Graduate courses

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Graduate Courses

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers a broad range of courses, three semesters per year, spanning across all four of our research disciplines. Below is a selection of some of our popular 500-through 700-level courses.

Note: Course offerings vary by year and by term. Please see the below chart for a current list of course offerings.

Structures, Mechanics, and Construction Engineering

CIVE 505: Structural Dynamics
CIVE 507: Building Science and Technology
CIVE 512: Rehabilitation of Structures
CIVE 596: Construction Engineering

CIVE 601: Engineering Risk and Reliability
CIVE 603: Mechanics of Structural Concrete
CIVE 604: Advanced Structural Steel Design
CIVE 610: Elasticity
CIVE 611: Finite Element Analysis
CIVE 614: Structural Dynamics                                                                                

CIVE 700: Topics in Structural Engineering
*recent topics include: Advanced Structural Timber Design; Smart Structure Technology; Glass Structures and Facades; The Circular Economy; Wood Design; HVAC Systems, Equipment, and Energy Efficiency
CIVE 701: Topics in Mechanics           
CIVE 702: Topics in Construction Engineering
CIVE 710: Advanced Project Management
CIVE 711: Computer-Aided Project Organization and Management

Transportation Engineering

CIVE 542: Pavement Structural Design

CIVE 640: Urban Transportation Planning Models - Principles and Applications
CIVE 641: Pavement Design and Management
CIVE 643: Fundamentals of Traffic Flow Theory
CIVE 644: Innovative and Sustainable Infrastructure Materials
CIVE 645: Modeling Transportation and Spatial Economics
CIVE 646: Computer Applications in Transportation Engineering

CIVE 740: Topics in Transportation Engineering

Geotechnical Engineering

CIVE 554: Geotechnical Engineering 3

CIVE 653: Numerical Methods in Geomechanics

CIVE 750: Topics in Geotechnical Engineering
*recent topics include: Design of Water Pipelines; Non-Destructive Evaluation of Civil Infrastructure
CIVE 753: Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering

Environmental and Water Resource Engineering

CIVE 583: Design of Urban Water Systems

CIVE 670: Physio-Chemical Processes of Water and Wastewater treatment
CIVE 671: Acquatic Chemistry
CIVE 680: Water Management
CIVE 681: Surface Water: Theory and Modelling

CIVE 770: Topics in Environmental Engineering
*recent topics include: Organic Contaminants; Ecohydrological Modelling
CIVE 771: Biological Wastewater Treatment - Theory and Practice
CIVE 781: Principles of Hydrologic Modelling

You can view a course description of the above courses and many more via the library of courses in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar; however, not all the courses listed in this calendar are offered each year. Please refer to the Schedule of Classes for current upcoming course offerings. 

Current and Upcoming Course Offerings

Spring 2024

Please note that the offerings below are tentative and subject to change.

Course Number 

Title

Time/Day(s)

CIVE 505 Structural Dynamics M/W 8:30 am - 10:00 am
CIVE 596 Construction Engineering M/W 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
CIVE 602 Prestressed Concrete W 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
CIVE 604 Advanced Structural Steel Design W 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
CIVE 610 Elasticity M 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
CIVE 640 Urban Transportation Planning Models: Principles & Applications Th 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
CIVE 644 Innovative and Sustainable Infrastructure Materials F 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
CIVE 700 Circular Engineering and the Built Environment T 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
CIVE 700 Building Energy Analysis Th 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm
CIVE 700 Scientific Machine Learning for Engineers M/Th 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
CIVE 711 Computer-Aided Project Organization and Management W 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
CIVE 752 Advances in Underground Pipeline Construction, Design, and Renovation T 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm & Th 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
CIVE 770 Environmental and Water Resources Simulation Model Calibration M/Th 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
CIVE 781 Principles of Hydrologic Modelling Contact instructor for further information

For information regarding the course instructor and location, please sign in to Quest

Fall 2024

Please note that the offerings below are tentative and subject to change.

Course Number 

Title

Time/Day(s)

CIVE 601 Engineering Risk and Reliability TBA
CIVE 622/722 Intermediate Finite Element Analysis TBA
CIVE 642 Pavement Design and Management I TBA
CIVE 643 Fundamentals of Traffic Flow Theory TBA
CIVE 646 Computer Applications in Transportation Engineering TBA
CIVE 653 Numerical Methods in Geomechanics TBA
CIVE 671 Aquatic Chemistry TBA
CIVE 700 Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering TBA
CIVE 700 Sustainable Buildings and Environment TBA
CIVE 704 Bridge Design TBA
CIVE 750 Theoretical Rock Mechanics TBA

For information regarding the course instructor and location, please sign in to Quest

Winter 2025

Please note that the offerings below are tentative and subject to change.

Course Number 

Title

Time/Day(s)

ENVE 573 Contaminant Transport TBA
ENVE 577 Engineering for Solid Waste Management TBA
ENVE 583 Design of Urban Water Systems TBA
CIVE 542 Pavement Structural Design TBA
CIVE 554 Geotechnical Engineering 3 TBA
CIVE 603 Mechanics for Reinforced Concrete TBA
CIVE 622 Finite Element TBA
CIVE 645 Modeling Transportation and Spatial Economics TBA
CIVE 670 Phys-Chem Treatment Processes TBA
CIVE 680 Water Management TBA
CIVE 700 Timber Design TBA
CIVE 700 Smart Structure Technology TBA
CIVE 700 Scientific Machine Learning for Engineers TBA
CIVE 700 Circular Engineering and the Built Environment TBA
CIVE 700 Air Quality TBA
CIVE 770 Environment Fate of Organic Pollutants TBA
CIVE 770 Atmospheric Emissions to Impacts TBA

For information regarding the course instructor and location, please sign in to Quest

Spring 2025

Please note that the offerings below are tentative and subject to change.

Course Number 

Title

Time/Day(s)

CIVE 601 Engineering Risk and Reliability TBA
CIVE 604 Advanced Structural Steel Design TBA
CIVE 644 Innovative and Sustainable Infrastructure Materials TBA
CIVE 700 Design of Structural Concrete Systems TBA
CIVE 750 Introduction to non-destructive testing of civil infrastructure TBA
CIVE 752 Advances in Underground Pipeline Construction, Design, and Renovation TBA
CIVE 781 Principles of Hydrologic Modelling TBA

For information regarding the course instructor and location, please sign in to Quest

Fall 2025

Please note that the offerings below are tentative and subject to change.

Course Number 

Title

Time/Day(s)

CIVE 601 Engineering Risk and Reliability TBA
CIVE 622/722 Intermediate Finite Element Analysis TBA
CIVE 642 Pavement Design and Management I TBA
CIVE 643 Fundamentals of Traffic Flow Theory TBA
CIVE 653 Numerical Methods in Geomechanics TBA
CIVE 671 Aquatic Chemistry TBA
CIVE 682 Free Surface Hydraulics TBA
CIVE 700 Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering TBA
CIVE 700 Sustainable Buildings and Environment TBA
CIVE 700 Wood Engineering TBA
CIVE 700 Tall Building Design TBA
CIVE 750 Theoretical Rock Mechanics TBA
CIVE 770 River Restoration TBA
CIVE 771 Biological Wastewater Treatment; Theory and Practice TBA

For information regarding the course instructor and location, please sign in to Quest

Courses with your Supervisor(s)

You can take no more than one half of your course requirements, as listed in the University of Waterloo Graduate Calendar, with your supervisor(s). 

For example, if you have to take three courses for your PhD, only one can be with your supervisor(s). As a MASc student you need to take four courses; in that case, a maximum of two courses could be with your supervisor(s).

CEE Policy for Audits

For a student to receive an "AUD" credit for a graduate course within the Department of Civil of Environmental Engineering, the following criteria must be met:

  1. The student must attend at least 10 weeks of class
  2. The student must complete the equivalent of at least 30% of the graded items with a grade of at least 70%