Admission: Structural Engineering

The graduate program in structural engineering places a strong emphasis on analyzing and solving structural engineering problems through a combination of experimental, computational, and analytical techniques.

The structural engineering faculty are involved in research areas that include earthquake-resistant design of structures; development of new structural systems; use of high performance materials; durability of materials and structures; structural repair and rehabilitation; fatigue and fracture of metals; bridge, highway, and airfield design; and advances in computational and structural mechanics. The graduate curriculum is flexible and aims to provide students with a program balanced between design, theoretical, and analytical coursework. The graduate courses allow for strong interaction with the faculty, as well as the opportunity to specialize in areas such as finite element analysis, structural design and behavior, and earthquake engineering. The faculty are involved in local, national, and international professional organizations through participation in committee work, conferences, workshops, and continuing education courses. The faculty also engage in academic and research collaboration with colleagues in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, in other departments throughout the university, and with institutions around the world.

CEGE graduates with a structural emphasis are employed in a wide range of consulting firms, companies, government agencies, and research institutions. Recent MS and MCE graduates have been employed by top consulting firms within the state and nationwide, by departments of transportation around the country, and by a wide range of engineering companies. Recent Ph.D. graduates have obtained faculty positions at many universities around the world, as well as positions with engineering consulting firms nationwide.

Admission to the Graduate Program

Three graduate degree programs are available in structural engineering, including the Master of ScienceMaster of Engineering, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

Students may begin their graduate program in either the Fall or Spring semesters, although beginning in Fall semester is recommended. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to submit their applications by early December for admission the following September. However, applications are accepted until shortly before the semester in which the student wishes to enroll. Further information about admissions is available on this website under “Graduate Studies”.

Questions regarding the program in structural engineering may be directed to
Assistant Professor Qizhi He 
612-624-0063  | qzhe@umn.edu

Coursework-Only Degree Option

Prospective graduate students interested in obtaining an advanced degree either within a nine month period or on a longer-term part-time basis are encouraged to consider the coursework-only Master of Civil Engineering degree. In this degree program, students may complete the degree requirements within a nine month program consisting of two semesters with five courses being taken per semester (typically each course is three credits), so as to obtain the requisite 30 course credits. This degree program is also ideal for practitioners interested in pursuing an advanced degree part-time while working full-time, taking one or two courses per semester for a period ranging from two and a half to five years. Further information on this and all other degree programs are available on the Master Degree Programs page.

Courses

Prerequisite Courses

If you do not have an undergraduate degree in engineering, you will need to take these additional courses: (These courses will not count towards your graudate degree)

  • CEGE 3401 Linear Structural Analysis or AEM 3031 Deformable Body Mechanics 
  • CEGE 3402 Construction Materials
  • CEGE 4401 Steel and Reinforced Concrete Design
  • Math 2243 Linear Algebra and Differential Equations

Undergraduate Courses (will not count towards graduate degree)

  • CEGE 3401 Linear Structural Analysis
  • CEGE 3402 Construction Materials
  • CEGE 4401 Steel and Reinforced Concrete Design

Advanced Undergraduate/Graduate Courses

  • CEGE 4411 Matrix Structural Analysis
  • CEGE 4412 Reinforced Concrete Design II
  • CEGE 4413 Steel Design Design II
  • CEGE 5411 Advanced Structural Mechanics
  • CEGE 5414 Prestressed Concrete Design
  • CEGE 5415 Masonry Structures
  • CEGE 5416 Sensors in Infrastructure
  • CEGE 5417 Structural Engineering Design of Wood Buildings

Graduate Courses

  • CEGE 8400 Seminar: Structures (MS students can count 1 credit towards their degree/PhD students can count 2 credits towards their degree)
  • CEGE 8401 Fundamentals of Finite Element Method
  • CEGE 8402 Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis
  • CEGE 8411 Plate Structures
  • CEGE 8412 Shell Structures
  • CEGE 8413 Fracture and Scaling 
  • CEGE 8421 Structural Dynamics
  • CEGE 8422 Earthquake Engineering
  • CEGE 8431 Structural Stability
  • CEGE 8442 Nonlinear Analysis of Structural Systems
  • CEGE 8451 Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Structures
  • CEGE 8461 Structural Reliability

 

Graduate Courses in Related Fields

  • CEGE 4102 Capstone Design (will not count towards your graduate degree)
  • CEGE 4301 Soil Mechanics II (Foundation Design) (will not count towards your graduate degree)
  • CEGE 5342 Introduction to Inverse Problems 
  • CEGE 8321 Themoporoelasticity
  • CEGE 8336 Boundary Element Methods I
  • CEGE 8341 Wave Propagation in Solids and Structures 
  • CEGE 8351 Advanced Engineering Mathematics II
  • AEM 5501 Continuum Mechanics 
  • AEM 5503 Theory of Elasticity
  • AEM 8531 Fracture of Mechanics
  • AEM 8541 Mechanics of Crystalline Solids 
  • AEM 8551 Multiscale Methods of Bridging Length and Time Scales 

*Recommended courses are in bold*

More About Structures Emphasis