MS Plan A or Plan B

Whether you have chosen to specialize in Construction, Environmental, Geotechnical, Structural, Transportation, or Water Resources Engineering, you must choose to follow either Plan A or Plan B.

Plan A - Thesis option: Under this plan, you will need to take seven courses for 21 units, plus two research projects for six units (CIV E/ENV E/CON E 797 & 798), and a thesis (CIV E/ENV E/CON E 799, three units), for a total of 30 units, needed to graduate.

Plan B - Non-thesis: Under this option, you will need to take nine courses for 27 units, and a research project for three units (CIV E/ENV E/CON E 797 or 798), totaling 30 units, to graduate.

Admitted Students Guide

There will be an orientation at the beginning of the Fall semester and all newly admitted students are expected to attend. A conditionally accepted student should meet with the CCEE Graduate advisor before taking classes to discuss steps required to remove the condition. After the conditions are met, the student is required to fill-out a change of status form, get the signature of the CCEE Graduate advisor, and submit it to the SDSU Graduate Division.

1. A student should meet with the CCEE Graduate Advisor during office hours to complete a Program of Study (POS) via the WebPortal, preferably immediately after the first semester. You should bring with you a list of 500 and 600 level courses that you have either taken or plan to take. A POS should be submitted as early as possible, but no later than the semester prior to anticipated graduation.
2. Students may check the WebPortal to view if they have been advanced to candidacy, which usually happens automatically with POS approval and after successful completion of four courses. Contact Graduate Affairs for delays with advancement to candidacy.
3. Plan A - Thesis option: preferably within the first semester, but no later than the end of the second semester, a graduate student opting for Plan A (a thesis) needs to find a thesis advisor. To help you find a thesis advisor, you can visit CCEE faculty websites to learn more about their research areas.
4. Plan B - Non-thesis: Students opting for Plan B are also expected to select a faculty advisor during their first semester at SDSU. It is the responsibility of the student to identify and select a faculty advisor for their project (CIV E/ENV E/CON E 797 or 798).
5. A student can enroll in CIV E/ENV E/CON E 797 or/and 798. The student must fill-out CIV E/ENV E/CON E 797 or/and CIV E/ENV E/CON E 798 form and get the signature of their project/thesis advisor, meet with the CCEE Graduate Advisor, and submit the form to the CCEE Department in order to get the section #, and schedule #. Plan B students must be advanced to candidacy to enroll in CIV E/ENV E/CON E 797 or/and 798.
6. A thesis option student should collect a hardcopy of the thesis form from Graduate Affairs in person, and also submit it to the Graduate Affairs, in person. This step requires advancement to candidacy.
7. A student is issued an add code for CIVE/ENVE/CONE 799A (thesis) by Graduate Affairs; not the CCEE Graduate Advisor. Students must review the information about thesis formatting available from Montezuma Publishing (http://www. montezumapublishing.com/ thesis1/ThesisFormatting.aspx).
8. A thesis student must schedule a room, time, and date for their thesis defense two weeks (minimum) in advance. This can be done via email to [email protected] or at the CCEE Department Office (E 424). Attach a half page abstract or synopsis to the Thesis Defense Procedures Form. Email or hand deliver the completed form with abstract attached to the office at the time of the room request.
9. Once defended, a thesis option student should submit to the Graduate Division a copy of his or her thesis signature page.
10. A non-thesis student should submit a copy of his/her project report to the project advisor and CCEE Graduate advisor. The student must also ask their project advisor to notify the CCEE Graduate Advisor of the completion of their research.
11. A non-thesis student should submit a hardcopy of the  Final Comprehensive Departmental Exam form to the CCEE Graduate Advisor. After receiving an email or written confirmation of successful completion of the project from the project advisor, the CCEE Graduate Advisor signs and sends this form to Graduate Affairs.
12. Graduation is not automatic upon the completion of degree requirements. Students who intend to graduate must take the initiative to file an application via the WebPortal. For additional information and deadlines, check the Graduate Division website.