Get a Master's in Civil Engineering

As the world’s population continues to rise and environmental concerns put pressure on our global infrastructure, civil engineers are needed to plan, design, and construct solutions to these complex challenges.

Florida Tech’s master’s in civil engineering fosters innovative and independent thinking to prepare graduates for leadership positions in private industry, government and military organizations. The rigorous curriculum prepares graduates for their career with advanced skills in mathematics, mechanics, materials, project management, leadership, and ethics.

Degree Specializations

Six areas of specialization are offered in the civil engineering master’s program at Florida Tech. Prior to beginning the program, students map out their own plan of study with a faculty mentor whose professional field is aligned to the student’s career goals and interests. Specializations include:

• Construction Management
• Environmental Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Structural Engineering
• Transportation Engineering
• Water Resources Engineering

Gain Practical Experience

Every student at Florida Tech participates in hands-on research in addition to coursework. Students in the master’s in civil engineering program complete design projects that culminate in a two-course capstone design sequence with access to state-of-the-art laboratories. University collaborations with agencies including the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Florida Department of Transportation or the Federal Emergency Management Agency offer students exciting research and employment opportunities.

The master’s in civil engineering thesis allows students to undertake their own research project where they can build leadership and professional experience for teaching and research assistantships. Students are encouraged to publish research in leading industry journals. Graduating with an understanding of teamwork and knowledge of the leadership skills needed for a civil engineering career, graduates are ready to be productive on the job from the very first day.

Students in Florida Tech’s civil engineering master’s program experience an intimate, focused environment where professors mentor students, class sizes are small, and students network and collaborate with working professionals and classmates from around the world for a robust multicultural experience.

Florida Tech’s culture promotes innovative, independent thinking to develop graduates who are subject matter experts positioned for leadership. Faculty and advisors in the civil engineering master’s program expect students to be dedicated researchers on topics that make an impact on the industry and for their future success. Because of the multi-disciplinary nature of the research projects conducted at Florida Tech, students become well-rounded knowledgeable professionals ready to contribute in the workplace.

Experienced Faculty

Faculty members are professional engineers who also conduct research in a variety of areas such as wind and seismic engineering, risk modeling, hydraulic engineering, transportation and geotechnical engineering, waste water management, and environmental engineering. Their experience also includes field data collection and testing, laboratory data collection and analysis, construction of data acquisition systems, software development, and analytical and numerical modeling.

Our faculty offer a rich and varied background, including professional consulting and military experience. Through their strong personal and professional international experience in many different parts of the world including Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East, Florida Tech’s professors are able to share the values of cultural diversity within the workplace.

High-Tech Laboratories that Support Your Research

A big reason why Florida Tech is considered one of the best civil engineering schools in the country is the availability of high-tech laboratories that support research in many disciplines. Students have access to Wind and Hurricane Impacts Research Laboratory (WHIRL), a computer-aided design (CAD) laboratory, surveying materials, a soils and hydraulics laboratory, a geomaterials lab, and more. As a national leader in engineering research, Florida Tech’s civil engineering master’s program affords students every benefit to master cutting-edge civil engineering knowledge and research methodology. Students can take advantage of both teaching and research assistantships.

Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-tech Corridor

Florida Tech is the perfect place for a civil engineering degree. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.

The area has one of the largest high-tech workforces in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities. Many graduates of the civil engineering master’s program choose to work for a state or local government where they design and oversee the construction of roads, buildings, and bridges. Related work can also be found outside of government in the private sector at consulting or construction firms.

Enhance Your Civil Engineering Degree with Campus Organizations

Florida Tech’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is one of the most active organizations on campus. ASCE members take part in nationwide competitions to test their engineering skills. The Chi Epsilon honor society gives civil engineering students an abundance of networking opportunities.

Hands-on experience is a valuable part of the experience at Florida Tech. Civil engineering internships, assistantships, and participation in research projects gives students real-world experience outside the classroom. These opportunities offer students new insights into the field, and create faculty mentorships that encourage success.

Florida Tech students have completed civil engineering internships and research projects with scores of consulting companies and government agencies, including:

• Allan and Conrad, Inc.
• Ardaman & Associates, Inc.
• Bechtel
• Boueri Engineers, Inc.
• Bowman Engineers
• BRPH Architects & Engineers
• CH2M Hill
• City of Palm Bay, Brevard County
• Edward J. Haeck Landscape Architects
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Florida Department of Community Affairs
• Florida Department of Emergency Management
• Florida Department of Transportation
• Florida Sea Grant
• Lauderdale Executive Airport
• GeoSyntec Consultants
• Jones Edmonds Engineering
• Kimley Horn & Associates
• Miller Sellen Conner & Walsh, Inc.
• NASA
• National Science Foundation
• Quantitative Environmental Analysis
• Saint John’s River Water Management District
• Johns River Water Management District
• STV Group
• Tensor Engineering
• Turner Construction
• VHBA

Groundbreaking Research

A significant number of Florida Tech civil engineering graduate students complete a master’s thesis and undertake their own research project. Past students have conducted projects such as:

Construction Management

• Development of a highly efficient low voltage DC microgrid with smart array control strategy for residential/commercial buildings
• Building information modeling of energy-efficient, high performance buildings

Geotechnical Engineering

• Instrumentation and automation of the pavement pressure meter
• Causes and methods for preventing excessive pile rebound during driving

Materials and Highway Design

• Development of highway reuse applications for Florida waste materials
• Improving the properties of RAP for base course application by blending RAP with A-3 soil and chemical stabilization using asphalt emulsion and Portland cement
• Full depth reclamation mix design for Portland cement and asphalt emulsion stabilized blends

Structural Engineering

• Development of wind vulnerability models for residential buildings
• Study of the cost effectiveness of hurricane mitigation measures
• Performance of high-performance concrete in adverse environments

Transportation Engineering

• Freight mode choice with public data from the united states
• Water resources and environmental engineering
• Estimation of groundwater nutrient loads into the Indian River Lagoon: A study of unstable flows in groundwater from heavier saltwater bodies overlying fresh water

Finish in Five with a FastTrack Master’s Degree Program

In addition to research opportunities and civil engineering internships, students can take advantage of the FastTrack Master’s Program. This program allows students to take graduate course work as undergraduates, so students can complete a master’s degree in as little as one additional year of study. Earned scholarships carry over to the fifth year.

After completing the master’s or doctoral civil engineering program at Florida Tech, graduates are able to use their subject matter expertise to embark on any number of civil engineering careers.

With their knowledge of mathematics, mechanics (study of forces), and materials, employers hire engineers to provide a range of duties in jobs such as urban planning, design of large construction projects (i.e., highways, airports, bridges), survey and permit application oversight, management of repair or replacement of public and private infrastructure, testing of building materials, and more.

With any of the specializations in the field, graduates can pursue civil engineering careers that focus on a particular area such as geotechnical engineers that concentrate on how structures interact with the earth, or how slopes, retaining walls, and tunnels are designed.

Career Outlook

Employers with opportunities in civil engineering careers include private architectural, land development, environmental, and other civil engineering firms, as well as government agencies or the military. Many civil engineers hold supervisory or administrative positions, while others choose to work in design, construction, and research or education. Civil engineers work in collaborative environments that often include other professionals such as geologists and mechanical engineers.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides information about specific jobs including median annual pay, working conditions and job outlook, among other things. According to the bureau, employment for civil engineers is expected to grow 7% from 2014–2024 due to aging infrastructure. While government funding is often the source for civil engineering projects, privately funded projects also continue to create job demand.

Additionally, while jobs can be pursued, many students choose to continue their education and earn a PhD (see below).

Career Options

The positions and job duties offered in the industry ranges depending on the needs of that industry. Opportunities can include:

• Civil engineer
• Director of utilities
• Design engineer
• Urban and regional planning manager
• Wastewater engineer
• Transportation engineer
• Project engineer
• Private consultant
• Environmental engineer
• Structural engineer
• Water resources engineer
• Geotechnical engineer

Potential Employers

Local and national engineering firms that have hired Florida Tech graduates include:

• Allan and Conrad, Inc.
• Ardaman & Associates, Inc.
• Bechtel
• Boueri Engineers, Inc.
• Bowman Engineers
• BRPH Architects & Engineers
• CH2M Hill
• City of Palm Bay, Brevard County
• GeoSyntec Consultants
• Edward J. Haeck Landscape Architects
• Jones Edmonds Engineering
• Kimley Horn & Associates
• Miller Sellen Conner & Walsh, Inc.
• Lauderdale Executive Airport
• NASA
• Quantitative Environmental Analysis
• Saint John’s River Water Management District
• STV Group
• Tensor Engineering
• Turner Construction
• VHBA

Doctoral Program

For graduates who want to continue their education after the civil engineering master’s program, Florida Tech’s PhD program in civil engineering empowers students to design solutions for the many engineering challenges facing the world’s infrastructure. Earning a PhD increases earning potential and better positions graduates to attain leadership positions in the public and private sector. For full-time doctoral graduate research assistants, full-pay tuition scholarships are available.