Program Overview

Civil Engineering Master's Degree

The Master of Civil Engineering degree is designed to provide specialized knowledge in selected technical areas of Civil Engineering. The educational objective of this program is to produce graduates who are capable of professional practice in a specialized area of Civil Engineering, namely environmental engineering, geo-environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, transportation engineering, and water resources engineering.

Program Overview

Small class sizes ensure personal attention from the highly qualified faculty. The department has state-of-the-art laboratories for each major technical area. These labs include:

• Geo-materials (AASHTO Accredited)
• Geotechnical
• Environmental
• Structures
• Hydraulics
• PC/CAD

Admission & Application Requirements

Applications are submitted through the UT San Antonio Graduate Application. The required documents include:

• Required Degree: Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. An undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related field is required.
• Minimum GPA: 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours.
• Coursework: Completed adequate credit hours or foreign institution equivalent coursework as preparation for the program.
• Transcripts: Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English.
• Credential Evaluation: Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from FCSA or any NACES-approved credential evaluation agency.
• English Language Proficiency: 550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100.
• Purpose Statement: Required.

Application Deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents, and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.

• Timing on Admission Decision: Completed applications will be reviewed for admission on a rolling basis. Decisions generally will be made and sent to applicants within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the application.
• Application Deadlines for:
  • Spring 2026: Not Available (International), October 1 (Domestic).
  • Summer 2026: Not Available.
  • Fall 2026: February 1 (Priority), June 1 (International), August 1 (Domestic).
  • Spring 2027: Not Available (International), October 1 (Domestic).
  • Summer 2027: Not Available.

Funding Opportunities

Research Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships are available on a competitive basis to full-time students carrying out research. Typical amounts are $22.5k and $25.5k per year for MCE and PhD students.

Career Options

The possible careers include various positions in demand, based on data from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and online job postings.

Course Offerings & Schedule

This program is housed on Main Campus.

Research

The most recent graduate thesis work includes:

• Investigation of Juniperus Woodland Replacement Dynamics.
• Phytoremediation of Lead Contaminated Soils.
• Effectiveness of Al- and Fe-based Drinking Water Treatment Residuals in Remediating Soil Arsenic: Mechanisms and Implication.
• Watershed Streamflow Estimation Utilizing Remote Sensing Time-Series Proxies of Landscape Moisture State and Radar Precipitation.

Graduate Advisor of Record

Marcio Giacomoni, PhD.