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Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering

A Career-Focused Option with an Internship Experience

Duke's Master of Engineering (MEng) in Civil Engineering is career-focused degree option that will deepen your understanding of technology and help you develop the business leadership and management expertise you need to succeed in your career.

We offer significant support for competitive applicants—typical scholarships range from $20,000-$30,000.

Rachel Fleming

"Duke's core business courses provided me with valuable skills."

Rachel Flemming, PE | Senior Engineer
Read Rachel's story »

Driven by the ever-expanding breadth and depth of technical knowledge relevant to a practicing civil engineer, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) believes the master’s degree to be the basic preparation for professional practice.

Research interests of our world-class faculty including studying ways to assess risks posed by natural hazards and to protect critical infrastructure components such as power substations and telecommunication centers from such hazards.

Areas of technical concentration include:

  • Computational Engineering
  • Systems Engineering and Optimization
  • Geo-Systems

Application deadlines:

 

How to Apply

 

Scholarships

We offer significant support for competitive applicants—typical scholarships range from

$20,000-$30,000

Degree Program Details

Degree Requirements

Master of Engineering students complete the Core Industry Preparatory Courses and Internship, Departmental Requirements, and will choose specialization requirements of four courses from our areas of concentration.

Summary

The curriculum, detailed below, includes:

  • 30 course credits
  • 1 Seminar
  • Internship

30 Course Credits

The Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering is a 30-credit degree distributed as follows:

  • Core Industry Preparation Courses (6 credits)
  • Departmental Requirements (12 credits)
  • Degree Concentration Area Requirements (6 credits)
  • Technical Electives (6 credits)
  • Internship, Applied Research Experience, or Project (0 credits)
CE Curriculum Notes
  1. At the beginning of their program, each student will be required to propose and gain approval from the Director of Master's Studies (DMS) for a specific curriculum that satisfies the requirements for the MEng degree in Civil Engineering as specified below.
  2. At least fifteen credits must be taken from the Pratt School of Engineering.

Overview

Core Industry Preparation Course Requirements (6 credits)
  • MENG 540: Management of High Tech Industries
  • MENG 570: Business Fundamentals for Engineers
Departmental Requirements (12 credits)

All students are required to take four courses from the following list of departmental requirements:

  • CEE 520: Continuum Mechanics
  • ME 541/CE 625: Intermediate Dynamics
  • CEE 647: Buckling of Engineering Structures
  • CEE 530: Introduction to Finite Elements
  • CEE 643: Environmental and Engineering Geophysics

Concentration Areas

All students must take two courses from one of the following three concentration areas:

Computational Engineering
  • CEE 621: Plasticity
  • CEE 630: Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis
  • CEE 635: Computational Methods for Evolving Discontinuities
  • Math 563: Scientific Computing II
  • Math 661: Numerical Solution of Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations
  • Math 663: Numerical Solution of Elliptic and Parabolic Partial Differential Equations
  • ME 639: Computational Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer
  • CS 530: Design and Analysis of Algorithms
  • CS 520: Numerical Analysis
Systems Engineering and Optimization
  • CEE 690: Uncertainty Quantification
  • CEE 690: Numerical Optimization
  • MATH 541: Applied Stochastic Processes
  • MATH 577: Mathematical Modeling
Geo-Systems
  • CEE 621: Plasticity
  • CEE 641: Advanced Soil Mechanics
  • CEE 642: Environmental Geomechanics
  • CEE 630: Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis
  • CEE 644: Inverse Problems in Geosciences and Engineering
  • CEE 252: Wave Propagation in Elastic and Poroelastic Media
  • ME 537: Mechanics of Viscous Fluids
  • ME 543: Energy Flow and Wave Propagation in Elastic Solids
  • EOS 540: Introduction to Modeling in the Earth Sciences
  • EOS 543S: Landscape Dynamics
  • EOS 575S: Mineral Resources

Technical Electives (6 credits)

Technical Electives provide flexibility to the program while developing additional depth in a direction of student interest.

A Technical Elective can be any graduate level course, consistent with the plan of study and approved by the DMS. The order of preference in approving technical electives is:

  1. Other courses from departmental requirements or degree concentration areas
  2. Courses in mathematics or statistics, such as:
    • Math 551: Applied Partial Differential Equations and Complex Variables
    • Math 561: Scientific Computing I
    • Stat 611: Introduction to Statistical Methods
  3. Other CEE courses
  4. Other engineering courses

Internship, Project or Equivalent Requirements

  • MENG 550: Internship or Applied Research Project
  • MENG 551: Internship/Project Assessment

More Information

Admissions Profile

The Duke Master of Engineering (MEng) program does not require a minimum GPA or a minimum score on the GRE or TOEFL. The program does not require work experience. Average GRE, TOEFL and grade-point averages of recently admitted Duke MEng applicants were*:

  • GRE Quantitative: 163-169
  • GRE Verbal: 152-161
  • UGPA: 3.4-3.7

* Mid-50% range

Scholarships and Cost of Attendance

We offer significant support for competitive applicants – typical scholarships range from $20,000-$30,000.

For details on the cost of attendance before scholarships, go to the Duke Engineering MEng website.

Financial Aid and Fellowships

For costs after scholarships, many students take out loans and believe there will be an excellent return on investment when they get out into the work force.

Limited additional financial aid is available to highly qualified candidates through academic scholarships with an emphasis on increasing diversity within the program.

Diversity Scholarships

Underrepresented minorities may receive up to 50 percent per year in tuition scholarship through our Diversity Scholarships. 

Externally Funded Scholarships

We also offer support to recipients of select competitively externally funded scholarships, such as

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellowships
  • Fulbright Scholar Program

DoD SMART Scholarship Program

For US Citizens only – The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories.  Read more

Veteran's Benefits

Duke University offers information for veterans who are applying for VA benefits, including the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Federal Loan Programs

Duke University offers the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Programs for graduate students, including Stafford unsubsidized loans, Graduate PLUS, and Carl Perkins loans. Each of these loans has different terms and conditions, but they are generally deferrable until after graduation or until the student is enrolled for less than half-time.

These federal loans are available only to United States citizens. Visit the Duke Financial Aid website for more information and application procedures for student loans.

On-Campus Work

While enrolled in the program, many students work in a variety of places, such as campus libraries and various departments within Duke University. Teaching assistantships are available in various departments, and some departments have research assistantships as well.

These positions are paid an hourly rate, and most students work between 10 to 20 hours per week. Positions are generally posted and filled just a week or two before classes begin each semester.

External Funding Opportunities

Browse our extensive list of potential external funding opportunities.

Career Services

We provide outstanding career support to our master's students.

As a Duke master's student, you can take advantage of our comprehensive and aggressive career development and job search program. You will receive advice from our Master's Assistant Directors of Career Services who work with the Duke Career Center to coordinate various activities throughout the year.

Our career services include:

  • On-campus recruiting
  • Individual and group career coaching
  • Special networking events such as Career Fairs, Tech Connect, Night with Industry and Alumni Networking Event
  • Resume and cover letter development, interviewing tips, and social media advice