Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering The University of Alabama in Huntsville

University of Alabama in Huntsville -- A Top Research University

"US News and World Report" consistently ranks University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville or UAH) as a Tier I national university. The Carnegie Foundation has classified UAH as "very high" in the research category, making it one of an elite group of 73 US public universities to attain such status. "USA Today" and "The Princeton Review" both list UAH as one of the 50 best values in American education.

Compared with similarly-sized public universities, the University of Alabama in Huntsville ranks first in the nation in research expenditure. UAH often joins with surrounding government agencies, like NASA, the US Army, other Department of Defense agencies, and their associated contractors.

UAH is a Space Grant university, and has a lengthy history of cooperation with NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center and the US Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal. The National Space Science and Technology Center on the UAH campus makes NASA's research and technology available to all of Alabama's colleges and universities.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UAH

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UAH offers students Master of Science (MS), professional MS, and doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees. The department provides numerous opportunities to pursue research at the graduate level. Fields include geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, water resource engineering, structural engineering, structural mechanics, and transportation engineering.

Requirements for the MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering

UAH offers 2 options for students pursuing an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering degree. The thesis option involves 24 credits of coursework and the production of an original research-based thesis. The 2nd option requires 33 hours of coursework including a 3-credit course focusing on the creation of an independent research paper.

Professional Master's Degree in Civil Engineering

UAH offers a master's degree for working engineers, primarily from the Alabama Department of Transportation. This program is designed to increase participants' knowledge and credentials. Offered online, the program is comprised of 33 credits of coursework and a terminal exam.

Requirements for the PhD Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering

The PhD program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UAHuntsville requires a minimum of 24 credit hours beyond the master's level. Successful candidates pass preliminary examinations at the beginning of their courses of study, pass qualifying exams at the conclusion of study, and produce original dissertations.

Esteemed Faculty Members in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UAH

Faculty members at UAH combine a mix of practical real world experience with exceptional teaching and research. An example is Department Chair Professor Houssam Toutanji. Dr. Toutanji is a fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and serves on the editorial review board for Scientific Journals International. He is also an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) program evaluator for ASCE. His research interests include durability and long-term performance of advanced composites, fiber-reinforced cementitious composites, high strength concrete, modeling the freezing process and durability of concrete, nondestructive testing, smart materials, smart structures, structural retrofitting and structural repair, and self-consolidating concrete. Dr. Toutanji serves as faculty adviser for the campus chapter of ASCE, whose concrete canoe competition team has won 5 national championships.

Professor Kathleen Leonard has over a quarter century of experience in research and teaching in environmental engineering. Professor Leonard is a fellow in the ASCE as well as in the Society of American Military Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers. She serves as a consultant to the city of Huntsville and surrounding areas in the fields of water quality control, hazardous waste treatment, and environmental impact analysis. Currently, Dr. Leonard is engaged in research involving wastewater treatment and reuse, sustainable design, and ozonation in water and hazardous waste treatment.



Professor Michael David Anderson is an expert on transportation, traffic management, freight transportation, and GIS-T applications. Dr. Anderson has won numerous "best paper" awards from the Transportation Research Board and the ASCE. Professor Anderson's research focuses on the application of geographic information systems to traffic, public transportation systems, traffic modeling and urban planning, and traffic engineering.

World-Class Facilities in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UAHuntsville

UAH Civil and Environment Engineering has varied and extensive lab, computational, and experimental facilities. Among the lab facilities are an extensive computer lab with interface to the Alabama State DOT network, a Geographical Information Systems Laboratory, a Hazardous Waste and Environmental Design Treatment Laboratory, a Hydraulics lab, a Materials Laboratory, a Soils Laboratory, and a Water Quality Laboratory.

A Unique Environment

The University of Alabama in Huntsville is located on 500 acres within Cummings Research Park, the second-largest research park facility in the nation. The city of Huntsville is an international center for aerospace and high technology research, as well as home to Redstone Arsenal, home of the US Space and Missile Defense Command.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Civil And Environmental Engineering Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Civil Engineering Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) [structural engineering and structural mechanics]
  Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) [civil engineering]
  Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) [environmental and water resource engineering]
  Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) [geotechnical engineering]
  Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) [transportation engineering]

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees 14
• Doctoral Degrees 1
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Yes
• Evening/weekend programs available? Yes
• Distance learning programs available? No
• Terminal master's degree available? No

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Required, Alternate accepted and oral and written exams
• Doctoral Degrees Required, Required and oral and written exams
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied24
• Accepted18
• Acceptance Rate75%
• Enrolled9
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic $40
• Application Fee - International $50
• Electronic applications accepted? Yes
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Yes
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline July 15th April 1st Yes
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline November 30th September 1st Yes
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesGRE General Test, BSE, minimum GPA of 3.0
• Doctoral's DegreesGRE General Test, minimum GPA of 3.0
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesTOEFL required, 500 paper based, TOEFL iBT, IELTS required, IELTS paper based

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$8,516
• Out-of-state tuition *$20,384
• International student tuition$20,384
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year feesNot Reported
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitFAFSA
• Application deadlines for financial awardsApril 1
• Types of financial support availableResearch Assitantships, Teaching Assistantships, Career or Field-Related Internships, Federal Work-Study, Financial Support for Part-time Students, Health Care Benefits, Institutionally-sponsored Loans, Scholarship and/or loans, Graduate Assistantships

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students29
• Female Percentage31%
• Male Percentage69%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students29
• Part-time Percentage31%
• Full-time Percentage69%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino0%
• Black / African American8%
• White / Caucasian83%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian0%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races0%
• Unknown9%

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty5
• Full-time Percentage100%
• Part-time Percentage0%
• Female Percentage20%
• Male Percentage80%

• Existing Research
• Focus of faculty researchSmart materials and smart structures, fiber-reinforced cementitious composites, processing and mechanics of composites, geographic information systems, environmental engineering
• Externally sponsored research expenditures last year$844,737