4+1 Bachelors/Masters Programs

Overview

The Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering is the minimum requirement for practicing in these professions today.

It is also one of the key requirements for becoming a licensed professional engineer. More than ever before, the industry is demanding graduates to seek advanced training and education in order to handle the complex problems we currently face with our deteriorating infrastructure and ever-changing environment. Through the 4+1 program, qualified UD undergraduate students pursuing the Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE) degree or the Bachelor of Environmental Engineering (BENE) degree may begin work toward their Master’s degree in Civil Engineering as a senior, and complete the non-thesis Master’s degree in as little as one year.

Students may also consider a thesis-based Master’s degree, but degree completion is typically longer than one year. Students choosing this option are eligible for research assistantship opportunities.

Eligibility

The program is limited to UD undergraduates pursuing the BCE or BENE degree, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 at the time of application. Students must have completed at least 90 credits toward their undergraduate degree before they can be enrolled in the program. Only full-time students at the time of application are eligible.

Admission Requirements

Students apply to the program in the spring semester of their junior year, or when they have completed 75 credits toward their undergraduate degree. Students must meet all the requirements for admission to the regular graduate program (Personal Statement, 3 letters of recommendation); however, students are not required to take the GRE to gain admission to this program.

Program Requirements

• Students must fulfill all of the requirements for the Master of Civil Engineering degree.
• Students may choose the non-thesis or the thesis option. The thesis option may require more time.
• Up to 6 credits of graduate course work (600 level and above) taken while an undergraduate, may be “dual-counted” toward the Bachelor’s and the Master’s degrees. The dual-counted courses must be established classes in civil or environmental engineering. Independent study or research cannot be dual-counted. Grade requirements for the master’s degree do apply.
• Additional graduate-level courses taken while an undergraduate, beyond the two dual-counted courses, may be transferred toward the master’s degree. Before enrolling in any graduate-level courses, student must meet with their academic advisor for course approval and to complete the Graduate Course Approval Form.
• Applications are due no later than July 1 after junior year, preferably earlier.
• Unofficial UD transcripts are accepted.
• Students admitted to the 4+1 program can take more than two graduate courses, if possible, toward their master’s degree. It is more cost effective to take graduate courses as an undergraduate.

Concentrations

Students select a concentration when applying.

• Coastal Engineering – coastal engineering, sediment transport, and wave and fluid mechanics
• Environmental Engineering – water and wastewater treatment, environmental chemistry and microbiology, soil remediation, and waste management
• Geotechnical Engineering – computational geomechanics, soil mechanics, foundation engineering, and earth structures engineering
• Structural Engineering – structural mechanics, dynamic, analysis, and design of structures; bridge engineering; computational mechanics; and structural engineering materials
• Transportation Engineering and Civil Infrastructure Systems – urban transportation, traffic engineering, systems engineering, logistics engineering, railway engineering, and engineering management, asset management, natural disaster risk analysis, and infrastructure vulnerability
• Water Resources Engineering – groundwater hydraulics, groundwater contamination, watershed management, hydrology, and water quality control