Why Pursue a Master's Degree in Civil Engineering
Small class sizes ensure personal attention from the highly qualified faculty. The department has state-of-the-art laboratories for each major technical area. These labs — housed in the Engineering Building (EB), Biotechnology, Sciences and Engineering (BSE) building, and Applied Engineering and Technology (AET) building — include:
- Geo-materials (AASHTO Accredited)
- Geotechnical
- Environmental
- Structures
- Hydraulics
- PC/CAD
Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UT San Antonio Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UT San Antonio Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UT San Antonio by the appropriate application deadline.
| Civil Engineering (MCE) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Required Degree | Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. An undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related field is required. | |
| Minimum GPA | 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours | |
| Coursework | Completed adequate credit hours or foreign institution equivalent coursework as preparation for the program. | |
| Transcripts* | Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English | |
| Credential Evaluation | Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from FCSA or any NACES-approved credential evaluation agency. | |
| English Language Proficiency | 79 TOEFL iBT / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100 For exams taken on or after January 21, 2026: We require a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 4.0. |
|
| Purpose Statement | Required | |
| Resume | Required | |
| *Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. | ||
Application Deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.
| Civil Engineering (MCE) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing on Admission Decision: Completed applications will be reviewed as they are received. Decisions generally will be made and sent to applicants within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the completed application. | |||
| Application Deadlines for: | Priority | International | Domestic |
| Spring 2027 | Not Available | October 1 | October 1 |
| Summer 2027 | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available |
| Fall 2027 | February 1 | June 1 | August 1 |
| Spring 2028 | Not Available | October 1 | October 1 |
| Summer 2028 | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available |
Funding Opportunities
Research Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships are available on a competitive basis to full-time students carrying out research. Typical amounts are $22.5k and $25.5k per year for MCE and PhD students.
Career Options
UT San Antonio prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below are based on data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.
This program is housed on Main Campus.
The most recent graduate thesis work includes:
- Investigation of Juniperus Woodland Replacement Dynamics
- Phytoremediation of Lead Contaminated Soils
- Effectiveness of Al- and Fe-based Drinking Water Treatment Residuals in Remediating Soil Arsenic: Mechanisms and Implication
- Watershed Streamflow Estimation Utilizing Remote Sensing Time-Series Proxies of Landscape Moisture State and Radar Precipitation.
In the News
The University of Texas at San Antonio is exploring ways to improve San Antonio’s Downtown streets. Led by faculty from the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design, the Nueva Nueva initiative is currently evaluating Nueva Street in the Downtown area, which currently connects Downtown Campus, San Pedro I and II and Hemisfair Park. By elevating this street into a more comfortable, more inviting pedestrian corridor, the initiative will in turn create a more interconnected Roadrunner community. Associated faculty are also using this initiative as an opportunity to give their students in related fields hands-on experience through participation in the project.
Read the full story, “Nueva Nueva initiative moves downtown San Antonio toward a cooler, more connected future” to learn more about this exercise in innovation.
Researchers at the University of San Antonio are tackling two issues in the Gulf Coast ecosystem caused by sargassum, a golden-brown seaweed, with one solution. Shalinee Kavadiya, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, is working with her team of researchers to address the issues of sargassum overgrowth along the Gulf Coast, as well as the nutrient pollution that causes this excess growth of the seaweed. The project involves using sargassum to produce 3D-printed, reusable filtration models that catch runoff nutrients before they reach the ocean. This project promotes prioritizing sustainability when addressing these environmental challenges.
Read the full story “Into the weeds: UT San Antonio engineers turn excess seaweed into a circular solution” to learn more about this innovative research.
For more news stories, visit UT San Antonio today.
