The University at Buffalo (UB) is New York’s

Base Isolated Model on SEESL Shake Table.

premier public institution for graduate and professional education, and the state’s largest and most comprehensive public university. As the only public member in New York and New England of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), UB stands in the first rank of the nation’s public research universities. Interactions between the University’s various professional schools and its Engineering and Arts and Sciences faculties, especially in cross-disciplinary research centers, give graduate education at UB particular richness and depth. The university’s public mission of outreach to the community, state, and nation ties a significant portion of its research and education efforts to the needs of society.

The Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering (CSEE) is one of six department in UB’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and is the only department in the state university system (SUNY) offering undergraduate and graduate education in either civil or environmental engineering. There are currently 22 full-time faculty in CSEE. There are approximately 320 undergraduate students, and 173 graduate students in the Department, including 69 PhD students, pursuing programs of study and research that lead to Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil or Environmental Engineering, and Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Master of Science (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. Areas of graduate study include computational engineering mechanics, construction engineering and management, environmental engineering and science, geomechanics, geoenvironmental and foundation engineering, structural and earthquake engineering, and water resources and environmental fluid mechanics. Research activities are also enhanced by the presence of several major research entities associated with the Department, including the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER), the New York Center for Integrated Waste Management, the Great Lakes Program, and a major equipment node of NSF’s Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES).

The Department has developed a particular strength in the area of Structural and Earthquake Engineering. CSEE offers more than 30 graduate courses on theoretical, computational, and experimental analysis and design of structures, combining to provide a classical structural engineering program. Bridges, buildings, aerospace structures, foundations, concrete, steel, and advanced fiber composite structures, and micro-electronic structures are all used as examples to illustrate the basic concepts of structural mechanics. The faculty’s research expertise and vast practical experience combine to offer students an unsurpassed education in earthquake engineering and structural design and mechanics. The educational and research environment is further enhanced by the presence of a number of unique resources associated with the Department, including the Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory (SEESL), which houses the UB node of NEES, MCEER, the Electronics Packaging Laboratory, ands the Great Lakes Program.

The Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering at the University at Buffalo offers advanced study and research programs designed to educate students in a broad range of areas, including:

• Structural and Earthquake Engineering
• Computational Engineering Mechanics
• Construction Engineering and Management
• Environmental Engineering and Science
• Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering

Core Curriculum

The courses comprising the core are selected to ensure that advanced degree recipients from the department have knowledge in the basic mechanics and mathematics that are the “fundamental language” of civil engineering. This is a basic requirement for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Students in these degree programs must take one course in mathematics, and choose one of two courses in mechanics, either fluids or solids.

Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)

The Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program in Civil Engineering is meant to provide post-graduate training for students wishing to improve their knowledge of engineering, and to gain additional design skills. It is a design and practice-oriented program suitable for students planning to pursue a professional career in industry, consulting, or government service. Degree requirements include at least 24 credits of approved graduate coursework, and 6 credits of Engineering Project work, which includes writing and presenting a project report. The program can be completed in 9-11 months of full-time study. Students may choose from among five areas of concentration:

• Earthquake Engineering (see below for more details)
• Structural Engineering
• Construction Engineering and Management
• Environmental Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering

Master of Science (M.S.)

The Master of Science (M.S.) program is intended to serve a variety of people and purposes. Therefore, in place of rigidly structured programs, students are encouraged to develop their programs in accord with their interests and in consultation with their advisors. For the M.S. degree, students generally write a thesis, although an all-course option is available. All M.S. students must complete 30 credit hours of approved graduate coursework, including 6 credit hours from the core curriculum. Potential program areas include:

• Earthquake Engineering (see below for more details)
• Structural Engineering
• Construction Engineering and Management
• Environmental Engineering
• Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The Ph.D. degree provides an opportunity for students to pursue a program of research in a specialized area and to develop a dissertation that embodies the results of original research and gives evidence of high scholarship. Requirements include:

• Completion of an approved program of graduate coursework
• Passing the in-class, take-home, and oral portions of a Ph.D. qualifying examination
• Approval of a Ph.D. dissertation

A program must contain a well-defined major area of study and must have the approval of the student’s Ph.D. advisement committee and the Graduate School. Applicants to a Ph.D. program are expected to have a M.S. degree or equivalent. The Ph.D. program consists of a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the Bachelor’s degree. A maximum of 30 credit hours from the Master’s degree can be credited towards the Ph.D. At least 42 credit hours beyond the Master’s degree are normally required for the Ph.D., and this will generally include at least 18 hours of course work and 12 to 24 hours of dissertation credit. A minimum QPA of 3.0 must be maintained.

Earthquake Engineering-Specific Information

Students seeking any of the graduate degrees may choose to specialize in earthquake engineering. The focus of the earthquake engineering program is to prepare professionals who can lead design and decision processes to develop earthquake-safe communities. Most notable about the earthquake engineering program are the unique specialty courses that are available, including, for example:

• Aseismic Base Isolation
• Structural Control
• Experimental Methods in Structural Dynamics
• Advanced Topics in Structural Analysis
• Engineering Seismology