Degree Requirements

(adapted from College of Engineering Graduate Advisor's Manual)
Note: Graduate students must enroll in a full course load of 12 units each semester.

E&PM Seminars
A seminar course (CE298-004) in Engineering and Project Management is offered every semester. Organized by an E&PM faculty member with the assistance of other faculty and graduate students, this seminar series provides a forum for learning about what is happening in the profession and in academic research. Seminars are scheduled every week. As this forum is an essential part of graduate student learning, all new graduate students are required to attend the seminars in the first year of their study (both semesters).

Master's Degrees:

Master of Science

Plan 1 (with Thesis): 20 units, of which

• at least 8 units must be graduate courses from the E&PM program at UC Berkeley, and
• the remaining units must be graduate or upper-division courses from UC Berkeley approved by the major field advisor.

No more than 4 units of individual study (CE 299) may be counted toward the total 20 units. In addition, student must complete

• a Master's thesis approved by a committee of three faculty members.

Plan II (with Exam): 24 units, of which

• at least 12 units must be graduate courses from the E&PM program at UC Berkeley, and
• the remaining units must be graduate or upper-division courses from UC Berkeley approved by the major field advisor.

No more than 4 units of individual study (CE 299) may be counted toward the total 24 units. In addition, the student must

• pass the Comprehensive Examination in Engineering and Project Management (see description below).

Master of Engineering

The Master of Engineering degree is a professional degree emphasizing the application of technical and economic approaches in the design, construction, and operations of engineered facilities with consideration of associated environmental and ecological problems. To be eligible for the Master of Engineering degree, students must have completed the substantial equivalent of the basic requirements for the Bachelor of Science in civil engineering.

Plan: 40 units

• 16 - 20 units must be in the professional major (e.g., engineering and project management). Of these, at least 12 units must be graduate courses in engineering and project management. The remainder must be graduate or upper-division courses approved by the major field advisor.
• 8-4 units must be individual study at the graduate level (CE 299) culminating in a written report.
• Units in the professional major plus units of individual study must equal at least 24.
• 8 semester units of courses must provide technical breadth. This requirement is designed to provide familiarity with other technical fields. Generally, these courses will be in another engineering department, but courses in Civil and Environmental Engineering or outside of engineering are satisfactory if they are clearly different from the professional major.
• 8 semester units of courses must provide "non-engineering" breadth. This requirement is designed to develop an awareness of the need for engineers to interact productively with people of non-engineering specialties in seeking solutions to real problems which benefit society in the broad sense.

Doctoral Degrees:

Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is awarded for programs of study and research emphasizing the application of natural sciences to the analysis and solution of engineering problems. Students must have a B.S. in one of the accredited engineering curricula or satisfy the equivalent of a B.S. degree as determined by the department concerned.

Within the Engineering and Project Management Program, the first step toward a doctoral degree is passing the comprehensive exam at the doctoral level (see description of comprehensive exam below). Students entering the doctoral program will either have taken and passed the comprehensive exam at the doctoral level while master's students, or take and pass this exam in their first year of doctoral study.

For the doctoral degree, students must complete a program of study consisting of a major field and two minor fields. The major is normally devoted to one field of study within a single department and should be in the area of the thesis research. The minor fields should serve to broaden the base of the studies and lend support to the major field. Each should have an orientation different from the major program. One minor program should consist of courses outside of the department of the major. Two or three courses of 3 units each (of a graduate or advanced undergraduate level) typically constitute a minor.

Following completion of the Comprehensive Examination with a PhD-level pass, a student must pass an oral Preliminary Examination. A student will make satisfactory progress towards their degree when taking this Preliminary Exam within the year that follows the Comprehensive Exam. The Preliminary Exam focuses on a student's ability to demonstrate mastery and apply core knowledge in the area of research activity. Three faculty members — at least two E&PM faculty (full-time or adjunct) — will be designated to constitute the exam committee. This exam is an E&PM program requirement, not one of the Graduate Division. The student must have a research advisor and have made satisfactory progress towards their degree when scheduling this exam. Authority for approval of an exam committee and date lies with the research advisor. A student will have two chances to receive a pass on this exam. In the event that a student does not successfully pass on the second attempt, the student may be dismissed.

Before advancement to candidacy, the student must be admitted to and pass the Qualifying Examination administered by a Committee approved by the Dean of the Graduate Division. For the Engineering and Project Management program, this committee consists of four faculty members, with at least one member from outside the student's major department. The thesis advisor may be a member of the committee, but may not serve as its chair. The qualifying exam is a three-hour oral exam. Typically, the student makes a brief presentation on the planned doctoral research. Following this, the committee asks questions on a wide range of topics.

After passing the Qualifying Examination, a student and his/her thesis advisor nominate a Dissertation Committee consisting of at least three faculty members, one of whom must be outside of the student's major discipline. This committee has responsibility for reviewing the student's work and signing off on the doctoral dissertation.

Comprehensive Examination

The Comprehensive Examination is a closed-book written test of a student's general knowledge of engineering and project management. The test is administered in the spring semester, and at the faculty's discretion also in the fall, usually during one of the "dead days" preceding finals week. During the four-hour exam, students select and answer four questions (the number of questions from which to select varies from semester to semester, but is typically six). PhD applicants must select at least three questions among those provided by Professors Bea, Horvath, Ibbs, Tommelein, and Dr. Glenn Ballard. The questions are not necessarily based on specific courses. Answers should reflect a student's comprehensive understanding of the field of engineering and project management, command of course material, and ability to link the material presented in different courses.
The Comprehensive Exam has four possible outcomes:

• Master of Science degree pass
• Master of Science degree fail — with a definition of the activity required to demonstrate pass defined on a case-by-case basis, at the discretion of the faculty.

and if designated by the student taking the exam:

• PhD candidate pass, provided the student has completed at least 3-units of CE299 with one of the four core E&PM faculty (Professors Bea, Horvath, Ibbs, and Tommelein) or Dr. Glenn Ballard, and prior to the comprehensive examination one of these five faculty have agreed to serve as the student's doctoral research advisor.
• PhD candidate fail — with a definition of the activity required to demonstrate pass defined on a case-by-case basis, at the discretion of the faculty.

The questions will be graded on a 100 point basis. A grade of 80 or more on each question is required for Master's pass. A grade of 90 or more on each question is required for the PhD candidacy pass. The primary evaluation criterion is the written response to the exam questions. However, in cases where the written response places a student on the borderline between two outcomes, other factors, such as performance in courses and research experience, will be given consideration.

Repeat exams for students who are interested in doctoral studies but who do not receive a pass-Ph.D. will be administered at the discretion of the faculty. To pass at the Ph.D. level, a student's performance on the exam must demonstrate an advanced understanding of the material. The pass-Ph.D. result is valid for five years; a student who passes at this level and returns for doctoral studies within five years will not need to retake the exam.