In the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, earthquake engineering is a vital part of both the research program, and the undergraduate and graduate curriculums. Research activities include experimental investigation of the behavior of reinforced and prestressed concrete, structural steel, wood and soil systems as well as numerical modeling of structural, soil and water systems. Classes offered in the civil engineering department include structural dynamics, soil dynamics, reliability and design, and earthquake engineering for structural and geotechnical systems. In addition to the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, the earthquake engineering community at the University of Washington includes individuals in the Departments of Geography, Geophysics, and Political Science, the Business School, the Evans School of Public Affairs, and the College of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Preparation of a Concentrically Braced Frame Guseet Plate Connection Sub-Assemblage

The University of Washington is an active participant in the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center and National Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Program. UW faculty members receive research funding and hold leadership positions within these organizations. UW students participate in the PEER Engineering Scholars Program, PEER summer and academic-year internship programs, and graduate research assistants on PEER research projects. Research funding is also obtained from the National Science Foundation, NEES, US Army, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Washington State Department of Transportation and numerous other public and private organizations

The Department of Civil Engineering Structural Research Laboratory in More Hall includes a strong wall and strong floor that enable experimental testing of building and bridge components under simulated earthquake loading. Current earthquake engineering research activities at the University of Washington address a wide range of topics. Some current research includes the seismic design of braced frame gusset plate connections, seismic performance of reinforced concrete shear walls, rotational behavior of elastomeric bridge bearings and behavior concrete filled steel tubes. The photos shown below are taken from two current experimental research programs. The Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory uses cyclic triaxial, cubic triaxial, resonant column, ring simple shear, and shaking table tests to investigate the seismic behavior of soils and soil-structure systems. Outside of theses laboratories earthquake engineering research includes the development of new techniques for simulating the response of structural systems and soil systems to earthquake loading, new component and material behavior models to be used in computer simulation, evaluation and retrofit procedures for older structures, and performance-based design methodologies for new design. Social scientists at the UW conduct research that addresses adoption and implementation of earthquake hazard mitigation measures, decision-making about desired performance of structures, and loss modeling for gauging economic impacts of earthquakes.

Master’s Degree Program

In the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering a student may earn a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Master of Science in Engineering or Master of Science degree, depending on the student’s undergraduate degree. The MSCE, MSE or MS degrees may be obtained with or without a thesis. Aspirants for the Ph.D. degree are advised to complete a thesis at the master's level. A coursework-only degree is intended for students with some years of professional experience, for students involved in engineering internships or for students who believe their career objectives are met best by additional coursework. The decision of whether or not to pursue a thesis or coursework-only degree rests with the student; students accepting research assistantships and fellowships are expected to follow the thesis option.

To earn a Master’s Degree a student must fulfill the following requirements:

• Complete a number of credits decided by the Advisory Committee. This number must not be less than 42 credits. For a degree with a thesis, this includes 9 credits of thesis work.

• Complete at least 3 credits in courses outside the major field of study, 15 credits minimum of 400 and 500 level courses in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a minimum of one-half of the coursework credits in courses numbered 500 or above.

• Complete a minimum of 18 credits of coursework for numerical grade at the University of Washington in the case of the thesis degree, or 2l credits with the coursework-only option.

• Pass a final examination, usually an oral thesis defense, as determined by the Advisory Committee.

Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy degree is intended for candidates with a high level of scholarship and with the ability and desire to conduct independent and original research in their chosen field of interest. A student pursuing a Master’s degree in the Department may be advised by his/her Master's Advisory Committee, to continue to work toward the Doctorate. Students may also be accepted directly into the Ph.D. degree program if they have received a Master's degree from an accredited university and have been recommended highly by the faculty of their previous programs to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

A total of 90 quarter credits is required for the Ph.D. With the approval of the Department, an appropriate master's degree from an accredited institution may be applied toward 30 of the 90 quarter credits. Students must maintain high scholarship (at least a 3.5 GPA) in coursework in their major fields of interest. To earn a Ph.D. the student must fulfill the following requirements:

• Pass a qualifying exam that must be taken in June after completing the Master’s Degree Program and after completion of three quarters of study in the Ph.D. Program.

• Submit a doctoral proposal and select a professor to advise the thesis work. This must be done within twelve months of passing the qualifying exam.

• Successfully complete the Graduate School General Examination. This exam may be scheduled upon committee approval of the student's research proposal, after the student has completed all formal coursework and at least 4 months after a Supervisory Committee has been appointed

• Prepare a dissertation that is a significant contribution to the current state of knowledge, clearly indicates training in research, and is acceptable to the Dean of the Graduate School. The dissertation is read by members of the Supervisory Committee.

• Pass a final examination that is devoted usually to the defense of the dissertation and the field with which it is concerned.

Application Deadlines

Students are admitted for the fall quarter only. Early application is encouraged; initial admission decisions are made in February. It is recommended that applications be submitted by the following dates:

• International Students: November 1
• Domestic Students: January 15

Financial support is offered to some applicants on a competitive basis based upon their academic record. Applicants seeking fellowship and teaching or research assistantship appointments should apply as early as possible.

Graduate Student Advising

Marcia Buck
Phone: (206) 543-2574
Fax: (206) 543-1543
Email: ceginfo@u.washington.edu