Whether you’re preparing for a career in industry, government, or academia, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University will prepare you for success through access to leading faculty and advanced research opportunities.
Part-Time
Civil engineers are on the frontlines of a changing world. They’re designing the cities of the future, developing innovations for a cleaner environment, and fighting climate change. At Northeastern University, you can earn a master’s degree in civil engineering with a concentration in construction management; environmental, water, and coastal systems; geotechnical/geoenvironmental engineering; structures; transportation; or data and systems. Degree requirements may be completed on a full- or part-time basis.
Concentration 1: Construction Management
Construction management is a broad and complex discipline that integrates the multiple stages of large-scale construction projects with the detailed technology and knowledge needed to complete them. In this concentration, you learn to approach and lead construction projects from a sustainable and holistic perspective. You’ll be exposed not only to technical engineering concepts but also to a much broader application of these concepts as they relate to large and complex projects. You’ll learn and apply ideas related to construction project control and organization, sustainable design, and technologies in construction, logistics, resource management, incorporating technological and business innovation, and economic and environmental viability.
Concentration 2: Environmental, Water, and Coastal Systems
With this concentration, you’ll learn to tackle interconnected challenges in water, energy, waste, air pollution, and related fields—all in the context of a changing planet. This technical area within the department covers a wide range of technologies and design solutions for natural systems, from the molecular scale to global climate change. Our faculty work on creating hardware and software tools to better monitor, predict, and mitigate environmental pollution and create clean environments.
Concentration 3: Geotechnical/Geoenvironmental Engineering
This program includes study in the areas of soil mechanics/foundations and geoenvironmental engineering. It includes studies of soil and related earth materials for problems related to the protection of human health and the environment. Related areas include fate/transport in subsurfaces, subsurface remediation, and others. By leading and housing the research center PROTECT, a $23M program funded by NIH-NIEHS, our faculty are world-class leaders in environmental health. They engage in research that focuses on reducing exposure to groundwater contamination and developing green remediation strategies that mitigate preterm birth rates through reducing exposure to pollutants that may threaten human health and natural ecosystems.
Concentration 4: Structures
Structural engineering at Northeastern University focuses on urban engineering and use-inspired research that prepares students for many of the unique technical challenges of our time. Students in this concentration study under our faculty who are known internationally as leaders in natural hazard characterization, dynamic and nonlinear infrastructure simulation, sensor development, design of novel and sustainable infrastructure systems, offshore wind structures and wind engineering, materiomics and material design through molecular simulation, and structural reliability. Our research, both analytical and experimental, is supported by the state-of-the-art Laboratory for Structural Testing of Resilient and Sustainable Systems (STReSS Laboratory), which enables experimental characterization of large-scale structural systems and components.
Concentration 5: Transportation
Urban transportation of people and goods is undergoing a significant transformation with the introduction of new types of services (bike sharing, ride-hailing, etc.) and concepts such as mobility on demand and mobility as a service. Coupled with technological advances related to electric, connected, and autonomous vehicles, these developments promise to completely change the nature of urban mobility, while addressing the significant challenges of safety, sustainability, and equity. This program is designed for students interested in working on the frontlines of transportation engineering.
Concentration 6: Data and Systems concentration
The Data and Systems Concentration, grounded in faculty interests and existing courses, will prepare students to use new and emerging technologies in data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, as well as systems analysis (e.g., operations research, economics, system identification) and sensors to address problems in domains spanning all (traditional) civil and environmental engineering (CEE) areas. This is an umbrella program that serves all CEE disciplines by providing a solid foundation in modern programming languages such as Python and R, developing students' data analytics skills, promoting a systems perspective, and, importantly, honing these in the context of data-driven CEE problem solving.
More Details
Unique Features
- Can be combined with a Gordon Engineering Leadership certificate
- Choose from six different concentrations
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Program Costs
Requirements
- Completed online application form
- $75 application fee
- Two letters of recommendation
- Transcripts from all institutions attended
- GRE is not required for applicants starting spring 2021
- Statement of purpose
- Resumé
- TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo for international applicants
Admissions Dates
Applications received after the stated deadline dates will be accepted and processed as quickly as possible; however it may not be possible to have a decision rendered in time for the applicant to begin taking classes for the desired term if admitted.
Applications submitted by the referenced dates will receive full consideration for the referenced term. Applications received after the referenced dates will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Funding/Early Action deadline for domestic and international applicants: | January 15 |
Deadline for international applicants (outside the U.S.): | May 15 |
Deadline for international applicants (inside the U.S.): | July 1 |
Deadline for domestic applicants: | August 1 |
Deadline for regional campus applicants: | August 15 |
Deadline for international applicants (outside the U.S.): | September 15 |
Deadline for International applicants (inside the U.S.): | November 1 |
Deadline for domestic applicants: | November 15 |
Deadline for regional campus applicants: | December 15 |
Concentrations
Choose one from the following:
Core Requirements
Options
Complete one of the following options:
Course Work Option
Complete 24 semester hours from the elective course list below.
Report Option
Complete 20 semester hours from the elective course list below.
Thesis Option
Complete 16 semester hours from the elective course list below.
Elective Course List
Required Core Courses
Options
Complete one of the following options:
Course Work Option
Complete 12 semester hours from the restricted elective list below:
Complete 12 semester hours from the other elective list below:
Report Option
Complete 12 semester hours from the restricted elective list below:
Complete 8 semester hours from the other elective list below:
Thesis Option
Complete 12 semester hours from the restricted elective list below:
Complete 4 semester hours from the other elective list below:
Course Lists
Restricted Elective List
Other Elective List
Any restricted elective not used to meet the restricted elective requirement can be taken as another elective.
Core Requirements
Options
Complete one of the following options:
Course Work Option
Complete 14 semester hours from the course list below.
Report Option
Complete 10 semester hours from the course list below.
Thesis Option
Complete 6 semester hours from the course list below.
Course list
Students can complete either IE 5640 or IE 7275, but not both.
Core Requirements
Complete 8 semester hours of the following:
Options
Complete one of the following options:
Coursework Option
Complete 12 semester hours from the restricted elective list below.
Complete 12 semester hours from the other elective list below.
Report Option
Complete 12 semester hours from the restricted elective list below.
Complete 8 semester hours from the other elective list below.
Thesis Option
Complete 12 semester hours from the restricted elective list below.
Complete 4 semester hours from the other elective list below.
Course Lists
Restricted Elective List
Any required core course not used to meet the required core course requirement can be taken as a restricted elective.
Other Elective List
Any required core course not used to meet the required core course or restricted elective requirements can be taken as another elective. Any restricted elective not used to meet the restricted elective requirement can be taken as another elective.
Specific topic for CIVE 7388 is Random Data and Processing
Core Requirements
Options
Complete one of the following options:
Course Work Option
Complete 12 semester hours from the restricted elective list below:
Complete 8 semester hours from the other elective list below:
Report Option
Complete 8 semester hours from the restricted elective list below:
Complete 8 semester hours from the other elective list below:
Thesis Option
Complete 8 semester hours from the restricted elective list below:
Complete 4 semester hours from the other elective list below:
Course Lists
Restricted Elective List
Other Elective List
Any restricted elective not used to meet the restricted elective requirement can be used as another elective. Courses outside this list may be taken as electives with advisor approval.
Data and Computing
Complete at least 4 semester hours from the following:
Choose one of the following:
Choose one of the following:
Systems and Sensors
Complete at least 4 semester hours from the following:
Civil and Environmental Systems
Complete at least 8 semester hours from the following:
Complete one of the following options:
Coursework Option
Complete the remaining semester hours from the electives list below.
Report Option
Complete the remaining semester hours from the electives list below.
Thesis Option
Complete the remaining semester hours from the electives list below.
Course Lists
Any core course not used to meet core course requirements can be used as an elective, as can courses in the following table.
Electives List
Please note: This curriculum is for marketing purposes only and is subject to change. Official curriculum can be found within the course catalog.
Northeastern combines rigorous academics with experiential learning and research to prepare students for real-world engineering challenges. The cooperative education program, also known as co-op, is one of the largest and most innovative in the world, and Northeastern is one of only a few that offers a co-op program for graduate students. Through this program, students gain professional industry experience in their field of interest as part of the academic curriculum while employed from four to eight months in a wide variety of organizations, from large companies to entrepreneurial startups.
In 2019, the Graduate School of Engineering placed nearly 1000 students in co-op positions. We have a team that prepares students for the cooperative education experience through resumé building, developing interview skills, and guiding professional development.
Our Faculty
Our faculty represents a wide cross-section of professional practices and fields ranging from finance to education to biomedical science to management to the U.S. military. They serve as mentors and advisors and collaborate alongside students to solve the most pressing global challenges facing established and emerging markets.
By enrolling in Northeastern, you gain access to a network of more than 255,000 alumni and 3,350+ employer partners, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global nongovernmental organizations. Our current students and faculty across strategically located regional locations further foster a lifelong, global community of learning and mentoring.
Below is a look at where our engineering alumni work, the positions they hold, and the skills they bring to their organization.
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Where They Work
- GE Aviation
- Raytheon
- CDM Smith
- Bose Corporation
- IBM
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What They Do
- Engineering
- Operations
- Business Development
- Program and Project Management
- Entrepreneurship
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What They're Skilled At
- Engineering
- Project Management
- AutoCAD
- SolidWorks
- Manufacturing
Learn more about Northeastern Alumni on Linkedin.