Prospective Students

This page provides information about the admission criteria and eligibility, and the application process. If you are interested in the Master of Engineering program or one of our doctoral programs, application requirements differ. Please visit the respective program website for details.

Master of Science Programs

Admission Criteria/Eligibility

To be considered for admission to the Master of Science (MS) degree in Civil Engineering and Master of Science (MS) degree in Environmental Engineering, graduate applicants must meet the minimum eligibility requirements of the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) Department (listed below) and the university as listed in the University Catalog. Admission to the MS program in CCEE primarily depends on GPA.

The minimum GPA is 2.85 for US students, and 3.0 for international students.
TOEFL requirements are imposed by the University, and the minimum score is 80 for the TOEFL internet-based score or 6.5 for the IELTS.
There is currently no GRE test requirement for our program (in the past, we had required GRE tests with minimum 305 for combined score and 3.5 for analytical writing score; but the GRE scores were used as a floating criterion—if the GPA was near the minimum criteria, then we accepted a higher GRE score, and vice versa)
The admission criteria for students with Bachelor of Science degrees in CCEE and those with non-CCEE degrees are the same, primarily depending on the GPA. However, deserving applicants with non-CCEE degrees may be admitted "Conditionally" since they are required to clear undergraduate CCEE courses as prerequisites.

Application Process

The application process requires multiple steps. If you do not complete all steps in the process, your application may be considered incomplete, and this may prevent you from being considered for admission. The SDSU Graduate Admissions website has a summary of the steps you must take to apply to a graduate program. Applying to one of our Master of Science programs is generally a three-step process:

Apply through Cal State Apply
Submit all required documents to Graduate Admissions
Submit additional program-specific materials to our department (a link to Slate will be provided to you after completing the previous steps)

Go to the following Graduate Admissions websites for more detailed step-by-step instructions for domestic applicants and for international applicants. The final step for all applicants is to submit the following program-specific documents to the CCEE Department. These documents are submitted via Slate. Our department requires the following additional documents:

Statement of purpose (SOP). The SOP must describe your goal(s) for the graduate program and for your career, along with relevant background information expressing why you should be admitted to the graduate program. You should indicate if you are interested in doing a Master’s thesis or a Master’s project with additional coursework. If applying to the MS Civil Engineering program, please describe your preferred specialization (e.g., Construction, Geotechnical, Structural, Transportation, Water Resources). If applying to the MS Environmental Engineering program, please describe your career goals. If your undergraduate GPA is close to or below the minimum required GPA, the SOP is an opportunity for you to provide an explanation about your GPA, explain any circumstances that may have contributed to your GPA, and show any additional evidence about your academic performance or potential that might convince the committee to see that you are prepared to succeed in our graduate program. Your SOP should not exceed 500 words total.
Copies of all transcripts. Submit copies of all transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (official transcripts should be sent to Graduate Admissions, but you may submit unofficial copies of your transcripts to our department). If your undergraduate degree is not in Civil, Construction, or Environmental Engineering, but you’ve been taking undergraduate engineering courses (e.g., at a community college) in preparation for applying to our program, then make sure to also include the transcript(s) showing these additional courses.
Confidential letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation must be submitted from at least two professional references. These should be individuals who know of your scholastic abilities, relevant research activities/projects, or related work experience. At least one reference should be a former professor who taught, supervised, or mentored you.

Conditional Admission to the MS Program

Applicants admitted to one of the M.S. programs in the CCEE Department who have undergraduate degrees in areas other than Civil, Construction, or Environmental Engineering will be “conditionally” admitted, and will be provided with a list of “prerequisite” undergraduate courses that must be taken to become classified and remove the conditional status. The list of undergraduate courses that need to be taken by "conditionally" admitted students is determined by the CCEE Graduate Advisor after admission and after reviewing the students' transcripts.

Students with undergraduate degrees that are similar to CCEE are likely to have fewer prerequisites to complete than those with undergraduate degrees that are less related to CCEE. Applicants with non-CCEE degrees or with deficient scores should check the potential prerequisites list.

If the applicant needs more than 15 units of prerequisites to remediate because their degree is outside of the CCEE majors, the applicant will not be considered for admission. However, prospective applicants with non-CCEE degrees are encouraged to contact the program's graduate advisor to define a plan to take courses even before applying to the MS program (to bring down the list of deficiencies to a maximum of 15 units).

An applicant may be also admitted conditionally if the student's GPA is slightly below the minimum required: 2.85 for US students and 3.0 for international students. In this case, the student generally must achieve grades of B or better in all 600 level courses during the first semester.

Class schedules for the current and upcoming semesters are posted here: https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/schedule/

Please note that meeting minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee admission to the MS degree program.

International Applicants

Please note the following:

Please review the Graduate Admissions Criteria and follow the steps provided on the SDSU International Graduate website. Inquiries about the process for international applicants should be sent directly to the International Admissions Department at [email protected] or Contact website.
The Financial Statement Form required of foreign applicants is available online on the “Admitted” page of the SDSU International Graduate website.
Prospective international students visiting campus can meet with a designated person helping international students during regular office hours at the Prospective Student Center (Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm).
Engineering Scholarships: Please visit the University’s website for more information on the various scholarship and financial aid opportunities available. Scholarships are awarded based on various criteria including academic excellence, career plans, membership in organizations, financial need, and city/area of origin. There are thousands of dollars in scholarships available for you to consider. We encourage you to apply!

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: Any requests for changes that are outside of the Graduate Bulletin requirements or are required (core) classes must be made on a Petition for Adjustment of Academic Requirements.

Admissions and Course Transfer Related Questions

When can I apply? Admissions are usually for Fall. The deadlines may be different for domestic and international students. For details, visit the Graduate Affairs website.

I got admitted to SDSU last semester, but could not start attending because of a personal problem. Do I have to reapply from scratch? Your record remains in the Graduate School for one year. If you want to reactivate your file, you have to pay the application fee again. Your file will be re-examined and you will be notified of the outcome officially.

I attended SDSU last semester, but cannot attend school for a prolonged period due to personal problems. How long can I stay out of the system without having to reapply? You can be out of the system for one semester after being a regular student for at least a semester. If you have to stay out for another semester, you must contact the Admission office and fill out a special request form. Usually a break is easily granted. If you stay out for more than two semesters in succession, you have to reapply. Of course, your old courses may still be applicable towards your degree if they are not more than six years old.

I am already a Master's student at SDSU in another department. Do I have to apply from scratch? No! Go to Graduate School and fill out a special form. Your record at SDSU will be routed through proper channels and you will be considered for admission like any other applicant.

What GRE scores are acceptable? The minimum varies from year to year. We expect higher GRE if GPA is near the minimum, and vice versa. The minimum required combined GRE score, based on the new GRE scale, will likely be around 305 and 3.5 for analytical writing.

What is the minimum TOEFL score I need? Applicants whose major education has been in a language other than English must score 550 or higher (using the paper version) or 80 or higher (using the Internet version) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or 6.5 or better on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

What is the minimum required GPA? For students from US universities a GPA of 2.85 is required. For students from universities outside the US, a 3.0 is the minimum. Exceptional students who have done very well in the GRE but have fallen a little below these requirements may be considered for conditional admission.

I have exceptional Quantitative and Analytical scores in GRE, but the verbal part is deficient. Is there any chance I may be admitted? If your scores are very good in Quantitative and Analytical parts, you may be admitted with the condition that you get a better score in the Verbal part. If after trying repeatedly you fail to do so, while getting good grades in your coursework, you may be asked to take a remedial Technical Writing class RWS 503. You must get a B or better grade in that class.

Can I transfer courses taken in another university? Yes, you can transfer a maximum of nine units from another accredited university if the courses satisfy SDSU's requirements.

Four quarter system course units typically count as 2 units. Since you can transfer a max of nine units, you can transfer 4 or 5 such courses from quarter systems. If you want to transfer 10 units, you have to ask Grad Affairs (by completing the Petition for Adjustment of Academic Requirements form ) to allow you to transfer the extra 1 unit since you have exceeded the allowable 9 units.
SDSU students can register for UCSD classes through the UCSD Exchange Agreement program by dually registering at both schools. This exchange program allows SDSU students to take UCSD classes without paying additional fee to UCSD. Students who don't go through this exchange agreement program will have to pay UCSD fees. Students cannot take more than one course per semester through the UCSD Exchange Agreement program. Course(s) that a student wants to take through the UCSD Exchange Agreement program have to be listed on POS. Link for form to take classes at UCSD: SDSU Exchange Form

Can I start taking courses even if I am not enrolled as a regular student? If so, how can I apply those units towards my Masters? Yes. You can take classes through what is called Open University and apply one semester worth of such classes towards your Masters. It does not matter how many classes you take, but it cannot span more than a semester. For more info on Open University classes contact Open University Program, Extended Studies, Gateway Center, SDSU.

I have taken a similar course at another institution. How do I transfer the credits? What is the maximum number of units I can transfer? Transfer of units is not easy. You have to formally apply to the CCEE Graduate Adviser with all the evidence (transcript, description of the course, etc.) and submit a Petition for Adjustment of Academic Requirements for Master's Degree. Upon receiving this petition, the Graduate Adviser sends his/her recommendation to the Graduate School where the final decisions are made. You can only transfer a maximum of nine units.