Graduate Handbook
This manual has been prepared to assist you in progressing through your graduate program smoothly. Should there be questions which this booklet does not answer, feel free to contact us or consult the Graduate Catalog.
New Graduate Procedure
- Report to the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering office in Room E2509 Lafferre Hall. We will: (a) give you registration and advisory instructions, (b) assign a graduate student mailbox.
- Obtain a copy of the Graduate School Catalog from 210 Jesse Hall. It is the student’s responsibility to understand and follow all graduate school regulations listed in this catalog.
- Meet your faculty advisor as soon as possible. Your advisor will help you select your courses and discuss your academic and research interests.
- New students should complete the CEE department Student Data Form (Appendices) at the beginning of each semester. It is important for you to keep updated because it is how the Department will contact you with this information messages.
Advisor / Committe Selection
Every graduate student is assigned a graduate advisor at the time of admission. If you do not know the name of your graduate advisor, see the graduate secretary.
In many cases, a temporary advisor is assigned to new students. This assignment is indicated in the departmental acceptance letter. During the first semester of graduate work, the student should meet individually with faculty members in the student’s specialty area to find a permanent advisor. The permanent advisor should be determined by the end of the first semester. If no action is taken, the temporary advisor will automatically become the permanent advisor.
Your advisor will assist you with selection of study, will guide you through your graduate research, and will assist you in the selection of your graduate committee.
If a student is supported with a research assistantship, the faculty member providing the research assistantship will normally serve as the permanent advisor.
Civil & Environmental Engineering Graduate Student Association (CEEGSA)
The Civil & Environmental Engineering Graduate Student Association (CEEGSA) was formally organized as a group recognized by the University in 1981. This group meets regularly in an informal fashion. The group has the following objectives:
- Help new graduate students assimilate into their new academic environment.
- Introduce graduates in different specialty areas to each other.
- Function as a certified voice on matters affecting civil engineering graduate students.
- Organize the Annual CEE Graduate Student-Faculty Picnic.
- In general, the CEEGSA exists so that the graduate experience of each student is improved. The advisor for the CEEGSA is the Director of Graduate Studies.
Probationary Acceptance
When admitted on probation, a graduate student’s first semester in the Department is considered to be their first probationary semester as described in the probation policy below.
Probation Policy
There are two academic policies which are in force in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. The Graduate School policy is described in the Graduate Catalog. The following departmental policy also applies.
A graduate student will be placed on departmental probation when the student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 in “graduate courses.” For purposes of departmental probation, graduate courses are considered to be all courses numbered 7000 or higher in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and all courses numbered 3000 or higher outside the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, excluding remedial courses.
A graduate student placed on probation at the end of one semester is expected to enroll the next semester (excluding Summer Semester) in the coursework necessary to be removed from probation. Exceptions will be considered upon receipt of a letter of appeal. If at the end of the probationary semester this GPA requirement has been met, the student will be removed from academic probation.
If at the end of the probationary semester this GPA requirement has not been met, the student will be dismissed from the Civil & Environmental Engineering Graduate Program after review by the Civil & Environmental Engineering Graduate Advisory Committee. In some cases, the Committee may grant a second probationary semester. If a student has been dismissed under this probation policy, he/she may appeal to the Committee for readmission.
Remedial Policy
A remedial course is one which cannot be used for credit on the M.S. M-1 form nor toward the minimum 72-hour credit requirement for the Ph.D. degree. Remedial courses include the following:
- Any course required for the Civil Engineering B.S. degree at MU. The following exception applies: If a graduate student in the Transportation specialty area has previously completed an undergraduate introductory transportation course this student may take CE 381 and CE 396 for graduate credit on the M.S. M-1 form.
- Courses specified as remedial courses in the letter of acceptance from the Director of Civil & Environmental Engineering Graduate Studies.
- Courses specified as remedial courses by the student’s faculty advisor or thesis committee.
- Any course at the 2000 level or below in Civil & Environmental Engineering, and any course at the 1000 level or below outside of Civil & Environmental Engineering.
Continuation of Study
(Ph.D. degree after obtaining M.S. degree)
The Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Advisory Committee determine the disposition of all applicants for graduate study in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department. Students who have obtained a Master’s degree from MU and who wish to pursue doctoral studies must also apply for admission to the Ph.D. program.
Add / Drop Procedure (Petitioning)
The student’s advisor and the Dean of the Graduate School must approve a petition to withdraw from one course or enter another during the semester. Add-Drop forms and instructions are available in the CEE Department office. Only under extenuating circumstances may a student enter a course after six class meetings have elapsed.
No grade is assigned to a student who ceases for any reason to be a member of a course before the beginning of the seventh week of a semester, or an equivalent period of time in a summer session. A student who officially withdraws from a course is assigned the grade of WF. If the student’s work to that point is judged to be failing. A designation of “WF” is counted as an “F” and is included in determining the student’s grade point average. If the quality of the student’s work is not judged to be failing at the time of withdrawal, the grade WP is assigned.
Current regulations and time schedule for petitioning, withdrawing, and changing status of enrollment are included in the Schedule of Courses for each semester or session.
Auditing a Cource (Hearer)
With the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School or College in which the student is registered and of the instructor concerned, a student may enroll in a course as a hearer. Normally, a hearer will attend the course on a regular basis; either the department or an individual instructor will stipulate the requirements for enrollment in the course as a hearer. At the request of the instructor, a hearer may be dropped from a course for failure to comply with stipulated requirements. An instructor may request the Registrar to backdate a hearer’s disenrollment from a course, so that no notation of the student’s enrollment will appear on the student’s permanent record. A hearer will receive no credit toward a degree. Once a student has elected to enroll in a course as a hearer, he/she may not change status to that of a regular student after the sixth day of class, nor can a student who is enrolled for credit change his/her status to hearer after the sixth day of class.
Office Space
Office space and desks are allocated to Civil & Environmental Engineering graduate students in the following priority, as available: 1) teaching assistants, 2) research assistants, 3) others, on departmental appointments. The student’s faculty advisor will assign office space. Students without departmental appointments may request office space, if space is available, through their thesis advisors.
Keys
Graduate students may be authorized, through their thesis advisor, to receive certain keys to the Engineering Building. The CEE Administrative Assistant will order the keys. All keys must be returned upon graduation to preserve security for the Department’s equipment and furnishings. Lost keys must be reported immediately. University Police should be notified of stolen keys or property. Those issued keys are expected to accept responsibility for seeing that the rooms they have access to are secured and locked when they leave the building.
Mail Boxes
Mail boxes will be provided for all full-time graduate students. These are located in the hallway outside the Civil Engineering Student Study Lounge. If your name does not appear on the mail boxes, notify the department secretary so your name can be added to one of the spaces.
Other Facilities
There are several convenient facilities located in the Engineering Building. A CEE student lounge is available for study, relaxation and socializing. The Engineering Library is located on the 2nd floor EBE, just above the Engineering Dean’s Office. A graduate students’ bulletin board is provided so students can keep informed on current matters pertaining to jobs and other important subjects.
Dual Enrollment for Undergraduate Students
Civil & Environmental Engineering undergraduate students may enroll in courses for graduate credit if accepted for dual enrollment. The following criteria must be satisfied for dual enrollment in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.
- Applicant must be within 30 hours of receiving a B.S. degree.
- Applicant’s GPA must be in the upper 50% of the undergraduate division, and the applicant must have a GPA of 3.0 on the most recently completed 45 semester hours.
- Must have approval of applicant’s Undergraduate Advisor, the Department’s Director of Graduate Studies and College of Engineering’s Undergraduate Dean.
If you meet the above criteria, you should register for all the coursework, both undergraduate and graduate, on your undergraduate enrollment card and complete the dual-enrollment form. You may accumulate a maximum of six semester hours of graduate credit through dual enrollment. Dually-enrolled courses may not be counted for both undergraduate and graduate credit.
Dual enrollment does not admit you to Graduate School. Rather, it is a mechanism to allow you to receive graduate credit for graduate level courses.
Students can apply to the graduate school by simply completing a “MU request Transfer Division Form“.
