, you may qualify for federal student aid and other need-based scholarships. To be considered for financial assistance, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Learn more at UMass Lowell Graduate Aid.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and certain eligible non-citizens. Please visit Financial Aid if you have questions about your eligibility.

Apply: Summer 2026 - Spring 2027  Apply: Summer 2027 - Spring 2028

  • Application Fee: $75
  • Statement of Purpose: Outline goals, experience and achievements (max 2 pages)
  • Letters of Recommendation: Two (2) for master's, three (3) for doctoral applicants.
  • Transcripts: You may apply with unofficial transcripts, but if accepted, official transcripts are required.
  • Test Scores: The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required for Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs. GRE scores are not required for master’s programs. Applicants to master’s programs may submit GRE scores if they wish, but doing so is optional. Please send test scores to EngineeringCAS using school code 4530.

All materials must be received before your application is reviewed. To add documents before review, log in and select “Program Materials.”

International Applicants

English proficiency is required. If English is not your country’s national language, please submit one of the following scores:

  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 79+
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6.5+
  • Duolingo: 115+
  • ASC English: Level 6+
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE): 53+

For the TOEFL, please send your scores to EngineeringCAS using the school code B887.

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