CEE-MS - Civil and Environmental Engineering (MS)

Coterminal MS Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering

 Stanford undergraduates who wish to continue their studies for the Master of Science degree in the coterminal program at Stanford must have earned a minimum of 120 units toward graduation. This includes allowable Advanced Placement (AP) and transfer credit. Applicants must submit their application no later than the quarter before their expected undergraduate degree completion. They are expected to meet the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering application deadlines (by December 3, 2024). Applications are considered once a year during fall quarter. An application must display evidence of potential for strong academic performance as a graduate student. 

Students who contemplate advanced study at Stanford are recommended to discuss their plans with their advisors in their junior year.

University Coterminal Requirements

Coterminal master’s degree candidates are expected to complete all master’s degree requirements as described in this bulletin. Coterminal Master’s Degrees describes university requirements for the coterminal master’s degree. Graduate Degrees describes the university requirements for the master’s degree.

After accepting admission to this coterminal master’s degree program, students may request transfer of courses from the undergraduate to the graduate career to satisfy requirements for the master’s degree. Transferring courses to the graduate career requires review and approval of both the undergraduate and graduate programs on a case-by-case basis.

In this master’s program, courses taken during or after the first quarter of the sophomore year are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career; the timing of the first graduate quarter is not a factor. No courses taken before the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.

Course transfers are not possible after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred.

The university requires that the graduate advisor be assigned in the student’s first graduate quarter even though the undergraduate career may still be open. The university also requires that the Master’s Degree Program Proposal be completed by the student and approved by the department by the end of the student’s first graduate quarter.

Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

The following programs are available leading to the MS degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering:

• Atmosphere/Energy

• Environmental Engineering

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics

• Sustainable Design and Construction

Students admitted to graduate study with a BS in Civil Engineering, or equivalent, from an accredited curriculum can satisfy the requirements for the MS degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering by completing a minimum of 45 units beyond the BS. All 45 units must be taken at Stanford. A minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA) is required for candidates to be recommended for the MS degree. Note: Students admitted to an MS program prior to Winter 2023 must achieve a minimum of 2.75. No thesis is required. 

CR grades are acceptable only for classes completed in the five quarters between Spring 2020 and Summer 2021.

The faculty of the department must approve the program of study. It should include at least 45 units of courses in engineering, mathematics, science, and related fields unless it can be shown that other work is pertinent to the student’s objectives. Additional program area requirements are available on the department website and from the department’s student services office (Y2E2 room 316). 

Candidates for the MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering who do not have a BS in Civil Engineering may, in addition to the above, be required to complete those undergraduate courses deemed essential to their graduate programs. In such cases, more than three quarters are often required to obtain the degree.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a special field designation of Atmosphere/Energy on the transcript.

Students admitted to graduate study in the department can satisfy the requirements for the Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering by completing a minimum of three quarters of full tuition registration (more than 8 units) and a minimum of 45 units of study beyond the BS degree. All 45 units must be taken at Stanford.

Our course requirements allow students the flexibility to select courses closest to their interest while maintaining the goal of giving students a background in both energy and atmosphere. The A/E MS degree requires at least 30 units of study at the graduate level (courses numbered 200 or above) and at least 24 units of study from the School of Engineering. Courses numbered below 100 may not be used to fulfill the 45-unit degree requirement.

Additional requirements for the MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering with an emphasis on Atmosphere/Energy include the completion of:

A minimum of 30 units in combined atmosphere- and energy-related courses

Of these 30 units, a minimum of 8 core courses of at least 3 units taken for letter grades.

Of those 8 core courses, you may take either 3 energy + 5 atmosphere; 4 energy + 4 atmosphere; or 5 energy + 3 atmosphere core courses.

The remainder of the 30 units may be from either atmosphere- or energy-related courses

15 additional units to fulfill the 45-unit MS requirement

These units must be in engineering, science, mathematics or related fields or pertinent to the student's degree objective and must be approved by the advisor. Physical education and language courses or remedial English-language instruction (EFSLANG) courses, for example, cannot count toward the MS degree. Students may take up to 6 out of the 45 units required for the MS degree on S/NC or CR/NC basis (instead of receiving a letter grade), but these pass/no credit courses cannot count toward the minimum requirement of 8 core courses. The only exception to the 6-unit rule is when a student takes a normal (non-seminar, non-research) course of 2 units that was not offered for a letter grade, so must have been offered S/NC (or the equivalent in the business school).

The Sustainable Design and Construction program prepares students for careers in the built environment: researching, designing, building, and managing sustainable facilities and infrastructure to maximize their lifecycle economic value and net contribution to environmental and social functions and services.

Core and elective classes cover topics covering cutting-edge information technology such as sensor networks embedded in “intelligent” buildings and infrastructure, micro and macro strategy on infrastructure development across the globe, as well as entrepreneurship and organization design for new businesses, and corporate or governmental initiatives aimed at enhancing the sustainability of the built environment.

Employers of past SDC graduates include architectural and engineering design firms, general contractors across a range of sizes and geographies, design-build firms and developers focused on delivering green buildings and infrastructure; energy and sustainability consultants; facility management and sustainability departments within large companies; clean-tech startups and venture funds. Several students have also targeted opportunities in the AEC industry by launching their own businesses directly out of the SDC program.

Master of Science Degree

Graduating from Stanford’s Sustainable Design & Construction program means you have the expertise to pursue various career paths in the built environment. Alumni have gone on to join top-tier companies in the AEC industry or start their own.

Many apply with existing civil and environmental engineering degrees, but our highly interdisciplinary MS past graduates include students who majored in physics, economics, business management, public policy, industrial relations, philosophy, and music. Each incoming class also varies widely in that they include students coming directly from a bachelor’s degree and some who have worked for several years or more in industry. To support the diverse interests of our students, we offer five distinct tracks that focus on various aspects of the built environment, all of which can be completed in 1 year (3 academic quarters). The five tracks share a curriculum guide that trains students in critical fundamental skills like modern project management techniques and life cycle assessment strategies but offers unique electives within the program to allow students the flexibility to pursue the topics that most interest them. Click on the title of each track below for more information:

Requirements Overview

The M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering is designed to be flexible to meet the career goals of the student. In order to ensure proficiency in a core related to Environmental Engineering, every student must complete 45 units of coursework, comprised of the following:

·       Environmental Engineering Core (10 units)

·       Seminar (1 unit)

·       Environmental Management, Policy, and Law (3 units)

·       Focused Electives (18 units)

·       Breadth Electives (13 units)

Courses related to these areas are listed below.

Students obtaining the M.S. degree over quarters spanning more than one academic year must adhere to the degree requirements published during the academic year of their first quarter at Stanford. For example, students beginning the M.S. degree during any quarter of the 2025-2026 academic year must adhere to the 2025-2026 degree requirements handout. Any deviations must be approved by the academic advisor.

·       The coursework, including the Breadth Electives, must form a coherent program of study in Environmental Engineering, approved by the student’s M.S. faculty advisor.

·       At least 27 of the 45 units must comprise courses within the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

·       At least 30 units must be taken at the graduate level (courses numbered 200 or higher). All 100-level courses must be approved by your advisor.

·       No courses numbered less than 100 can count towards the MS degree.

·       A minimum GPA of 3.0 for MS degree students must be maintained in the quarter being evaluated.

·       No more than 6 units of coursework that is offered with a letter grade option can be taken for credit/no credit (CR/NC); however, there is no limit on units taken for satisfactory/no credit (S/NC) where a letter grade option is not offered.

·       No more than 9 units of research coursework may count toward the 45-unit requirement, including CEE 398 “Report on Civil Engineering Training.”

·       No more than 2 units of Curricular Practical Training (i.e., CEE 398 “Report on Civil Engineering Training”). These units count toward the 9 units of research coursework, and enrollment in CEE 398 is subject to advisor approval.

·       No more than 9 of the 13 units of Breadth Electives may be taken in Computer Science and/or Statistics without advisor approval.

·       Maximum 3 units of seminars, including CEE 269.

·       Non-technical courses, such as remedial English-language instruction (EFSLANG courses checked as required on the Report on English Screening), music courses and physical education, may not be included in the 45 units of required coursework. Students with “required” or “strongly recommended” remedial English courses (such as Linguistics 693A, etc.) must complete these courses or have them waived before applying for graduation.

·   CEE 270 must be taken for a letter grade EXCEPT for students who took it in Fall Quarter 2025. Those students can count CEE270 toward the Engineering Core requirements for the EnvEng MS Program, even if they took it for Credit/No Credit. Starting Winter 2025-26 onwards, CEE 270 will be offered back for a Letter grade only.

This is a complete list of requirements for completing the MS degree in Structural Engineering.

1. Forty-five total units of coursework relevant to the structural engineering profession must be completed.

2. Five Structural Engineering Core Courses must be completed.

3. Thirty units of coursework must be taken within the graduate-level Structural Engineering and Mechanics Program. Acceptable courses for these 30 units consist of any of the Structural Engineering Core Courses, as well as courses from the Breadth Electives Courses (courses offered for 3-4 units may count as four units toward this requirement, regardless of enrollment units, but please note that if enrolled for three units, only three units will count toward the minimum 45 unit requirement for degree conferral).

4. At least 36 units must be completed within the School of Engineering.

5. All courses taken to fulfill the thirty units within the graduate-level Structural Engineering and Mechanics program (item 3), and at least 36 units of courses, must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, no more than six units may be taken CR/NC, subject to approval by your advisor.

6. The following exception to item 5 applies: There is no restriction on the number of units taken for CR/NC in Summer 2020, Autumn 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 that may be counted to satisfy the degree requirements.

7. No more than ten units of undergraduate coursework may be counted toward the degree. As per university policy, all units for a graduate degree must be in courses at or above the 100 level.

8. No more than six units of the undergraduate prerequisites listed above may be counted toward the degree.

9. No more than six combined Independent Study and CPT units may be counted toward the degree.

10. CEE 298, the Structural Engineering and Mechanics Seminar, must be completed

11. No more than three units of seminar courses may be counted toward the degree.

12. Your study list must be coordinated with and approved by your academic advisor.

The following is a complete list of requirements for completing the MS degree in Geomechanics.

1. Forty-five total units of coursework must be completed.

2. Five Geomechanics Core Courses must be completed.

3. Fifteen units of coursework must be taken from the Breadth Electives Courses (any area of interest)

4. Thirty-six units of courses must be taken within the School of Engineering

5. No more than ten units of undergraduate coursework may be counted toward the degree. As per university policy, all units for a graduate degree must be in courses at or above the 100 level.

6. No more than six units of the undergraduate prerequisites listed above may be counted toward the degree.

7. No more than six combined Independent Study and CPT units may be counted toward the degree.

8. CEE 298, the Structural Engineering and Geomechanics Seminar, must be completed.

9. No more than three units of seminar courses may be counted toward the degree.

10. All courses from your major program area must be taken for a letter grade unless the course is offered only with the credit/no credit grading option.

11. Your study list must be coordinated with and approved by your academic advisor.

The Geomechanics MS subplan is not accepting new students after AY2023-23. Consider the Mechanics and Computation subplan.

This is a complete list of requirements for completing the MS degree in Mechanics & Computation.

1. Forty-five total units of coursework relevant to the field of Mechanics & Computation must be completed.

2. Four core courses must be taken: CEE 281 and CEE 291 are required. Students starting in even years must also take CEE 306 and CEE 314. Students beginning in odd years are required to take CEE 310 and CEE 315 instead.

3. One of the two seminars, CEE 298 (Structural Engineering and Geomechanics Seminar) or ME 395 (Mechanics and Computation Seminar), must be completed.

4. Thirty units of coursework must be taken within the graduate-level Mechanics & Computation Program. Acceptable courses for these 30 units consist of any of the Mechanics and Computation Core Courses and courses from the Breadth Electives Courses. Courses offered for 3-4 units may count as four units toward this requirement, regardless of enrollment units, but note that if enrolled for three units, only three units will count toward the minimum 45-unit requirement for degree conferral.

5. At least thirty-six units must be completed within the School of Engineering.

6. No more than six units may be taken CR/NC, subject to approval by your advisor.

7. No more than ten units of undergraduate coursework may be counted toward the degree. As per university policy, all units for a graduate degree must be in courses at or above the 100 level.

8. No more than six units of the undergraduate prerequisites listed above may be counted toward the degree.

9. No more than six combined Independent Study and CPT units may be counted toward the degree.

10. No more than three units of seminar courses may be counted toward the degree.

11. All courses from your major program area must be taken for a letter grade unless the course is offered only with the credit/no credit grading option.

12. Your study list must be coordinated with and approved by your academic advisor.

The Hybrid SES MS program was designed with four goals in mind:

1. To provide a graduate degree that focuses on the application of systems-thinking concepts and data science tools to the disciplines of civil and environmental engineering

2. To provide increased access to Stanford Civil and Environmental MS degrees for working professionals who are not able to leave the workforce for an entirely full-time MS degree program (typically 1.5 years in CEE)

3. To allow Civil and Environmental Engineering master’s students to apply lessons from their graduate studies in their daily professional career by taking 1/3 of their required units as a part-time student with the opportunity and flexibility to take courses online

4. To increase the affordability of earning an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering by enabling students to continue working full-time while completing 1/3 of the required units part-time with the opportunity and flexibility to take courses online

With these four goals in mind, to earn the hybrid SES MS degree, students complete 45 graduate academic units. These units are distributed across four components of the degree.

Students complete their hybrid SES MS courses as part-time Honors Cooperative Students (HCP). They can take between three units and seven units of graduate courses per hybrid quarter. Hybrid SES MS students can complete the hybrid component of their degree in as little as three quarters or as many as 5 or 6 quarters. Most importantly, students in the hybrid SES MS program should plan to complete their hybrid courses in the spring or summer quarter before joining us as full-time residential graduate students on campus in the autumn quarter.