Civil Engineering (MS) – Transportation Systems Engineering

The Transportation Systems Engineering track in the Civil Engineering MS program reflects the very broad nature of the field, which encompasses the design, and enhancement of the transportation infrastructure of society. The program's course work focuses on transportation planning and traffic engineering.

Faculty research interests include intelligent transportation systems, traffic safety, and traffic signal design. Students completing the program find positions in consulting firms, and construction-related industries, in city, county, state, and federal government agencies, and academic institutions.

The Transportation Systems Engineering track in the Civil Engineering MS program is for students with appropriate science or engineering baccalaureate backgrounds. Both a thesis option and a nonthesis option are available with each requiring 30 credit hours of graduate courses. The thesis option requires 15 credit hours of required courses, 9 credit hours of elective courses (exclusive of thesis and research), and a thesis (6 credit hours). The nonthesis option requires 15 credit hours of required courses and 15 credit hours of elective graduate course work. The nonthesis option also requires submission of an end-of-program portfolio. The student must develop an individual program of study with a faculty adviser and must have background or articulation course work as described below. At least one-half of the required credits must be taken at the 6000 level.

Total Credit Hours Required: 30 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree

Please Note: Civil Engineering MS, Transportation Systems Track may be completed fully online, although not all elective options or program prerequisites may be offered online. Newly admitted students choosing to complete this program exclusively via UCF online classes may enroll with a reduction in campus-based fees.

International students (F or J visa) are required to enroll in a full-time course load of 9 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters. Only 3 of the 9 credit hours may be taken in a completely online format. For a detailed listing of enrollment requirements for international students, please visit http://global.ucf.edu/. If you have questions, please consult UCF Global at (407) 823-2337.

UCF is not authorized to provide online courses or instruction to students in some states. Refer to State Restrictions for current information.

Track Prerequisites

A Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering or another closely related engineering degree. Applicants who are applying to the programs without a directly related undergraduate degree should closely check the prerequisites. Additional undergraduate courses may be required.

Calculus and Differential Equations should ideally be passed prior to applying to our Graduate Programs

• MAC 2311 Calculus with Analytical Geometry 1

• MAC 2312 Calculus with Analytical Geometry 2

• MAC 2313 Calculus with Analytical Geometry 3

• MAP 2302 Ordinary Differential Equations 1

Articulation

• STA 3032 - Probability and Statistics for Engineers 3 Credit Hours
• TTE 3810 - Transportation Engineering 3 Credit Hours

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

• Complete all of the following
  • Complete at least 4 of the following:
    • TTE5204 - Traffic Engineering (3)
    • TTE5805 - Geometric Design of Transportation Systems (3)
    • TTE5835 - Pavement Engineering (3)
    • TTE6205 - Highway Capacity (3)
    • TTE6256 - Traffic Operations (3)
    • TTE6270 - Intelligent Transportation Systems (3)
    • TTE6275 - Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (3)
    • TTE6315 - Traffic Safety Analysis (3)
    • TTE6526 - Planning and Design of Airports (3)
    • TTE6625 - Mass Transportation Systems (3)
    • TTE6667 - Discrete Choice Modeling in Transportation (3)
    • CGN6655 - Regional Planning, Design, and Development (3)
  • Complete at least 1 of the following:
    • ESI5219 - Engineering Statistics (3)
    • STA5206 - Statistical Analysis (3)

Non Thesis Students - Required Course Selection

• The following courses represent those with specific independent learning experiences and ALL NONTHESIS STUDENTS MUST CHOOSE ONE of the courses from: TTE 5204 - Traffic Engineering TTE 5805 - Geometric Design of Transportation Systems TTE 6256 - Traffic Operations TTE 6315 - Traffic Safety Analysis TTE 6526 - Planning and Design of Airports

Elective Courses

• Earn at least 9 credits from the following types of courses: All students, both thesis and nonthesis, must complete at least 9 additional credit hours of approved electives from the required courses above or other courses as approved by the student's adviser. Earn at least 9 credits from XXX 6000- or XXX 7000-level elective courses approved by the student's adviser. The electives can be from Engineering and Computer Science courses, where XXX is EAS, EEE, EEL, COP, CEN, CIS, COT, CDA, CNT, CAP, EGM, ESI, BME, EML, EIN, CGN, CWR, TTE, CEG, CES, CCE, ENV, EES, EMA, or OSE; or from course prefixes outside the College, where XXX can be CHM, CHS, PHY, PHZ, GIS, ANG, POS, SYA, CCJ, BCH, BSC, HMG, HSC, MAA, MAD, MAP, MAS, MAT, MCB, MTG, PAD, PCB, STA, or ZOO. XXX 5000 level courses are an option also, but only with course-by-course permission from the academic advisor since 5000 level courses must be 50% or less of the graduate coursework. Elective courses beyond those listed in the graduate catalog, and others outside the department and/or program, are permitted at the discretion of the student’s advisor and/or graduate program director in the form of a signed and approved Program of Study. Directed Research (XXX 6918) is not permitted in the MS program of study. At least half of the credit hours used to meet program requirements must be at the 6000 level.

Thesis/Nonthesis Option

• Complete 1 of the following
  Thesis Option
  • Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: TTE 6971 - Thesis A final defense of the thesis is required. In addition, the College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that all thesis defense announcements be approved by the student's advisor and posted on the college's website and on the university-wide Events Calendar at the College of Graduate Studies website at least two weeks before the defense date.
  Nonthesis Option
  • Complete all of the following
    • Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: Two additional electives, which should preferably come from the above list, although other courses may be chosen with the adviser's consent.
    • Portfolio Requirement Students are required to complete a culminating experience. The culminating experience for nonthesis MS students is submission of an end-of-program portfolio. the portfolio requirements are listed on the CECE website. Make sure and contact your program’s coordinator early in your graduating semester to find out when the portfolios are to be turned in for evaluation. The Graduate Student Services Coordinator should be able to tell you who the coordinator is for your degree program if you do not already know.

Grand Total Credits: 30

Application Requirements

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

Equipment Fee

Students in the Civil Engineering MS program pay a $16 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled. Part-time students pay $8 per semester.

Independent Learning

A research or design project serves as the independent learning experience for thesis students. Nonthesis students are required to take at least one of the courses designated in the "Non Thesis Students - Required Course Selection" section above, denoting an independent learning experience, and submission of an end-of-program portfolio.