M.S. Thesis Requirements

These are the requirements for the Master's of Science with Thesis option.

Course Requirement

The student is required to complete at least 24 semester hours of coursework beyond the B.S. degree and maintain an overall GPA of 3.0. Some technical groups may have the requirement that a B- or better needs to be achieved in the division core courses. Students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits at the 600 level or above and a minimum of 12 credits of technical division courses. 

To better serve M.S. students, the department has developed a MS Coursework Plan. This is an additional resource to help students plan their courses. Students should discuss any questions or concerns they may have about their course plan or requirements with their academic advisor or Technical Area Coordinator. 

The student must also register for at least six credits of ENCE799: Master's Thesis Research. To determine your advisor's section number, please contact Anna Damm.

Thesis Requirement

To accomplish a Master's of Science with thesis, the student must perform a body of work that is commensurate with the level of the Master’s degree.  The thesis should make some contribution to the advancement in civil and environmental research.  Work performed for the Master's of Science with Thesis should be of such quality and extent that it would be suitable for publication as at least a technical note in an archival journal. 

The procedure for the review of the thesis is as follows:

• The student works with his/her faculty advisor to create a committee of at least three members of the Graduate faculty of the University of Maryland  to review the thesis. The advisor serves as the chair of the committee. The members should have backgrounds and interests related to the student's area of specialization and the subject matter of the thesis. This committee must be submitted for approval by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate School, using the “Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee” form. This form must be submitted at least 6 weeks prior to the thesis defense.

• The student's MS Coursework Form is due to the Graduate Studies Office the semester prior to their planned graduation.

• The advisor is responsible for setting dates and deadlines for the review of the thesis. The student is responsible for providing each committee member with a typewritten copy of the thesis, advisor approved, at least ten working days prior to the thesis defense.

• The thesis committee will evaluate the quality of the research as well as the clarity and literary quality of the thesis.

• The thesis defense is an oral examination of up to 3 hours duration. During this exam the student will defend the thesis and answer any related questions posed by the thesis examining committee.

• All members of the thesis examining committee must accept the thesis for the student to pass the examination: revisions to the thesis may be recommended. These revisions should be reviewed and approved by the advisor or by all members of the committee before the Report of Examining Committee Form is signed.

• The student may redo the thesis defense once only, if necessary.

• The student must make proper application to the Graduate School indicating completion of degree requirements.

• The student must provide the department with a final revised copy of the thesis in electronic form (PDF file). Copies of the thesis must also be provided to the Graduate School in accordance with the Thesis and Dissertation Manual.

• It is expected that the M.S. thesis will result in a manuscript that can be submitted for publication in peer-review literature.