Master of Civil and Environmental Engineering (MCEE) Degree in the field of Environmental Engineering

Program Learning Outcomes for the MCEE Degree in the field of Environmental Engineering

Upon completing the MCEE degree in the field of Environmental Engineering, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a solid foundation in civil and environmental engineering at the graduate level.
2. Demonstrate professional written and oral communication skills.

Requirements for the MCEE Degree in the field of Environmental Engineering 

The MCEE degree is a non-thesis master's degree. For general university requirements, please see Non-Thesis Master's Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Students pursuing the MCEE degree in the field of Environmental Engineering must complete:

• A minimum of 11 courses (30 credit hours) to satisfy degree requirements. 
• A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level study (coursework at the 500-level or above).
• A minimum of 24 credit hours must be taken at Rice University.
• A minimum residency enrollment of one fall or spring semester of part-time graduate study at Rice University.
• A minimum of one graduate seminar (CEVE 601 or CEVE 602).
• A final project (CEVE 590).
• A minimum overall GPA of 2.67.
• A minimum GPA of 3.00 in required coursework. 

The Master of Civil and Environmental Engineering (MCEE) degree is a professional non-thesis mater's degree. Students who have a BS or BA degree in any field of engineering or related study may apply. Depending on their background, some students may need to fulfill prerequisites or take remedial engineering courses to earn the MCEE degree. For more information, see the department website.

The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor, or where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the department or program's Official Certifier.) Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary

Degree Requirements

Footnotes and Additional Information 

Policies for the MCEE Degree in the field of Environmental Engineering

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Program Handbook

The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. As an additional resource for students, the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering publishes a graduate program handbook, which can be found here: http://gradhandbooks.rice.edu/2018_19/Civil_Environmental_Engineering_Graduate_Handbook.pdf.

Admission

Applicants pursuing graduate education in environmental engineering or hydrology should have a BS or BA in related areas of science and engineering and preparation in mathematics, science, and engineering or related courses. A BS degree in engineering or a degree in natural science is preferred. 

Admission into a professional program is granted separately from admission in a research and thesis program. Professional degree programs terminate when the degree is awarded. Students who wish to continue graduate study after completing a professional program must apply for admission into a research program. 

Transfer Credit 

For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.

Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students pursuing the MCEE degree in the field of Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering should be aware of the following departmental transfer credit guidelines:

• No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the degree.
• Request for transfer credit will be considered by the program director (and/or the program’s official transfer credit advisor) on an individual case-by-case basis.

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Civil and Environmental Engineering website: https://ceve.rice.edu/

Opportunities for the MCEE Degree in the field of Environmental Engineering

Fifth-Year Master's Degree Option for Rice Undergraduate Students  

Rice students have an option to pursue the Master of Civil and Environmental Engineering (MCEE) degree by adding an additional fifth year to their four undergraduate years of science and engineering studies.

Advanced Rice undergraduate students in good academic standing may apply to the MCEE degree program during their junior or senior year. Upon acceptance, depending on course load, financial aid status, and other variables, they may then start taking some required courses of the master's degree program. A plan of study will need to be approved by the students's undergraduate advisor and the (MCEE) chair of the department graduate studies committee.

As part of this option and opportunity, Rice undergraduate students:

• must complete the requirements for their bachelor's degree and the master's degree independently of each other (i.e. no course may be counted toward the fulfillment of both degrees).
• should be aware of the financial aid implications, if the conversion of undergraduate coursework to that of graduate level reduces their earned undergraduate credit for any semester below that of full-time status (12 credit hours).  
• more information on this Undergraduate - Graduate Concurrent Enrollment possibility, including specific information on the registration process can be found here.

• Rice Global Forum (RGF): is a group of industry professionals plus Rice faculty who gather regularly to discuss topics that define their interests. They sponsor the Engineering Competition each year and give out scholarships that are derived from membership dues. The scholarships are geared toward professional master's and terminal research master's (MS) students. 
• George R. Brown School of Engineering Scholarships for Professional Master's Degrees in Engineering: was established by the Dean of the School of Engineering to encourage outstanding Rice undergraduate engineering students to pursue a professional master's degree at Rice. 

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Civil and Environmental Engineering website: https://ceve.rice.edu/