Civil and Environmental Engineering Department

Contact Information

Dr. James Stone, PhD and MS (Thesis) Graduate Coordinator
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
CM 314
Phone: (605) 394-2443
E-mail: James.Stone@sdsmt.edu

Dr. Marc Robinson, MS (Non-Thesis) Graduate Coordinator
Graduate Coordinator
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
CM 243
(605) 394-2563
E-mail: Marc.Robinson@sdsmt.edu

Faculty

Professors Kenner and Stone; Associate Professors Robinson, Capehart, Benning, and Gadhamshetty; Assistant Professors Arneson-Meyer, Lingwall, Shearer, Geza, Waterman, and Bheemasetti; Instructor Bienert.

MS and PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers MS and PhD degrees in civil and environmental engineering (CENE). The objective of the Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate program is to develop a student’s knowledge and expertise in support of their becoming a leader in their area of specialization.

Research Areas

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers research in the following emphasis areas: environmental, water resources, geotechnical/materials, and structural engineering.

Degree Options

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers PhD, MS (thesis and non-thesis), and accelerated MS degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Accelerated MS option

An accelerated Master of Science (MS) degree program is available for qualified seniors enrolled in engineering BS programs at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T). The accelerated MS degree program allows BS engineering students to take up to nine (9) graduate level credits to simultaneously meet undergraduate and graduate degree program requirements. The following restrictions apply to the accelerated MS program:

The courses must be taken at the 500/600 level as an undergraduate.
Only courses taken at SDSM&T are eligible for dual credit.

Additional policies concerning accelerated MS degrees can be found in the requirements and policies applied to all graduate degrees by the Council of Graduate Education.

Outcomes

Students graduating from the CENE program are expected to achieve the following outcomes.

An ability to select and apply appropriate techniques and tools to recognize and solve engineering problems within the student’s area of technical specialization.
An ability to analyze and design complex systems or processes within the student’s area of technical specialization.
An ability to identify appropriate experiments and analyze and interpret results to arrive at reasonable conclusions.
An ability to effectively communicate technical information (orally and written).

Financial support

A limited number of fellowships and assistantships are available to qualified students. All applicants are automatically considered for assistantships.

Background requirements

Incoming students should have completed the General Courses listed below as well as the courses listed under the student’s desired area of emphasis (Environmental, Water Resources, Geotechnical/Materials, or Structures).

General Courses

Environmental

Water Recourses

Geotechnical/Materials

Structures

Admission requirements

A GPA of 3.00 or better is required of all applicants for the MS and PhD CENE programs. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and three letters of recommendation are required of all applicants for the PhD and MS thesis programs. The GRE is not required for SDSM&T graduates and MS non-thesis students. The TOEFL exam is required for students whose native language is not English.

Transfer credits

Policies for transferring credits from outside institutions can be found in the requirements and policies applied to all graduate degrees by the Council of Graduate Education. All transfers are subject to approval by the student’s advisor or advisory committee.