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The broad impact of transportation systems and land development on all aspects of life requires an interdisciplinary approach to the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of these systems. Technical solutions must be integrated with social, economic, political, and environmental concerns. Additionally, safety must be the fundamental force behind all decisions that are made. Consequently, the Graduate Program in Transportation Engineering and City Planning combines core courses in transportation, urban development, and safety with related courses in computer science, economics, human factors, operations research, statistics, geography, management, and regional planning. Graduate students are encouraged to participate in interdisciplinary courses and seminars offered by the Department of Industrial Engineering, the Institute for Environmental Studies, the La Follette School of Public Affairs, the Department of Landscape Architecture, the School of Business, and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
Following graduation from the program, excellent career opportunities are currently available in academic and research institutions as well as with private consultants, commercial and industrial firms, and all levels of government — federal, state, regional, and local. Ph.D. students and those who wish to pursue an academic and/or research career will have the opportunity to work in one of the very active research laboratories on current research activities. Teaching opportunities are also considered. Students pursuing a Master of Science degree will also have the opportunity to participate in one or more research activities.
To be eligible for admission to graduate work for the Master of Science (Civil Engineering) degree, an applicant must have a bachelor's degree in engineering from a school of recognized standing or have satisfactory course work in mathematics, statistics, and the natural sciences and receive approval of the Transportation and City Planning faculty. To be eligible for admission to graduate work for the doctorate, an applicant must have the equivalent of a bachelor's degree in engineering or one of the natural sciences from a school of recognized standing. All applicants for admission must satisfy the general University regulations on eligibility as described in the Graduate School website.
Program A — Thesis: This program typically consists of 24 credits graduate work and 6 credits of research. Students who wish to do advanced work and research in a well-defined area of specialization are encouraged to pursue this program. The program of study is arranged jointly by the student and the advising professor.
Program B — Master's Research: A minimum of 30 credits of graduate work must be completed including 3 to 9 credits for a Master's Research project. Projects may include design, synthesis, engineering practice, or research elements and must result in an engineering report. The program of study is arranged jointly by the student and the advising professor.
It is possible that the requirements for the M.S. degree can be completed in one calendar year under either the Thesis or the Master's Research Program.
Candidates for the Master of Science degree who do not have a bachelor's degree in engineering are required to complete 40 credits of graduate-level courses. At least 30 of these credits must be in Civil and Environmental Engineering. A Master's Research project is also required as in Program B.
The Doctor of Philosophy degree is the highest degree conferred by the University. It is a research degree and is never conferred solely as a result of any prescribed period of study, no matter how faithful. The degree is only granted on evidence of general proficiency, distinctive attainment in a special field, and, particularly, the ability for independent investigation as demonstrated in a thesis presenting original research or creative scholarship with a high degree of literary skill.
Basic requirements for a 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.
Qualifying Examination
Prospective candidates must pass a qualifying examination most often 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 transportation 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 Constructed Facilities Division of Civil Engineering. Advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree will be granted only after the student has satisfactorily passed the qualifying examination.
Preliminary 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.
Thesis Research
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.
Final Oral Examination
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.
In addition to core courses in transportation and city planning, students can select relevant courses offered by the Departments of Computer Sciences, Geography, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Political Science, Statistics, and Urban and Regional Planning; the Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Schools of Law and Business. Each student may build a program of study to suit his/her own needs in accordance with the minimum requirements of the Department and the Graduate School.
Four typical 30 credit M.S. degree programs of study are shown below. Under a 24 credit thesis option, these programs would be reduced by a total of 6 credits, and the thesis credits substituted for the Master's Research credits. The difference in total credits is to allow students under either program equal opportunity to complete all degree requirements in one calendar year.
Transportation Planning Program
BUS 478: Urban Transport Economics
Highway Engineering Program
Traffic Engineering Program
Traffic Safety Engineering Program
Urban Systems Planning Program
BUS 720: Urban Economics
The Transportation Management and Policy Program (TMP) was created in 2002 to satisfy the demand for transportation professionals who understand multiple dimensions of transportation management and planning, enabling them to make choices leading to more environmentally and socially sustainable transportation systems now and in the future.
TMP combines studies of environmentally sensitive transportation planning and development with studies of the economic, political, and social dimensions of transportation development. The program is closely associated with the Midwest Regional University Transportation Center (MRUTC) at UW-Madison.
Graduate students who complete the program receive a certificate in TMP to supplement their graduate degree. TMP is not available as a stand-alone graduate degree. Details on course requirements and other programs details can be found on the TMP website.
Research on transportation and land development problems is possible through the CEE Department, the Institute for Environmental Studies, the Environmental Awareness Center and the Midwest Regional University Transportation Center (MRUTC), and the Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory (TOPS). The primary transportation research facility is the TOPS Laboratory providing fifteen state-of-the-art computer systems for graduate student use, including a wide variety of traffic engineering, transportation planning, and statistical software including, but not limited to HCM, PASSER series, TRANSYT-7F, CORSIM, NETSIM, TSIS, SIDRA, SYNCHRO, PARAMICS, TRANPLAN, TRANSCAD, MINITAB, and SAS. The TOPS Laboratory also contains a host of traffic operations equipment including traffic signal controllers, video cameras, changeable message boards, and related ITS devices. A fully operational signalized intersection is included in the lab. Links to external traffic management centers provide access to real-time traffic operation data and video links. Research in full-scale driving simulation is completed through relationships with neighboring simulator labs. A Highway Materials and Pavement Design Laboratory is also available for graduate student research.
Computer facilities available at the Madison campus are described on the Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) website. Graduate students have access to the CAE system through laboratory computers and through individual office computers. Microcomputer labs are located in multiple locations in the College of Engineering.
The UW-Madison campus libraries contain more than six million volumes. On-line computerized access is available campus-wide through both wire and wireless networks. Access to professional journals and research reports is enhanced by computerized searches. The Kurt F. Wendt Library collection includes over one million U.S. government-funded research reports. Other specialized libraries focus on Business, Geography, Law, and Urban and Regional Planning.
Additional information and resources can be found at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Transportation Portal, the Wisconsin Transportation Center, the Wisconsin Highway Research Program, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).
Faculty in the area of Transportation and City Planning include:
Dr. Teresa M. Adams: geographic information systems in transportation, transportation management systems, database management systems.
Dr. Hussain U. Bahia: construction materials, pavement analysis and design, asphalt rheology and failure testing, asphalt modification and durability, asphalt concrete mixture design and analysis, pavement performance evaluation and instrumentation.
Dr. Peter J. Bosscher: geotechnical engineering, highway materials, soil mechanics, soil dynamics.
Dr. Jessica Y. Guo: travel behavior analysis and demand modeling, land use and transportation interaction, urban systems planning, spatial analysis and GIScience, artificial intelligence and software engineering.
Dr. Keith K. Knapp (EPD): transportation design, safety, and operations.
Dr. David A. Noyce: transportation safety, human factors, traffic operations, system design, pedestrians and bicycles.
Dr. Bin Ran: intelligent transportation systems, dynamic network and demand modeling, traffic simulation and control.
Dr. Robert L. Smith (Emeritus)
Dr. Alan P. Vonderohe: cadastral systems, spatial data quality, digital photogrammetry, geographic information systems for transportation, spatial/temporal reference frameworks.
Ernie Wittwer: asset management, public policy, transportation finance.
Several other associated and adjunct professors actively participate in the program. Please see the individual faculty or program web pages for a list of current research projects.
A wide range of financial aids are available to well-qualified graduate students. In addition to University fellowships and scholarships, teaching, research, and project assistantships are available. Teaching assistantships afford financial aid to graduate students, as well as opportunities for acquiring valuable teaching experience. The salary depends upon the time devoted to teaching duties. Research assistantships permit students to assist in the research program of the department in a project that will meet the requirements for the master's or doctor's thesis. Research assistants are required to carry a full graduate load of eight credits per semester including research or thesis research. Tuition is waived for students on financial support through the University.
Please contact Dr. David Noyce with questions about the program.
David A. Noyce, Ph.D., P.E.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dept. of
Civil and Environmental Engineering
1415 Engineering Drive, 1210 Engineering Hall
Madison, WI 53706
TEL:(608) 265-1882
FAX: (608) 262-5199
noyce@engr.wisc.edu
For online application, visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School.
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Copyright 2006 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Up to date as of 28-Feb-2006 Date last modified: 28-Feb-2006 Date created: 24-Oct-2001 Content by: cee@engr.wisc.edu Thank you for visiting http://www.engr.wisc.edu/cee/research/transengr_geo.html |