Program Overview
University Program Information
The University of Washington's College of Engineering offers various graduate programs, including the Master's degree in Geotechnical Engineering.
Geotechnical Engineering Degree Requirements
The Geotechnical Engineering program has two tracks: the Research Track (Thesis Option) and the Professional Master's Program (Coursework Option).
- Research Track (Thesis Option):
- 33 credits of coursework
- 9 credits of CEE 700 – Master's Thesis (max 12 credits with faculty approval)
- Professional Master's Program (Coursework Option):
- 42 credits of coursework
General Degree Requirements
The general degree requirements for the Geotechnical Engineering program include:
- 42 credits
- Coursework requirements:
- 18 credits minimum 500 level coursework
- 18 credits minimum of 400-500 level coursework
- 3 credits minimum outside of CESG coursework
- All CESG coursework (except seminars) taken for numeric grade
- 3 credits maximum of CEE 600 – Independent Study
- 499 credits do not count towards a graduate degree
- 300 and below coursework does not count towards a graduate degree
- Maximum 2 credits of ENGR 601 allowed with faculty advisor approval
- GPA requirements:
- 3.0 Minimum cumulative GPA overall
- 3.0 Minimum cumulative GPA in Geotechnical coursework
- 2.7 minimum grade for a course to count
- Other requirements:
- 6 year max to complete degree (including official On Leave status)
- 6 credits maximum of approved transfer credits
Required Coursework
The required coursework for the Geotechnical Engineering program includes:
- Autumn quarter:
- CESG 561: Adv Soil Mech (4 credits)
- Winter quarter:
- CESG 566: Slope Stability and Landslides (3 credits)
- Spring quarter:
- CESG 567: Advanced Foundation Engineering (3 credits)
- CESG 569: Geological Eng & Rock Mechanics (3 credits)
Required Electives
The required electives for the Geotechnical Engineering program include:
- 19 credits of the following courses are required for PMP students, 15 credits for Thesis Students
- Autumn quarter:
- CESG 562: Adv Geotech Lab (5 credits)
- CESG 563: Phys-chem Aspects of Soil Beh (3 credits)
- Winter quarter:
- CESG 564: Computational Geomechanics* (4 credits)
- CESG 565: Soil Dynamics (3 credits)
- CESG 571: Case Histories (3 credits)
- Spring quarter:
- CESG 568: Geotechnical Earthquake Eng (3 credits)
- CESG 570: Geosystems Engineering (3 credits)
Suggested Electives
The remaining course requirements for the MSCE degree can be satisfied by any 5XX and some 4XX courses in the CEWA program, as well as a variety of relevant courses from other departments at the UW. Students are encouraged to explore the availability of these courses and decide on an individual plan of study that balances depth and breadth, in line with the student's career goals, with guidance and approval from their faculty adviser.
- AA 540/541: Finite Element Analysis I & II (3 credits)
- AMATH 506: Applied Probablility Statistics (4 credits)
- AMATH 581, 582, 583: Scientific Computing (5 credits)
- AMATH 584, 585, 586: Numerical Analysis (5 credits)
- ARCH 574: Design and Construction Law (3 credits)
- ATM S 552: Objective Analysis (3 credits)
- CESG 508: Materials Modeling (3 credits)
- CESG 501: Structural Mechanics (4 credits)
- ESS 512: Seismology (3 credits)
- ESS 522: Geophysical Data Collection and Analysis (3 credits)
- ESS 523: Geophysical Inverse Theory (3 credits)
- STAT 504, 506: Applied Regression, Applied Prob. & Stat. (4 credits)
- STAT 512: Statistical Inference (4 credits)
- STAT 520: Spectral Analysis of Time Series (4 credits)
Master's Degree Requirements
The Master's degree requirements for the College of Engineering include:
- Construction, Energy, and Sustainable Infrastructure
- Environmental Engineering
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Hydrology & Hydrodynamics
- Structural Engineering and Mechanics
- Transportation Engineering
Graduate Advising
The graduate advising team includes:
- Bryan Crockett
- Anna Egeland
- Kimbo Smith