CEE Master of Engineering Student Handbook

The Master of Engineering degree is a coursework and project-oriented graduate program designed to develop a higher level of competence in disciplines within civil and environmental engineering to prepare students for professional practice. It requires thirty (30) credit hours consisting of coursework in a student’s chosen concentration and area of specialization, as well as a 3-credit hour capstone design project course. The M.Eng. degree is two semesters of intensive study. A three-semester program is available; additional coursework is mandated and applying directly into a three-semester program is required.

M.Eng. Candidates in Civil and Environmental Engineering may elect to pursue one of the three concentrations listed below.

Environmental Engineering (specializations listed below)

• Environmental and Water Resource Systems
• Sustainable Energy Systems
• Environmental Processes
• Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology

*Students in the Environmental Engineering concentration may mix and match among the specializations.

Structural Engineering (specializations listed below)

• Behavior and Design
• Advanced Materials
• Advanced Computation

Transportation Systems Engineering

The M.Eng. program in Transportation Systems Engineering prepares students for professional careers with both private companies and public agencies. The core curriculum focuses on transportation planning, design and analysis. Students then have an opportunity to specialize in an area of particular interest. 

Preparation

Students from all fields of engineering and the physical and natural sciences are welcome. However, a student without adequate preparation may be required to take additional preparatory coursework, which will be determined by faculty in the student’s chosen concentration. This preparatory work does not count toward the Master of Engineering graduation requirements. Any preparatory coursework that is required will be listed in a student’s letter offering admission.

Program Requirements

A minimum of thirty (30) credit hours of course and project work is required for the M.Eng. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Program core course requirements for each of the three major concentrations are provided in Appendix B. The remainder of each student’s program is designed and approved individually in consultation with an academic advisor based on their professional aspirations.

Assignment of Advisor

You will be assigned an advisor in your concentration area to help you design a program of study, and to generally assist and advise you throughout your degree program. You may request to change your advisor to another faculty member within the same concentration with permission of the faculty member whom you would like to serve as your new advisor.

Course Registration

Course registration is done online by logging onto Student Center with your Cornell NetID*. Enrollment dates, drop/add dates, etc. Fall and Spring, are shared with incoming and current students (as they vary year-to-year). Students will be notified of an opportunity to pre-enroll for Spring courses; the announcement for this window comes out during the Fall semester. Early admit or students beginning their program in the Spring semester cannot participate in pre-enroll, they must wait for add/drop to begin.

Any changes in your course registration after the deadlines (i.e., add/drop, credit hour changes, etc.) requires a submission of a Course Enrollment Petition to the Engineering Registrar’s office within the College of Engineering. The petition must be signed by both your advisor and the course instructor. Please note that petitions are not automatically approved.

*Cornell NetID: You should have received your Cornell NetID and information from Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) over the summer. If you did not, please contact the CIT Office at HelpDesk@cornell.edu. Please be sure to check your Cornell email regularly.

Planning your M.Eng. Program  

Please study the pertinent materials in this handbook for both required core courses for your chosen concentration and appropriate elective courses before meeting with your advisor. It would be worthwhile to spend some time with the online Class Roster to identify possible courses for both the Fall and Spring terms. The Spring roster becomes available during the Fall semester. In the meantime, you can refer to the previous year’s Spring catalog, as many of the same courses will be offered. Courses listed may not always be offered, course offerings vary by semester and year-to-year. In addition, students may want to consult the course listings in the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and various other departments within the College of Engineering.

Program planning is done with the aid of an M.Eng. Proposal Form (see Appendix B). There are unique forms for each of the three concentrations. You will fill this form out with the help of your advisor, who must also approve your program.

You have approximately two (2) weeks to enroll online for Fall classes. This time period allows you to sit in on an extra course or two, if you wish, for a couple of weeks, to assist you in making up your mind about your exact program. Course choices for the second or third semester should never be listed as TBD, a default set of courses that meet the requirements should be listed. These courses may change with approval; a full plan should be established for advisor review and approval at the beginning of your program.

All courses should be listed, whether or not they count toward your M.Eng. degree program requirements. No more than 20 credits per semester may be taken, except by petition to the College of Engineering’s Master of Engineering Committee.

All three CEE M.Eng. concentrations require three (3) credits of a project design course.

Credit for seminars count toward the M.Eng. degree. A maximum of two credit hours graded on an S/U basis.

Filing Your Course Program

After a final program of courses for the entire year is agreed upon between you and your advisor, please submit your approved Proposal Form to the Assistant Director of Graduate Programs via the Smartsheets Proposal Submission Form. These should be submitted about the third week into the semester, deadlines will be shared with students and may vary by concentration.

Program Changes

Students often propose changes to their program at the start of their second semester that reflect changes in interests and/or course availability. All changes to your M.Eng. program must take the form of a revised proposal and be submitted to the Assistant Director of Graduate Programs via the Smartsheets Proposal Submission Form.

It is important that any changes in your program be submitted and approved promptly because the current version of your Proposal Form that is on file serves as a checklist for determining compliance with graduation requirements.

Petitions          

Cornell University has a long-standing tradition of considering petitions from students relative to special situations or circumstances that could justify exceptions to the normal rules or requirements. Most petitions are considered by the Director of Graduate Studies. While we are not encouraging use of a petition to circumvent requirements, we do want to point out the existence of this process. It provides an opportunity to communicate cases for special consideration, and therefore it is an important part of the operational procedures for students attending Cornell University. You may find a list of Petition Forms on the Engineering Registrar’s website.

Financial Aid and Work Obligations

Financial aid administered by the College or School can be in the form of fellowships or half-time assistantships. If you have the latter, you will be given eight hours per week of grading-related duties. M.Eng. students typically serve as graders, hold office hours, prepare labs, etc. The faculty will make grading assignments during the first two weeks of classes.

Grade requirements

The College requires a minimum grade point average of 2.5 for graduation from the Master of Engineering Program. Students admitted on a Provisional Basis must achieve a 3.0 average during their first term in the M.Eng. program to continue in the second term. Typical graduate student grade point averages are much higher than this. At Cornell decimal grade points are assigned to grades with (+) or (-), i.e., A+ = 4.3, A = 4, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, etc. A grade of less than C- in a course will result in no credit being granted toward satisfaction of the 30-credit hour minimum requirement. However, these courses are included in calculating grade point averages.

Facilities

Most of the facilities for the School are housed in Hollister Hall, except for the Bovay Lab, which is a large-scale infrastructure testing laboratory in Thurston Hall.

Building Access

Your Cornell ID card will open the outside doors to Hollister Hall when they are electronically locked.

Career Services

The College of Engineering offers Career Services specifically for Master of Engineering students. “The M.Eng Career Advisors work with students to navigate professional development resources, network with alumni and employers and strategize to develop a customized job/internship search plan.” Students may schedule appointments with one of the Career Advisors, available throughout the week. They are located in Carpenter Hall.

Career Services offers an extensive recruitment program with many interviewers coming to campus each year. You will receive information from the Career Services Office regarding events they host throughout the academic year. Cornell Career Services is part of Cornell’s Division of Student and Campus Life. Their comprehensive services are in Barnes Hall and open to all students. They complement the services offered through career offices in the undergraduate colleges that are tailored more to college-specific academic and career goals.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Absolute integrity is expected of every Cornell student in all academic undertakings. Integrity entails a firm adherence to values most essential to an academic community, including honesty with respect to the intellectual efforts of oneself and others. Both students and faculty at Cornell assume the responsibility of maintaining and furthering these values. A Cornell student’s submission of work for academic credit indicates that the work is their own. All outside assistance should be acknowledged, and the student’s academic position should always be reported truthfully. In addition, Cornell students have the right to expect academic integrity from each of their peers. It is plagiarism for anyone to represent another’s work as their own. As stated in the University Code of Academic Integrity, “The maintenance of an atmosphere of academic honor…is the responsibility of the student and faculty…”

Gray areas sometimes exist when students study and work together. It is important that faculty make clear what is expected and that students understand what authorship citations an instructor expects. To become better acquainted with academic integrity responsibilities, each student should have a copy of the Policy Notebook for Students, Faculty and Staff (available in the Dean of Student’s Office). Also, a copy of the “University Code of Academic Integrity” is included in the Handbook of Engineering Students available from the Engineering College’s Office of Admissions and Undergraduate Programs located near the north entrance of Hollister Hall.

Student Disability Services

Cornell University is committed to assisting those persons with disabilities who have special needs. Please consider registering with Student Disability Services if you require an accommodation. Also, a brochure describing services for persons with disabilities may be obtained from the Office of Equal Opportunity, Cornell University, 234 Day Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853-2801.

For a complete list of faculty, visit the CEE faculty directory page.

The Assistant Director of Graduate Programs will provide proposal forms for admitted students to complete before the beginning of the semester. If you have any questions, please email cee_grad@cornell.edu

Environmental Engineering

The Environmental Engineering concentration is composed of the following: 

• Core Course Requirements
• Environmental Engineering Electives
• General Electives
• Core Course Requirements (12 credits minimum): 

Students must complete additional courses from the core course list equivalent to a minimum of 12 credits, from the following areas:

• M.Eng project: minimum of 3 credits. Courses CEE 5051 or 5052 are typical, but other project courses can meet this requirement with advisor approval.
• Methodology core course: Choose 1 from CEE 5930, CEE 5970, or CEE 5980
• Application core courses: Choose 2 from CEE 5240, CEE 6210, CEE 6530, CEE 6560

Note the following considerations:

1. If you take core courses beyond the total of 3 from the above list, you may count them toward your overall goal of 30 credits.
2. If you take project credits beyond the 3 required credits, you may count those toward your overall goal of 30 credits.

Regarding the application core courses, students may use their choice of required courses to focus on water resources (6530 and 6560) or energy resources (5240 and 6210), or choose one course from each area, as best suits their academic objectives.

Environmental Engineering (MENV) Elective Courses (6 credits minimum beyond the core course requirement): 

• Please refer to the Environmental Engineering Proposal spreadsheet.  Students may choose courses within the Environmental Engineering sub concentrations, which are: 
• Environmental Processes (EP)
• Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology (EFMH)
• Environmental Water & Resource Systems (EWRS)
• Sustainable Energy (SES)

Note the following considerations:

1. MENV elective courses are listed by area in the proposal form spreadsheet, but students are not required to choose just one area, they are allowed to mix and match.
2. Courses taken from the core course list beyond those credits needed to meet the 6-credit requirement can be counted toward the overall 30-credit degree requirement.
3. It is possible that students meet the 30-credit requirement entirely with a combination of core and MENV elective courses.

General Elective Courses (no minimum number of credits required)

For the remaining courses required to meet the 30-credit degree requirement, students may choose electives in line with their academic objectives, subject to approval by their academic advisers.  In general, courses both within the College of Engineering and in other colleges at the 5000 level or higher are eligible for consideration.  

Note the following considerations:

1. There is a list of typical elective courses in the proposal form spreadsheet, but this list is not exhaustive, other courses can be chosen.
2. To count toward the 30-credit minimum, courses must be in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and math).  Closely related fields, such as environmental law, are also eligible.  If in doubt, please consult with your adviser.  Non-STEM courses may be taken above and beyond the 30 credits if the student chooses.
3. Since it is possible to meet the credit requirement entirely with core and MENV elective courses, students may or may not have general elective courses in their degree proposal.

Core Courses (minimum of 12 credits)

CEE 5051 or CEE 5052 Project in Environmental Engineering (3 credits)

CEE 5930 Data Analytics (Alternate CEE 5970) or (4 credits)

CEE 5980 Decision Framing and Analytics (3 credits)

CEE 5420 Energy Technologies and Subsurface Resources (Alternate CEE 6210) (3 credits SP)

CEE 6210 Renewable Energy Systems (Alternate CEE 5420) (3 credits)

CEE 6560 Physical and Chemical Processes (Alternate CEE 6530) (3 credits)

CEE 6530 Water Chemistry for Environmental Engineering (Alternate CEE 6560) (3 credits)

Additional required courses

(Total credits including core courses and additional required courses from list below must equal or exceed 17 credits) students may mix and match among the below specializations.

Environmental and Water Resource Systems           

CEE 6770 Natural Hazards, Reliability, and Insurance (3 credits)

CEE 6790 Time Series Data Analysis for Civil, Mechanical and Geophysical Applications (3 credits)

CEE 5900 Project Management (4 credits)

CEE 5980 Decision Framing and Analytics (3 credits)

CEE 5930 Data Analytics (4 credits)

Sustainable Energy Systems                 

CEE 6648 Sustainable Transportation Systems Design (3 credits)

CEE 5200 Economics of the Energy Transition (3 credits)

CEE 6880 Applied Modeling and Simulation for Renewable Energy Systems (3 SP credits)

MAE 5020 Wind Power (4 credits)

MAE 5010 Future Energy Systems (3 credits)

CEE 5420 Energy Technologies and Subsurface resources (3 SP credits)

CEE 6210 Renewable Energy Systems (3 credits)

CHEM 6660 Analysis of Sustainable Energy System (2 credits)

CEE 6800 Engineering Smart Cities (3 credits)

Environmental Processes (*CEE 5510 required)

CEE 5510* Microbiology for Environmental Engineering (3 credits)

CEE 6530 Water Chemistry for Environmental Engineering (3 credits)

CEE 6560 Physical/Chemical Process (3 credits)

CEE 6565 Wastewater Processes and Resources Recovery (3 credits)

CEE 6580 Biodegradation and Biocatalysis (3 SP credits)

CEE 6590 Environmental Organic Chemistry (3 credits)

Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology (*CEE 6330 required)

CEE 6350 Coastal Engineering (3 SP credits)

CEE 6330* Physical Hydrology in the Built and Natural Environments (3 SP credits)

CEE 6550 Transport, Mixing, and Transformation in the Environment (3 credits)

CEE 6790 Time Series Data Analysis for Civil, Mechanical, and Geophysical Applications (3 credits)

BEE 6710 Introduction to Groundwater (3 SP credits)

BEE 5730 Watershed Engineering (3 credits)

BEE 6790 Ecohydrology (3 credits)

Advisor Approved Electives:

A student may select his or her supporting electives from engineering and non-engineering subject areas related to environmental engineering, including biology, chemistry, toxicology, law, policy, economics, operations research, computer science, engineering mathematics, systems engineering, and city and regional planning. Add as needed to reach a total of 30 credits.

Up to 2 credits for seminars may be counted toward the MEng degree, whether they are participatory (i.e., requiring assignments beyond just attendance) or non-participatory.  Students have the option to take CEE 6020 Environmental Seminar in the Fall and CEE 6021 in the Spring, but it is not required for the M.Eng degree.

Structural Engineering

Structural Engineering

Core Curriculum (Required)

CEE 5071 Professional Experience in Structural Engineering (3 credits) SP

MAE 5700 Finite Element Analysis for Mechanical and Aerospace Design (4 credits) FA

MSE 5820 Mechanical Properties of Materials, Processing, and Design (3 credits) SP

Core Curriculum (Recommended)            

CEE 5760 Behavior and Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures (4 credits) FA

Electives:

Behavior and Design Track

CEE 5710 Timber Behavior and Design (3 credits) SP

CEE 5790 Introduction to Building Information Modeling (BIM) using Revit (2 credits) FA

CEE 5770 Intermediate Behavior of Concrete and Metal Structures (3 credits) FA

CEE 6075 Foundation Engineering (1.5 credits) FA

CEE 6075 Tall Building Fundamentals (1.5 credits) SP

CEE 6075 Forensic Eng & Structural Failure (1.5 credits) SP

Advanced Materials Track

CEE 5746 Sustainability and Automation: The Future of Construction Industry (4 credits) FA

ARCH 5614 Building Technology I: Materials and Methods (3 credits) FA

MSE 5820 Mechanical Properties of Materials, Processing, and Design (3 credits) FA

MAE 5670 Polymer Mechanics (3 credits) SP

MAE 6110 Foundations of Solid Mechanics (3 credits) FA

EAS 6590 Earthquake Physics (3 credits) FA

Analysis and Computation Track

CEE 5745 Inverse Problems: Theory and Applications (3 credits) SP

CEE 5735 Mathematical Modeling of Natural and Engineered Systems (3 credits) SP

MAE 5770 Engineering Vibrations (3 credits) SP

CEE 6730 Finite Element Method: Theory and Applications in Mechanics and Multiphysics (3 credits) SP

CEE 6790 Time Series Data Analysis for Civil, Mechanical, and Geophysical Applications (3 credits) FA

CEE 6800 Engineering Smart Cities (3 credits) FA

Students may also find advisor approved electives in the below fields:

Engineering Management

Architecture

S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management

Real Estate     

Students are expected to take Seminar – Civil Infrastructure CEE 6070 in the Fall, and CEE 6071 in the Spring.

Transportation Systems Engineering

Core Courses (plus one course from CRP is required)        

CEE 5061 or CEE 5062 Project in Transportation Engineering (3 credits)

CEE 5930 Data Analytics (4 credits)

CEE 6620 Analysis and Control of Transportation Systems and Networks (3 credits)

CEE 6640 Microeconometrics of Discrete Choice (3 SP credits)

CEE 6648 Sustainable Transportation Systems Design (3 credits)

*Minimum of 12 core credits are required

Advisor Approved Electives (minimum of 18 credits required)      

Civil and Environmental Engineering               

CEE 5900 Project Management (4 credits)

CEE 5970 Risk Analysis and Management (3 credits)

CEE 6620 Analysis and Control of Transportation Systems and Networks (3 credits)

CEE 6930 Public Systems Modeling (3 credits)

City and Regional Planning    

CRP 5040 Urban Economics (3 credits)

CRP 5080 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Planners  (3 credits)

CRP 5190 Urban Theory (3 credits)

Other

ECON 6090 Microeconomic Theory I (3 credits)

ORIE 5300 Optimization I (3 credits)

ORIE 5310 Optimization II (3 credits)

ORIE 5510 Introduction to Engineering Stochastic Processes (3 credits)

NBA 6420 Supply Chain Analytics (1.5 credits)

This is not a complete list of courses offered that can go toward degree completion. Students may take courses outside of the list as they relate to the degree with approval from their advisor.

CEE 6065 Special Topics in Transportation can be used to pursue an independent study on a particular transportation topic if you and your advisor agree that this is appropriate. In this case, the selection of appropriate core courses will depend on your background and will be determined in discussion with your advisor.

What is it?

A joint venture between the College of Engineering and the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management (JGSM) that allows students to acquire a Master of Engineering degree and an MBA degree in five (5) semesters (usually based on Fall admission to the M.Eng. program). The dual-degree program consists of 75 credit hours, 30 of which comprise the regular two-semester M.Eng. program. For those admitted to the MBA program, JGSM allows some (occasionally all) of these M.Eng. credits to be transferred to the MBA program, usually resulting in saving one semester’s time compared to taking the M.Eng. and MBA degree programs separately.

What are the requirements?

Applicants must have already earned a baccalaureate degree in engineering, applied science, or equivalent from Cornell or elsewhere and be accepted for admission or be presently enrolled in the M.Eng. program. The two programs require separate application forms and review processes, and materials submitted to one program are not available to the other. JGSM places great emphasis on relevant work experience, and this will be taken into consideration when evaluating applications. All requirements of the CEE Master of Engineering program are to be completed. No credit toward the M.Eng. degree is allowed for coursework done outside Cornell. All requirements of the Master of Business Administration curriculum are to be completed. Coursework done outside Cornell normally will not be credited toward the MBA degree.

If you have been admitted to or are attending the M.Eng. program, you must formally apply to the Johnson Graduate School of Management by the second semester of your M.Eng. program at the latest. You must fill out a separate JGSM application form and pay their application fee. You should also notify your M.Eng. advisor of your intention to do the MBA program so your advisor can take this into consideration when planning your M.Eng. program schedule.

If you have not already done so, you must apply to take the GMAT, which is required by JGSM, using January of your M.Eng. year as your last possible test date and have the scores directed to JGSM.

If you are admitted to the JGSM, your Master of Engineering degree will be awarded when all requirements of that degree are completed (usually after 2 semesters), and the Master of Business Administration degree will be awarded when all requirements of that degree are completed (usually after 3 more semesters). The two degrees cannot be awarded simultaneously.

In general, financial aid is not awarded to those doing the MBA portion of the program except through the Knight Joint Degree Scholarship Program, which has very strict requirements. Information and an application to the Scholarship Program is available here. Questions about this Scholarship Program should be directed to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, engr_grad@cornell.edu).

After the award of the M.Eng. degree, CEE M.Eng. students who aspire to a leadership or management position in formulating, implementing, or evaluating public policies can benefit from a program that offers an accelerated path to a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) from the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA). CIPA offers a flexible and challenging two-year program of graduate professional studies in public affairs that prepares degree recipients for careers in public affairs, public administration, and public policy.

Concentration areas offered in CIPA include Environmental Policy; Science, Technology, and Infrastructure Policy; Economic and Financial Policy; International Development; and Public and Nonprofit Management.

The two-degree programs (M.Eng. and M.P.A.) have separate admission processes; so you may apply to the accelerated M.P.A. program upon completion of your first semester in the M.Eng. program. A CEE M.Eng. graduate can obtain the M.P.A. degree in three additional semesters. Applicants should plan on meeting with the CIPA Director of Graduate Studies to discuss which M.Eng. credits would be transferable for the MPA program.

Please contact the CIPA office at 607.255.8018 or cipa@cornell.edu to set up an appointment. More information is available on the CIPA website.