Prospective Graduate Students

After reading the department specific information, Please apply online through the Virginia Tech graduate school page. 

1) Our main campus is “Blacksburg.” All degrees and program areas are available at the main campus. 

2) All degrees are available at our National Capital Region campus, but ONLY the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering program area is available. National Capital Region students are located at Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Lab.

3) We DO NOT offer a full online program for any of our degree programs. Some classes are available online but they are limited.

Graduate Program Contacts:

Environmental and Water Resources:
Dr. Jennifer Irish – Program Coordinator
Dr. Jingqiu Liao, Dr. Hosein Foroutan, Dr. Siddharth Saksena, and Dr. Admin Husic – Admission’s Coordinators

Geotechnical Engineering:
Dr. Russell Green – Program Coordinator
Dr. Russell Green – Admission’s Coordinator

Structural Engineering and Materials:
Dr. Matthew Eatherton – Program Coordinator
 Dr. Adam Phillips (MS), Dr. Ioannis Koutromanos (PHD) – Admission’s Coordinators

Transportation Infrastructure & Systems Engineering:
Dr. Alexander Brand – Program Coordinator
Dr. Md Sami Hasnine – Admission’s Coordinator

Construction Engineering & Management:
Dr. Mike Garvin – Program Coordinator
Dr. Farrokh Jazizadeh – Admission’s Coordinator

Interdisciplinary Programs:

Civil Infrastructure Engineering
Dr. Mike Garvin – Program Coordinator

Sustainable Land Development
Dr. Tripp Shealy – Admission’s Coordinator

4) Please DO NOT send any paper mailings.

5) The GRE is NOT required for the application or to be considered for funding. Applicants are welcome to submit General GRE scores (Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing), if desired. Decisions to admit are based on a prospective student’s entire application package.

6) Please do not send multiple emails.  The staff cannot estimate how long it will take the faculty to review your application materials and make a decision. Your application will only be in review when all materials have been received by the department.

7) The applications staff cannot answer emails about applications between December 15 and February 1 each year.

Construction Engineering and Management

Construction Engineering and Management provides opportunities for study in cost estimating, green construction, design and simulation of construction operations, means and methods of construction, contract administration and claims resolution, construction planning and scheduling, and project delivery methods. Research is being conducted in the phases of design, construction, operations, and maintenance of constructed facilities.

For more information about the Construction Engineering and Management Program at Virginia Tech, please visit the program homepage

For specific policies and procedures for graduate students in the Construction Engineering and Management Program, please see here.

Graduate Program Contacts:
Dr. Mike Garvin – Program Coordinator
Dr. Farrokh Jazizadeh – Graduate Admission’s Coordinator

Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

The environmental and water resources engineering (EWR) program is concerned with the areas of water and wastewater treatment, water quality modeling and assessment, soil and groundwater pollution, air quality engineering, solid and hazardous waste management, movement of pollutants in surface and subsurface waters, design of hydraulic structures, studies of rivers and hydrologic systems, and water planning and policy analysis.

For more information about the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Program at Virginia Tech, please visit the program homepage

For specific policies and procedures for graduate students in the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Program, please see MS Students and PhD Students.

Graduate Program Contacts:
Dr. Jennifer Irish – Program Coordinator
 Dr. Jingqiu Liao, Dr. Admin Husic, Dr. Hosein Foroutan and Dr. Siddharth Saksena

Geotechnical Engineering

The geotechnical engineering program offers opportunities for study and research in diverse areas including foundation engineering, earth dams, landslide stabilization, environmental geotechnics, in situ testing, geotechnical composites, soil-structure interaction, earthquake engineering, surface characterization, ground improvement, computational geomechanics, geosynthetics, geological engineering, and engineering rock mechanics.

For specific policies and procedures for graduate students in the Geotechnical Engineering Program, please see here.

Graduate Program Contacts:
Dr. Russell Green – Coordinator
Dr. Russell Green – Admission’s Coordinator

Structural Engineering and Materials

The structural engineering and materials program offers students the opportunity to take courses and participate in research that focuses on the analysis, behavior and design of building and bridge structures, and a broad range of subject areas in structural materials.

For more information about the Structural Engineering and Materials Program at Virginia Tech, please visit the program homepage.

For specific policies and procedures for graduate students in the Structural Engineering and Materials Program, please see here.

Graduate Program Contacts:
Dr. Matt Eatherton – Coordinator
Dr. Adam Phillips (MS), Dr. Ioannis Koutromanos (PHD)  – Admission’s Coordinator

Sustainable Land Development

The sustainable land development program will allow students to gain a background and acquire a unique set of skills to enable them to contribute to the sustainable land development needs of the industry including how a new development or redevelopment will contribute to community, regional, and societal needs today and in the future.

For specific policies and procedures for graduate students in the Sustainable Land Development Program, please see here.

Graduate Program Contact:
Dr. Tripp Shealy – Coordinator

Transportation Infrastructure and Systems Engineering

The transportation infrastructure and systems engineering program includes all aspects of planning, operation, design, construction, operation, management and rehabilitation of transportation infrastructure and systems. The program is multimodal, with an emphasis on ground transportation by private automobiles and transit, and air transportation.

For more information about the Transportation Infrastructure and Systems Engineering Program at Virginia Tech, please visit the program homepage.

For specific policies and procedures for graduate students in the Transportation Infrastructure and Systems Engineering Program, please see here.

Graduate Program Contacts:
Dr. Alexander Brand – Coordinator
Dr. Antonio Trani – Admission’s Coordinator

Civil Infrastructure Engineering

Civil Infrastructure Engineering emphasizes the highly interdisciplinary nature of civil infrastructure projects by drawing on a diverse mix of faculty both within CEE and outside. Projects would systematically address issues of deterioration science, assessment technology, renewal engineering, socio-economic and environmental impact methodologies, and innovative financial vehicles such as privatization, user fees, enterprise zones and independent authorities.

For more information about the Civil Infrastructure Engineering Program at Virginia Tech, please contact :

Graduate Program Contacts:
Dr. Mike Garvin – Coordinator
Dr. Farrokh Jazizadeh – Admission’s Coordinator

What degrees do you offer in Civil & Environmental Engineering?

Ph.D./CE, MS/CE, MS/ENE, MS/ESEN. 

What are the minimum requirements to be considered for admission your graduate program?

Admission for graduate study in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech is granted by the Graduate School, upon recommendation of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department through a departmental review committee and/or the Department Head. Admission normally requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited engineering program.

For a regular student status, a student with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 semester hours may be granted regular admission status.  A higher GPA is expected of doctoral candidates; please contact the specific program area of interest for more information.

Occasionally, a graduate student is admitted on provisional status if the GPA for the last 60 semester hours is between 2.75 and 2.99.  Provisional student status is allowed for no more than 12 semester credit hours.  While on provisional status, a student must earn a GPA of at least 3.00.  Students on provisional status are ineligible for financial aid from the department. 

Does your department admit applicants for a spring semester?

Yes

Can I apply if my undergraduate degree is not in Civil or Environmental Engineering?

Yes. Students with non-engineering backgrounds can be admitted for graduate study.  These students will be expected to either complete courses or show proficiency by examination in certain fundamental areas such as mathematics and engineering mechanics.  Specific background course requirements are established by each Program Area within the Department. A table can be found in the appendix section of our Graduate Policies and Procedures.

Can I pursue a degree in your department part-time?

Yes. Part-time students are not eligible for financial assistance from the department. Ph.D. students would have to meet the residency requirements set forth for research. Please see the Graduate Catalog online at www.graduateschool.vt.edu.

How long will it take to complete my degree?

Our master’s program is a 30 hour program. Our Ph.D. program is a 90 hour program. For information about the specific requirements and transfer credit information, go to our Graduate Policies and Procedures.

What is the difference between an M.S. degree and a M.Eng.?

While both programs are 30 hour programs, the exact breakdown of those 30 hours differs. We prefer to admit students to the M.S. program to begin. After the first semester, the faculty will help the student decide which specific program is best for them.

What are program areas?

When applying to our graduate program, an applicant must choose which program area that they want to work within. The applicant’s application is reviewed by the faculty in the program area of choice. If admitted to the graduate program, it would only be to specific area within our department. If a student later wanted to change program areas, the faculty for the new program area would have to review the student’s file.

For Environmental Engineering and Environmental Sciences and Engineering degrees a student will automatically be in the EWR (Environmental and Water Resources Engineering) program area. Civil Engineering degree applicants can choose any one of our program areas.

What will it cost to be a graduate student at Virginia Tech?

Tuition and fee information can be found at our Bursar’s website. Please look for the correct year and choose “graduate” for Blacksburg campus, or choose “extended graduate” for those at campuses other than the main campus.

What kind of financial aid is available?

Our department offers a variety of financial opportunities. We have many assistantships and many different fellowships available. All applicants are reviewed for possible funding in our department. Applicants that meet requirements for available fellowships are nominated by the faculty. It is important to apply early since financial offers begin many months before the beginning of the semester. Other financial aid might be available through the Scholarship and Financial Aid office.

What is an assistantship?

An assistantship is a contract where a graduate student works for pay. Most assistantships also cover tuition payments related to the amount of hours you are contracted to work each week. A graduate student is considered full time in the department if you work 20 hours per week. For a full time assistant, the department would pay for the base in-state tuition amount, the technology fee, the library fee and the engineering fee in full. 

Graduate Research Assistantships are awarded by individual faculty members who have received research projects (e.g., from government agencies). The availability of GRA’s and the amount of the award varies, depending on the projects that have been obtained and the funds allotted for GRA’s in those projects. Typically, research carried out by a graduate student on a GRA becomes part or all of the research for the student’s thesis or dissertation.

For Graduate Teaching Assistantships, each program area in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is allotted a number of GTA’s to award to graduate students. The amount of the assistantship varies, depending on the duties and number of hours associated with it. The duties may involve grading of homework for courses or supervising an undergraduate laboratory course.

What is a fellowship?

A fellowship is basically income for the student to help with cost of studies. Fellowship pay is not earned income like an assistantship. Many times a fellowship is combined with an assistantship. Sometimes promised income is part assistantship and part fellowship payments. 

As an out-of-state student, will I become in-state if I have an assistantship?

No, but if you earn $2000 in one semester, the out-of-state portion of the tuition can be complimentary waived by the Graduate School.

How do I become an in-state student?

Graduate students are encouraged to look into in-state status. IT is strongly suggested that you begin this process before the start of the first academic semester. A form and guidelines can be found at our Graduate School website: www.graduateschool.vt.edu. International students are not eligible to become in-state students.

Contacts:

MSCE

The Master of Science (M.S.) Degree in Civil Engineering may emphasize any of the major areas of Civil Engineering and an applicant chooses to apply to one of our program areas. The M.S. Degree can be undertaken with a research orientation (through the preparation of a thesis), or it can be accomplished through a non-thesis path, which includes more extensive coursework and may include a project and report.

ENE

The degree program of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering primary emphasis is to give graduates from undergraduate engineering programs intensive training in the various areas of environmental engineering. The Master’s degree is considered to be the first professional degree in environmental engineering. Students with non-engineering degree are eligible for the degree depending on their academic background and satisfactory completion of background preparatory courses.

ESEN

This non-engineering degree program is intended primarily for students without an undergraduate degree in engineering, but who wish to specialize in the environmental field. This program is particularly attractive to those with degrees in the physical or natural sciences but is generally inappropriate for students with an engineering background. Students must meet certain minimum mathematics, physics, chemistry, statistics, or computer requirements or take make-up coursework during their program. The curriculum provides much of the same environmental study given to students in the M.S. in Environmental Engineering program but omits the engineering design work that is included in the engineering program.

Ph.D.

In most instances, candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering have satisfactorily completed a Master of Science Degree in either Civil Engineering or in Environmental Engineering. Students may enter this program from other engineering curricula or from areas outside of engineering, as outlined for the Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. Such students must make up baccalaureate work as required and other coursework as deemed necessary by their Ph.D. Advisory Committee.

Fall Semester

Deadline for INTERNATIONAL applications for Fall
Apply by January 15. All supporting materials should arrive by January 31
The department must give all decisions to the Graduate School office no later than May 15 for international students.
*While the department may accept an international application after this date, there is no guarantee that all processing can be completed in time for the Fall semester.

SUGGESTED application submission for U.S. citizens/permanent residents for Fall

Apply by January 15 for highest consideration for departmental funding.
The department must give all decisions to the Graduate School office no later than August 15 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Spring Semester

Deadline for INTERNATIONAL applications for Spring
Apply by September 1. All supporting materials should arrive by September 15.
The department must give all decisions to the Graduate School office no later than October 15 for international students.
*While the department may accept an international application after this date, there is no guarantee that all processing can be completed in time for the Spring semester.

SUGGESTED application submission for U.S. citizens/permanent residents for Spring

Apply by September 1 for highest consideration for departmental funding.
The department must give all decisions to the Graduate School office no later than January 15 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. 

Graduate School Link for Application

Required Materials:

1) Transcripts: UPLOAD a copy of an official transcript into the online application. 

2) TWO (2) Letters of Recommendation: PLEASE request ONLINE letters of recommendation through the online application.

**Although the graduate school office lists 3 letters, we only require 2 in our department.

3) A resume and a statement of purpose will be required of you in the electronic application: UPLOAD the resume and Statement of Purpose into the online application.

4) GRE (Optional): The GRE is NOT required for the application or to be considered for funding. Applicants are welcome to submit a general GRE score, if desired. Decisions to admit are based on a prospective student’s entire application package.

5) TOEFL: An acceptable TOEFL or IELTS score is required for all international applicants. Graduate School will automatically waive this requirement if the applicant has earned or will earn a degree at an institution where English is the language of instruction. If this is not an institution in the United States, your transcript or other school document must state that English is the language of instruction.

For TOEFL exams taken before January 2026 - minimum score requirement is an overall score of at least 90 with at least 20 in each subsection.

FOR TOEFL exams taken after January 2026 - minimum score requirement is an overall score of at least 4.5 with at least 4.5 in each subsection.

If your score is below the minimum and you are applying to the MS degree in Construction Engineering and Management, Structural Engineering and Materials or Transportation Infrastructure and Systems Engineering, you can apply through the AdvantageVT-Master’s Pathway English program. AdvantageVT-Master’s Pathway Program is not offered for Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, Sustainable Land Development or Geotechnical Engineering. It is also not available to PhD applicants.

Graduate School Link for Application

Graduate Fellowships and Awards

Graduate Scholarship Opportunities