MSc in Civil and Infrastructural Engineering

The degree of Master of Science in Civil & Infrastructural Engineering (MSc in CIVI) is awarded by Khalifa University of Science and Technology for successfully completing the requirements of a program of study which includes taught courses as well as a thesis. The thesis is an independent investigation of specialized areas within the general field of Civil & Infrastructural Engineering.

The MSc in CIVI provides candidates the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in the broad fields of CIVI and contributes to the process of discovery and knowledge creation through the conduct of original research. Candidates for this degree are taught and supervised by experienced faculty and are expected to demonstrate initiative in their approach and innovation in their work. Following the successful completion of the taught course component of the program, candidates prepare and present a thesis on their chosen area. Research may be undertaken in several topics corresponding to the areas of focus identified by the University.

Career Opportunities

A master’s degree in Civil & Infrastructural Engineering from Khalifa University helps open opportunities for future success. The construction and building sector constitutes one of the main economic sectors in UAE and internationally. Despite this, there is still a significant deficit in highly specialized engineering graduates. The MSc in CIVI focuses on delivering MSc graduates who have acquired unique, specialized knowledge on topics that are not typically taught in other MSc programs in the region, nevertheless, they are vital in addressing the development needs of UAE and beyond. The unique expertise of CIVI MSc graduates makes them sought after by local employers like state agencies and (inter)national consulting firms as lead designers on topics of their expertise. Graduates of the program also go through rigorous training and research experience to enable them to pursue their studies at PhD level.

Program Educational Objectives

The educational goals (objectives) of the MSc in Civil & Infrastructural Engineering program are to produce graduates who:

Are able to apply their training on the interface of engineering and science in an ethical, creative and innovative manner to solve problems related to civil and infrastructural engineering that are locally and globally relevant.
Are recognized as leaders in their respective careers in civil and infrastructural engineering in industry, government and academia.
Engage in life-long learning by continuing their education by enrolling in PhD programs or through career development and professional training

Student Learning Outcomes

A student graduating with the MSc in CIVI Engineering will be able to:

Identify, formulate, and solve advanced civil and infrastructural engineering problems and apply current engineering and science tools and techniques.
Conduct interdisciplinary research and design, conduct experiments, manage, analyze, interpret data and disseminate research results.
Function in team environments and communicate effectively with engineering and science stakeholders and communities.
Acquire knowledge of contemporary issues in the fields of civil and infrastructural engineering
Understand and apply professional and ethical standards in local and global frameworks.

Overall Structure and Requirements

To be recommended for the degree of MSc in CIVI students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 30 credit hours as specified by the program structure. The required credit hours are distributed as follows: 12 credit hours of Program Core courses, 9 credit hours of Program Elective courses and 9 credit hours CIVI Master’s Thesis. The Table below presents a summary of the MSc in CIVI degree program structure and requirements. With the exception of the Seminar in Research Methods and the Master’s Thesis, all the taught courses have a credit value of three credits each.

Summary of MSc in CIVI Degree Program Structure and Requirements

Category	Credits Required
Program Core	12
Program Electives	9
Seminar in Research Methods	0
CIVI Master’s Thesis	9
Total	30

CIVE 630 Tensors Algebra and Applications

The course focuses on a detailed exposition of tensor calculus and algebra as tools in the study of non-linear continuum mechanics principles and techniques necessary for the derivation, analysis, algorithmic development and critical evaluation of constitutive models and system solution procedures suitable for the analysis and the simulation of the response of civil and infrastructural engineering materials and systems.

CIVE 631 Dynamic Response of Civil Engineering Constructions

This course is to introduce the basic concepts and techniques for structural dynamics and their practical applications to structural engineering. Students will learn the response of single degree of freedom (SDOF) and multi degree of freedom (MDOF) systems due to free vibration and forced (harmonic, periodic, arbitrary, pulse) vibration, and the earthquake response of elastic and inelastic buildings. Modal analysis, response spectrum analysis, and time-stepping methods for structural systems will be briefly covered.

CIVE 632 Highrise Building Design

This course is to introduce the basic design concepts of reinforced concrete and steel structures for high rise buildings. Students will learn the inelastic response of reinforced concrete and steel members and response spectrum analysis and time-stepping methods for the inelastic analysis of the response of reinforced concrete and steel structures. Capacity design of the reinforced concrete and steel structures will be covered.

CIVE 634 Design of Civil Engineering Constructions for Fire Protection

The course introduces the concepts of fire science and provides an outline of the key stages in ignition, fire growth and combustion products as they relate to fires in civil engineering constructions. Detailed methodologies for material selection, containment, fire resistant design, fire severity and post fire damage evaluation are presented and related to the requirements of various modern building codes. The course addresses issues faced by architects, fire safety engineers, civil engineers and building code regulators in controlling the effects of fire on civil engineering constructions and the available techniques, materials and design methodologies.

CIVE 635 Railway Geotechnics

This course provides in-depth understanding of railroad track geotechnical engineering concepts, which include track component and system design, construction, evaluation, maintenance, load distribution, and wheel/rail interaction. The course will include field trip(s) to observe railway tracks and their components.

CIVE 636 Wind Effects on Structures

This course utilizes principles and techniques from meteorology, aerodynamics, structural dynamics and aeroelasticity to describe and quantify the mechanisms of wind action on structures and the procedures used in the design of highrise buildings, towers, suspension bridges and industrial plants and the utilization of wind tunnels as design evaluation tools.

CIVE 637 Pavement Monitoring and Preservation

The course focuses on the engineering concepts needed to maintain and rehabilitate pavement and their implications on flexible and rigid pavement performance over the infrastructure service life. On the basis of project evaluation, testing and analysis, the design of rigid and flexible overlays is examined, as well as rehabilitation alternatives. The effects of maintenance and rehabilitation activities are evaluated in terms of pavement performance and life cycle costs.

CIVE 638 Transportation Systems

This course focuses on the efficient integration of different modes of transportation via multi-modal points in an urban area. An individual’s trip consists of a combination of various modes of transportation including, auto (driver), auto (passenger), public transit (bus, rail, air), active modes (bike, walk), and other emerging modes. In order to implement such integration, it is essential to understand the mode-specific characteristics, associated utility, and logic models. It is also necessary to determine which intermodal points are suitable for the mode-pair transfers and when and how the transfers are to be executed.

CIVE 640 Soil-Structure Interaction

The course focuses on the effects of soil-structure interactions (SSI) to understand the realistic response of structures on flexible foundation soils. Characterization of elastic and plastic soil behavior under static and dynamic loads, ground response analysis with linear and nonlinear soil properties, structural influence on ground response, ground deformation by seismic loads are studied. Kinematic and inertial SSI are covered regarding the structural embedment into soils, dynamic structural responses and soil deformations. Numerical modelling of soil-structure systems is studied including visco-elastic halfspace media, Winkler model, and finite element analysis.

CIVE 641 Coastal Engineering

This course provides in-depth understanding of wave mechanics, mechanisms of wave generation, coastal waves variations, coastal sedimentary processes and the design and verification of coastal protection structures. The course will include field trip(s) to observe coastal structures and their components.

CIVE 650 Construction Cost Estimating

This course will provide students with knowledge of the principles and practices of construction cost estimating. The course covers techniques used in estimating including: the principles of the estimating process, creating unit costs for labor and equipment resources, estimating earthwork and excavation, highways and pavements, concrete and steel structures, and masonry. Each topic is introduced with a detailed explanation of the techniques and methods involved with hands on estimating exercises.

CIVE 651 Sustainability in Construction

This course will provide students with knowledge of the principles and practices of sustainability in construction while exploring the cutting edge of sustainable construction. The course covers topics including: UAE green building rating systems (Estidama and Al Safat), proper site selection, energy and water efficiency, material reuse, indoor air quality and cutting edge technologies and practices of sustainable construction. Each topic is introduced with a detailed explanation of the techniques and methods involved with hands on exercises.

CIVE 652 Construction Safety and Risk Management

This course addresses the vital issue of construction site safety from a management perspective while introducing students to local safety regulations. Students gain insight into the challenges of accident prevention and techniques for managing safe and secure construction projects. Covered topics include: a history of construction safety, accident causation theory, recognition, avoidance, abatement, and prevention of safety and health hazards, hazard control procedures, insurance and risk management, behavior-based safety initiatives, occupational safety and health management systems in construction firms.

ENGR 695 Seminar in Research Methods

This course introduces graduate students to research methodologies and the process of formal inquiry in engineering and applied sciences. It develops the skills necessary to read and critically evaluate the research of others with emphasis on contemporary issues. The course covers the process of developing, documenting and presenting research proposals. It also addresses codes of ethics in the engineering profession. Finally, the course will provide suggestions and best practices for success in graduate studies.

CIVE 699 Master Thesis

In the Master’s Thesis, the student is required to independently conduct original research under the supervision of a full-time faculty advisor/s. The outcome of the research work is disseminated by a thesis and defended through a viva voce examination.

To be recommended for the degree of MSc in CIVI students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 30 credit hours as specified by the program structure with a minimum Cumulative Grade Point average of 3.00 out of 4.00.

1. Program Core

Students must complete 12 credits of Core courses from those listed below and the course ENGR 695 Seminar in Research Methods (0 credits):
The M.Sc. in CIVI degree program core requires a minimum of 12 credits, consisting of 4 core courses, and the research seminar course which has zero credit rating. The courses are specified below.

Program Core Courses (12 credits):

It is mandatory for the students to complete the following listed courses:

CIVE 630 Tensors Algebra & Applications
CIVE 631 Dynamic Response of Civil Engineering Constructions
CIVE 632 Highrise Building Design
CIVE 650 Construction Cost Estimating

ENGR 695 Seminar in Research Methods (0 credits)

2. Program Electives

Students must complete a minimum of 9 credits of electives. The CIVI program electives that students can select from are listed below. Students can also select up to two elective courses (6 credits) from other M.Sc. programs in the College of Engineering at KU subject to the approval of their research advisor.

CIVE 634 Design of Civil Engineering Structures for Fire Protection
CIVE 635 Railway Geotechnics
CIVE 636 Wind Effects on Structures
CIVE 637 Pavement Monitoring & Rehabilitation
CIVE 638 Transportation Systems
CIVE 640 Soil Structure Interaction
CIVE 641 Coastal Engineering
CIVE 651 Sustainable Building Construction
CIVE 652 Construction Safety
CIVE 694 Selected Topics in Civil & Infrastructural Engineering

3. Master’s Thesis

CIVE 699 Master’s Thesis (minimum 9 credits)
A student must complete a master’s thesis that involves creative research-oriented work within the broad field of Civil/Infrastructural Engineering, under the direct supervision of the main advisor, who must be a full-time faculty in the Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as co-advisor. The research findings must be documented in a formal thesis and defended successfully in a viva voce examination. Furthermore, the research should lead to publishable quality scholarly articles.

Students must consult with their respective advisors on the courses that they will enroll in, the required pre-requisites, and the thesis topic selection. Full-time graduate students must register for 9 to 12 credits, including thesis credits, during a regular semester (Fall and Spring) and a maximum of 6 credits during a Summer term. In the case of part-time students, the credit load is normally 6 credits during a regular semester as well as the summer term.

Students can only register for thesis credits after successfully completing a minimum of 9 credits of the core courses of the master’s program they are enrolled in. It is to be noted that the minimum pass grade for graduate courses is a “C” letter grade. Students should consult the Graduate Catalog to learn about the graduate programs, the grading system, graduation requirements, and other pertinent matters.