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The Structural Engineering Division offers an opportunity for advanced study and research in construction materials and structural systems. The program is designed to provide a flexible curriculum of course work and research that allows students to prepare for professional practice or careers in research and teaching in structural engineering. The Department offers the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Civil Engineering. Basic requirements for these degrees are established by the Graduate School at UW-Madison and are described in detail in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and of the Structural Engineering Division have adopted additional requirements described in the Graduate Catalog and/or in these guidelines. Excerpts from the graduate school Graduate Catalog relevant to the program in structural engineering are enclosed in the attachment to this document.
Admission to the graduate school is granted to those students who show promise and provide sufficient evidence that they can meet the scholastic requirements of study at an advanced level. To be granted admission with full standing to the structural engineering program leading to the degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering, an applicant would normally hold a degree equivalent to the B.Sc. in the University's undergraduate civil engineering curriculum. However, students in other branches of engineering, physical science, or related fields may have achieved the technical background needed to pursue advanced work in the field of structural engineering. Such students are encouraged to apply because civil engineers with interdisciplinary training can provide vital ideas to the solution of complex problems. Either admission with deficiencies or admission on probation may be granted to students not meeting normal admission requirements. A student may be required to satisfy undergraduate course deficiencies without graduate credit. Applicants are referred to the graduate school Graduate Catalog for further details concerning these types of admission status.
The goals of the study necessary to receive the master's degree in the area of structural engineering are to prepare engineers for the practice of the discipline and for advanced studies. A student working towards the M.S. degree in the Structural Engineering program must select between Programs A and B.
Program A is normally pursued by students who wish to do research in a well-defined area of specialization. The ability to do research must be proven by the student's previous background. Selection of Program A depends on the major professor's evaluation and acceptance of the student's background, research potential, and research topic. The program requires preparation of a Thesis that is formally presented to the UW Graduate School. Program A requires completion of 30 credits with a minimum of 18 credits of course work and 6 to 12 credits of research thesis.
Program B requires the student to be involved in an Advanced Independent Study project and the preparation of a written report. The Advanced Independent Study project need not necessarily be research and does not have to meet the UW Graduate School requirements for a Thesis. This program requires completion of 30 credits with a minimum 24 credits of course work and 3 to 6 credits of Advanced Independent Study.
The student is expected to be enrolled for at least one credit of Advanced Independent Study or Thesis and to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better every semester enrolled as a graduate student.
Selection of the program type (A or B) is done with the agreement of the major professor or faculty advisor. The major professor is selected either by:
Arrangements can be made to change major professor at any time by mutual agreement between the student and another faculty member.
Students are required to form a study plan upon initial registration with their advisor. This plan is intended as a working document that includes a list of courses for each semester and to be amended as the student progresses. Before the end of the eighth week of the second semester in the program, the following should be added to the plan of study: a) a topic for research or independent study, b) a plan for doing the research or study work, and c) a list of at least two faculty members (besides the major professor) who will serve on the final examination committee.
All students are required to pass a comprehensive examination at the conclusion of their M.S. program. The examination may cover both course work and the Thesis or Advanced Independent Study activities. The student is expected to make an oral presentation of the Thesis or Advanced Independent Study project.
To be granted admission with full standing to the structural engineering program leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering, an applicant would normally hold a degree equivalent to the Master of Science in the Department's graduate curriculum and show clear potential to conduct independent thinking and research.
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is intended to prepare students for careers in research and teaching and for the highest level of practice of the discipline. Attainment of a Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of two years of study and research beyond the degree of Master of Science. Prospective candidates must show expertise in structural engineering, independent ability of thought and proficiency in oral and written English. Basic requirements for the Ph.D. degree with a major in Civil Engineering include:
In addition, all Ph.D. students must have a minimum of one course in technical writing in English and one course in technical presentations in English. A grade of B or better must be earned in these courses. This requirement may be satisfied at the graduate or undergraduate level.
Prospective candidates must pass a qualifying examination administered during the first year of residence. The Qualifying Examination involves the written and/or oral presentation of solutions to problems that cover broad areas of structural engineering. Examination problems may be given to the student in advance, prior to the exam date, and/or new problems may be presented during the examination itself. The qualifying examination is administered by a committee formed by at least three faculty members in the division of structural engineering. Advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree will be granted only after the student has satisfactorily passed the qualifying examination.
To be admitted to candidacy, students must pass the preliminary exam. The exam usually consists of an oral presentation of the research proposal of the thesis. The purpose of the preliminary exam is to determine the acceptability of the proposed research program and the ability of the candidate to carry out independent research. The proposed investigation must represent an original contribution to the candidate's area of specialization. The student is officially admitted to the Ph.D. degree only after successful completion of the preliminary exam.
Attainment of a Ph.D. degree requires the preparation of a thesis on a research topic selected by common agreement between the student and the advisor. Once a research project is selected, the student must choose his/her thesis committee. The thesis committee shall consist of four faculty members (besides the student's advisor) in the area of specialization of the student. At least one, but no more than two members of the committee shall be from outside the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
A final oral exam is required to fulfill the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The exam consists of an oral presentation of the student's research thesis and may cover the general field of major and minor studies.
The following is a partial list of graduate courses offered by the Structural Division:
* Completion of these courses with a grade B or better is mandatory for students enrolled in the MS program.
Students are encouraged to take advanced courses in Engineering Mechanics, Mathematics, Computer Sciences and Statistics as part of their graduate study. The following is a partial listing of the courses offered by the Engineering Physics Department:
The Kurt F. Wendt Library serves the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Wendt library's collection contains about 285,000 bound volumes plus 1.5 million microfiche reports and a full U.S. Patent collection. The library currently receives about 1,400 journals and 1,500 other serials. Most of Wendt library's holdings are included in the campus-wide on-line catalog. Wendt library has a dozen bibliographic databases on CD ROM within the building and across campus. In addition, this system is interconnected with CD ROM database networks in other campus libraries.
Several computing systems are available for research and instruction. The College of Engineering provides several computer laboratories equipped with a range of computing systems connected by a network and supports a variety of software applications.
The Wisconsin Structures and Materials Testing Laboratory offers an opportunity to conduct experimental research. The laboratory has a 24 ft by 50 ft structural test floor with an adjacent 40 ft long reaction wall. The laboratory is outfitted with servo-controlled hydraulic test equipment, several hydraulic actuators, computer based data acquisition systems and electronic data measuring devices.
Lawrence C. Bank. Analysis and design of composite material structures, mechanics of composite materials, structural analysis, experimental methods.
Steven M. Cramer. Design and analysis of wood components and structures; assessment and design of concrete materials; structural material modeling and characterization.
Michael G. Oliva. Structural design; reinforced concrete and precast concrete building systems; highway bridges; design and analysis under dynamic loads and earthquake engineering; inelastic modeling of structural behavior.
José A. Pincheira. Analysis and design of reinforced and prestressed concrete structural systems; earthquake engineering; seismic rehabilitation of reinforced concrete buildings.
Current research in progress: Research Projects
The following is a partial list of current or recently completed research projects in the Structural Division:
For further information please write to:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Structural Division
University of Wisconsin-Madison
2205 Engineering Hall
1415 Engineering Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: 608/262-3542
Fax: 608/262-5199
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Copyright 2006 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Date last modified: 01-Jun-2005 Date created: 19-Feb-1998 Content by: cee@engr.wisc.edu Thank you for visiting http://www.engr.wisc.edu/cee/prospective/grad/structural.html |