Transportation

Program Adviser: Elena S. Prassas

The Department of Civil and Urban Engineering offers graduate degree programs in transportation leading to the following degrees:

Master of Science programs are practice-oriented with a strong foundation in underlying principles and methods. The PhD is intended for students with a strong research interest and a desire to advance the state-of-the-art as a result of that research.

A number of graduate certificate programs are also available in:

Traffic Engineering
Transportation Planning
Transportation Management

Graduate certificates, which entail completion of 12 focused credits of study, offer the opportunity for students to specialize in one of the areas of transportation planning and engineering. It also allows students not ready to embark on a full Master of Science degree program to receive formal recognition for more focused study.

Requirements for Master of Science Programs

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission as an MS candidate, applicants must hold at least a baccalaureate degree from an acceptable institution. Students pursuing degrees in transportation planning and engineering must also have a firm background in quantitative analytic skills. If admitted, students lacking such skills must take remedial courses in addition to degree requirements to strengthen their analytic competency.

All foreign students admitted to transportation programs must take an examination in English before registration. Based upon an evaluation of the examination, they may be required to take up to two additional courses in English as a Second Language (ESL) for which no graduate credit is given.

Grade Requirements

To earn Master of Science degrees or graduate certificates, students must have a 3.0 GPA or better in all graduate courses and in all guided studies (readings, projects, theses). Averages are separately computed for courses and guided studies. Transfer credits from other institutions are omitted from this average.

In addition, transportation program students are required to have an overall 3.0 GPA in all courses required for their degree or certificate program. Students may not repeat a course toward any of the transportation-degree programs more than once.

Analytic Background

All applicants for MS or graduate certificate programs in transportation must show evidence of quantitative analytic ability, generally including a minimum of two years of college mathematics. A college-level course in statistics is desirable.

Advising

Each student in the Master of Science program is assigned a faculty adviser. It is important that students frequently contact their adviser during their studies.

Students must meet with their academic adviser before each registration and at any other time they need advice or consultation. Students must have a detailed program of study formally approved by the adviser before registration. Advisers also handle requests for waiver of certain degree requirements. Such waivers must be approved in writing and must be entered into the student’s departmental file. Where specific courses are waived, the permission of the course instructor is also required. When waivers are granted, students may be required to take other specific courses in their place; otherwise additional electives will be selected.

Students registering for any guided studies (readings, projects, theses) are assigned project advisers for each such activity. The project adviser may or may not be the same as the student’s academic adviser, depending upon the subject matter. To register for any guided study activity, students must submit written proposals for the topic(s) to be covered to a project adviser before registration. To register, students must obtain the written approval of the project adviser and the academic adviser.

In addition to academic and project advisers, students studying under research or teaching fellowships are assigned fellowship advisers. Normally, these would be either the principal investigator of the research effort funding the fellowship or the director of the academic area in which the teaching fellowship is awarded.

While academic advisers consult and advise students, it is the student’s responsibility to fulfill all degree requirements and to submit all proper forms and applications.

Transfer Credits

The minimum number of credits students must take at Polytechnic for an MS degree is 21 credits. All credits for a graduate certificate must be taken at Polytechnic.

Students may transfer up to 9 credits of acceptable courses toward a MS degree, subject to the approval of the academic adviser. To be transferred, the courses must relate to the transportation program and be from an acceptable institution. A grade of B or better is required to receive transfer credit. Courses graded on a pass/fail basis are not considered for transfer unless accompanied by a detailed written evaluation by the instructor of the course. All transfer requests must be accompanied by an official transcript from the transferring institution. Applications for transfer credits are accepted only after students have earned 12 credits at Polytechnic. Validation credits by examination may not be used toward any transportation degree program.

Graduate Certificate Programs

The Transportation Program offers graduate certificates to students completing 12 credits of study in specified areas of concentration. This program is for students who do not wish to commit to a full advanced degree. Applicants may be students with bachelor’s degrees seeking to specialize in an aspect of transportation or those with advanced degrees wishing additional course work in a highly focused area of the profession.

Students in certificate programs may apply for transfer to degree programs without any loss of credits, assuming they are admitted to the degree program and that the courses are related to the degree.

Admission to a certificate program does not guarantee admission to a full degree program.

Programs

Graduate Certificate

Master of Science

Doctor of Philosophy

Transportation Planning and Engineering, Ph.D.