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 Graduate Studies Academic Calendar
Winter 2011

Civil and Environmental Engineering


Programs

Master of Engineering (MEng) - Infrastructure Systems
 

Admission Requirements 

Following are admission requirements for the Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering - Infrastructure Systems:

  • A four-year Honours Bachelor's degree from a Canadian University (or equivalent with a minimum overall average of B standing (75%) in their last years of study) in engineering or a related discipline. International students please see admission requirements at UW GSO website Graduate Studies Calendar.
  • Three letters of reference indicating above average ranking at least two of which must normally be from academic sources.
  • Proof of competence in English (if applicable). (See Academic Regulations - English Language Proficiency Certification for other acceptable tests of English)
  • The Civil Engineering MEng program is open to Canadian and Permanent Residents only.  The program is not available to Visa students.

The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies for Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of the Faculty of Engineering examines each application before the student is proposed to the Graduate Studies Office for admission into the program.

Language Requirements

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate competency in English unless an applicant has completed three or more years of post-secondary work at a Canadian institution at which English was the language of instruction, or has been employed for a similar period of time in a position in which English was the language of business. A score of 550 minimum overall score with a minimum of 50 in each section, plus 4.0 minimum for the TWE; or Computer-based minimum overall score of 213, plus 4.0 minimum for the Essay; or Internet-based minimum overall score of 80 with minimum section scores of 22 in Writing, 20 in Speaking, 20 in Reading and 18 in Listening.

Degree Requirements (Regular Program)

The degree requirements for the Regular Program are:

  • Six (6) Infrastructure Systems Program core graduate level courses (one term; 0.50 unit weight).
  • Two (2) graduate level courses (one term; 0.50 unit weight) taken from the 500, 600 and 700 series courses (or courses acceptable for graduate credit) normally from the Faculty of Engineering.
  • One (1) technical/professional writing course.
  • Engineering Data Analysis Graduate Workshop (Milestone Requirement).
  • Maximum of two (2) 500 level courses may be counted for credit.
  • The candidate must obtain a pass in all courses credited to his or her program, with a minimum overall average of 70% (a grade of less than 65% in any course counts as a failure (F)).

Degree Requirements (Co-operative Option)

The degree requirements for the Co-operative Option are:

  • Six (6) Infrastructure Systems Program core graduate level courses (one term; 0.50 unit weight).
  • Two (2) graduate level courses (one term; 0.50 unit weight) taken from the 500, 600 and 700 series courses (or courses acceptable for graduate credit) normally from the Faculty of Engineering.
  • One (1) technical/professional writing course.
  • Engineering Data Analysis Graduate Workshop (Milestone Requirement).
  • Maximum of two (2) 500 level courses may be counted for credit.
  • The candidate must obtain a pass in all courses credited to his or her program, with a minimum overall average of 70% (a grade of less than 65% in any course counts as a failure (F)).
  • The candidate must complete one (1) co-operative work term satisfactorily
  • The candidate must complete one (1) work-term report satisfactorily.

Infrastructure Systems Program Core Courses

All students must successfully complete the following program core courses:

CIVE 554 Geotechnical Engineering 3

Simulation of geotechnical consulting practice. Students are required to complete several projects, based on actual case studies, which require problem identification, evaluation of geotechnical data, analysis, design and report preparations.

CIVE 710 Advanced Project Management

Topics in construction management and engineering, including non-deterministic computing methods for construction modelling and analysis, network methods, optimization, risk management and resource allocation.

CIVE 712 Aspects of Structural Design

The course covers selected topics in the analysis and design of structural systems. National Building Code of Canada will be introduced by reviewing concepts related to structural loads, load combinations and their effects, resistance factors and design criteria. Typical structural systems will be reviewed and relevant principles for structural analysis will be introduced. Structural design portion of the course will address both steel and concrete with the application in the design of typical structures.

CIVE 720 Infrastructure Management

This course will focus on the fundamentals of infrastructure management for civil engineering. It will integrate design, construction, maintenance, rehabilitation and renovation with management procedures and systems. A framework for asset management including the importance of asset valuation, needs assessment, and performance indicators will be discussed in detail. Other topics covered in the course will include: sustainability concepts, decision support systems, database management, role of data in infrastructure management, monitoring and evaluation needs, failure analysis, quality management, economics and life cycle cost analysis and optimization. This course will combine theoretical principles with practical applications. The course will include practical examples of engineering systems and will provide a basis for subsequent infrastructure management courses.

CIVE 741 Public Sector Economics and Finance

Cash flows, Interest calculation, evaluation of mutually exclusive alternatives, evaluation of user benefits, pricing strategies, cost-effectiveness, ranking alternatives, financing options, decision making under uncertainty. Use of prior information in decision-making.

CIVE 780 Urban Water Systems

The course will provide the graduate student with the fundamentals of urban water systems and management. Topics will include: the urban hydrological cycle; quantity and quality characteristics; behaviour and controls on drinking water and wastewater treatment plants; regulations, guidelines and policies; design of water supply and distribution systems; design of waste and storm water collection systems; aspects of storm water management with an emphasis on sustainable development and stream ecology; and source water protection including contamination prevention and aspects of Brownfield remediation. As required computer aided design and commonly used software packages will be employed.

Technical Writing Course

The objective of the technical writing course requirement is to ensure that all students graduating from these programs will have proven skill in technical writing. Depending on the student’s background a suitable course will be selected by the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.

Engineering Data Analysis Graduate Workshop (Milestone Requirement)

The purpose of this course is to ensure a minimal level of computational skills of all the students graduating from these programs. The course will survey methods of engineering data analysis emphasizing advanced computer-based tools. Topics will include: concepts of probability and statistics; sampling, data description and presentation; descriptive and inferential statistics; confidence intervals and hypothesis testing; maximum likelihood estimation; multivariate and nonlinear regression; spatially distributed data, and interpolation methods. Concepts of engineering economics; capital, interest formulae, annual worth comparisons, present worth; return on investment, depreciation, benefit-cost ratio, revenue and expenditure streams, internal rate of return, life-cycle cost. Data storage and retrieval; databases, advanced automation techniques and tools. As required, aspects from advanced engineering mathematics will be reviewed.

Evaluation Procedures

Grades are used for the evaluation of all courses, except for the technical writing course where a credit/no credit system will be used. A milestone requirement will be used for a student who has successfully completed the Engineering Data Analysis Graduate Workshop.

The examination format in graduate courses is dependent on the nature of the course material, but it usually consists of one or two exams (one normally being a final exam) plus an assessment of projects or other assignments completed by the student during the term. Normally the exams are written, but oral exams are also used in certain courses at the discretion of the instructor.

Co-operative Placement

If chosen to participate in the Co-operative placement, a student in the Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering - Infrastructure Systems program must complete one (1) 4 month co-operative work term satisfactory, and complete one (1) work term report. It is expected that the quality and complexity of the work experience will be at least equal to or higher than that of senior civil engineering undergraduate students. Work-term credit will be granted by Co-operative Education and Career Services when they receive a completed Student Performance Evaluation Form from the employer indicating satisfactory work term performance. The work-term report will be graded by faculty from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Residence Regulations

All graduate students are expected to maintain continuous registration until the completion of their program.

A student in the regular program should be able to complete the program requirements in 4 terms (2 courses/term), while a student with the Co-operative option should be able to complete the program requirements in 5 terms (2 courses/term for 4 terms, and 1 work term).

In certain circumstances such as illness, maternity leave or extreme financial difficulty for which the University cannot provide hardship funds, and for no more than two terms in a program, students may apply to the Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) of their Faculty for inactive status. Students who wish two or more consecutive terms of leave because they have other commitments are advised to voluntarily withdraw from their program until they are prepared to resume their studies. They must discuss in advance what conditions, if any, need to be met upon their return. Students who have incomplete courses on their record are not eligible for inactive status.

Part-time studies

The regular program will be available for students to pursue on a part-time basis since it involves only course work. It is expected that these students will take only one course per term, occasionally missing a term because of other commitments. The Co-operative option will not be available for part-time students.


Graduate Studies Office
Needles Hall, Room 2201
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4567 x35411
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