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Geotechnical Engineering Degree Requirements

Print version: Geotechnical Engineering degree requirements

Research Track (Thesis Option) Professional Master's Program (Coursework Option)
  • 33 credits of coursework
  • 9 credits of CEE 700 – Master's Thesis (max 12 credits with faculty approval)
  • 42 credits of coursework

Coursework requirements

  • 18 credits minimum 500 level coursework
  • 18 credits minimum of 400-500 level coursework
  • 3 credits minimum outside of CESG coursework
  • All CESG coursework (except seminars) taken for numeric grade
  • 3 credits maximum of CEE 600 - Independent Study
  • 499 credits do not count towards a graduate degree
  • 300 and below coursework does not count towards a graduate degree
  • Maximum 2 credits of ENGR 601 allowed with faculty advisor approval

GPA requirements

  • 3.0 Minimum cumulative GPA overall
  • 3.0 Minimum cumulative GPA in Geotechnical coursework
  • 2.7 minimum grade for a course to count

Other requirements:

  • 6 year max to complete degree (including official On Leave status)
  • 6 credits maximum of approved transfer credits
Course # Course Name Credits
Autumn quarter
CESG 561 Adv Soil Mech 4
Winter quarter
CESG 566 Slope Stability and Landslides 3
Spring quarter
CESG 567 Advanced Foundation Engineering 3
CESG 569 Geological Eng & Rock Mechanics 3

19 credits of the following courses are required for PMP student, 15 credits for Thesis Students.

Course # Course Name Credits
Autumn quarter
CESG 562 Adv Geotech Lab 5
CESG 563 Phys-chem Aspects of Soil Beh 3
Winter quarter
CESG 564 Computational Geomechanics* 4
CESG 565 Soil Dynamics 3
CESG 571 Case Histories 3
Spring quarter
CESG 568 Geotechnical Earthquake Eng 3
CESG 570 Geosystems Engineering* 3

*Course will not be offered in 2020-2021 academic year.

The remaining course requirements for the MSCE degree can be satisfied by any 5XX and some 4XX courses in the CEWA program, as well as a variety of relevant courses from other departments at the UW. Students are encouraged to explore the availability of these courses and decide on an individual plan of study that balances depth and breadth, in line with the student's career goals, with guidance and approval from their faculty adviser.

Note: This is not a comprehensive list but rather suggestions for some relevant courses. Refer to the UW Time Schedule or the corresponding department for course offering details.

Course # Course Name Credits
AA 540/541 Finite Element Analysis I & II 3
AMATH 506 Applied Probablility Statistics 4
AMATH 581, 582, 583 Scientific Computing 5
AMATH 584, 585, 586 Numerical Analysis 5
ARCH 574 Design and Construction Law 3
ATM S 552 Objective Analysis 3
CESG 508 Materials Modeling 3
CESG 501 Structural Mechanics 4
ESS 512 Seismology 3
ESS 522 Geophysical Data Collection and Analysis 3
ESS 523 Geophysical Inverse Theory 3
STAT 504, 506 Applied Regression, Applied Prob. & Stat. 4
STAT 512 Statistical Inference 4
STAT 520 Spectral Analysis of Time Series 4