Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering (MENG-CE)

The Master of Engineering degree is a coursework-only (Plan III) degree with a focus on professional practice. UNM is the only institution in the state of New Mexico to offer the Master of Engineering degree as well as degrees in Construction Engineering and Construction Management.

The Master of Engineering degree combines advanced training in civil engineering practice and design and an emphasis on written and oral communication skills. As a practice-oriented program, it will provide students with the technical expertise and management training to be successful design engineers.

The program is designed for students who work full-time, and some of the classes will be offered on-line to accommodate students who cannot come to UNM main campus. Graduates of the program should have no shortage of job opportunities, as the demand for professional engineers exceeds the supply.

The Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering collaborated closely with professionals in local engineering companies and the national labs to develop the program. Brian Burnett, president of Albuquerque-based civil engineering firm Bohannan Huston, Inc. (BHI), is also president of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Advisory Board. “Many companies want a higher level of education than a Bachelor’s degree,” says Burnett. “UNM’s Master of Engineering degree program will create more highly-qualified employees and reduce on-the-job training,” says Burnett.

A Master of Engineering degree recipient could later pursue enrollment in a Ph.D. program if a sufficient number of theory and research classes were taken prior to admission to Ph.D. candidacy, and reasonable scores on the GRE were obtained.

The MENG requires 33 credits of coursework only. Students may choose a single focus area or combine focus areas.

Focus areas available are:

  • Construction Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Water Resources-Hydraulics Engineering
  • Structural Engineering and Materials Science
  • Transportation Engineering 


Required for Degree: 33 credits coursework only.

  • A minimum of 15 credit hours of practice-oriented civil engineering classes composed from the list of courses found below.
  • 12 additional credit hours that support the student’s area of interest. These courses are listed as required and elective courses, taken from the lists below.
  • At least 6 additional credit hours that advance the student’s management skillset. Can be composed of courses provided by the Anderson Business School. Consult with your advisor to insure that a class meets these requirements.

Structural Practice Oriented Courses

502. Finite Element Methods in Solid Mechanics
506. Prestressed Concrete
511. Reinforced Concrete Design
513. Timber and Masonry Design
521. Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 524. Structural Design in Metals
598. Wood/Masonry Design
598. Design of RC structures with FRP

Environmental Practice Oriented Courses

531. Physical-Chemical Water and Wastewater Treatment
533. Environmental Microbiology
534. Environmental Engineering Chemistry
536. Biological Wastewater Treatment
538. Sustainable Engineering
539. Radioactive Waste Management

Water Resources Practice Oriented Courses

540. Design of Hydraulic Systems
541. Hydrogeology
542. Intermediate Hydrology
545. Open Channel Hydraulics
547. GIS in Water Resources Engineering
549. Vadose Zone Hydrology
598. Stream and Watershed Restoration
598. Surface Water Quality Modeling

Geotechnical Practice Oriented Courses

562. Foundation Engineering I
566. Pavement Design
567. Foundation Engineering II
568. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering

Construction Practice Oriented Courses

570. Simulation and Design of Construction Operations
571. Sustainable Design and Construction
573. Construction Law
574. Principles of Written Construction Documents
575. Construction Safety
576. Project Delivery Systems
577. Project Controls 578. Design of Temporary Support Structures
CE598 (future CE572). Contemporary Issues in Construction
CE598 (future CE579). Decision-making in Civil Infrastructure Systems
598. Building Information Modeling

Transportation Practice Oriented Courses

581. Urban Transportation Planning
582. Highway and Traffic Engineering
598. Design of Sustainable Transportation Systems and Policy

Complete information regarding graduate degrees can be found in the UNM Catalog and from the Office of Graduate Studies.