Combined Bachelor s/master s Program Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

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3 Combined Bachelor s/master s Program Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) proposes to establish a structured combined Bachelor s/master s Program within the guidelines of UMCP Policy III-2.20(a). This program will allow our superior students to earn both a BSCE and a MS in Civil Engineering following five years of study. This combined program will be an integrated learning experience for our students, providing benefits to both our students and to the University of Maryland. These outstanding students will be able to begin their graduate experience at an earlier date and thereby be presented with the challenges and rewards of advanced learning and research activities which would not be available under the current structure. The Department, College, and University would benefit by the increased attendance of our very best students in our graduate programs. This program does not compromise the requirements for either the B.S. or the M.S. degree. Students must complete all of the normal requirements for both the bachelor s degree and the master s degree. Students completing this combined program will have at least 146 semester hours of credit. The minimum requirements for acceptance into this program are: - at least a 3.50 GPA - no more than 30 credits of ENCE courses remaining for the B.S. degree - no more than 6 credits of CORE requirements remaining for the B.S. degree - at least 3 letters of recommendation - an essay or statement of purpose Eligible students will be invited into the program upon completion of their Junior year requirements. The CEE Undergraduate and Graduate Advisors will prepare the invitation letter through consultation with the CEE Committee for Undergraduate Education. Freshman and sophomore students with a GPA greater than 3.4 will be provided information on the program during their normal advising and registration appointments.

4 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR S DEGREE Freshman, Sophomore Years: No Changes. Students will take the same courses that they currently take. This is a total of 62 semester credit hours. The changes at the Junior and Senior Years are minimal and affect only the timing of electives. The existing undergraduate curriculum has three technical tracks and requires two types of ENCE electives: One is a set of electives known as the breadth electives, comprising a course from each of the other two tracks that are not the selected major track. The second set of electives is an unrestricted set of two courses. In the BS/MS program, the junior year elective must be a breadth elective so that the unrestricted electives can be taken as graduate courses in the Senior Year. Junior Year: The only change is designated below for the Junior year by the italicized Breadth for the ENCE elective. Infrastructure Engineering Track I ENCE ENCE ENCE ENGL ENCE Breadth Elective* 3 ENCE ENCE ENCE ENES CORE 3 Total Transportation Systems and Engineering Management Track I ENCE ENCE ENCE ENCE ENCE ENGL ENCE ENCE ENCE Breadth elective* 3 CORE 3 Total Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Track I ENCE ENGL BSCI ENCE ENCE Breadth elective* 3 ENCE ENCE ENCE CORE 3 ENCE _ Total * indicates change from existing program

5 Senior Year: The changes the Senior year are designated below by the italicized Breadth and 6XX for the ENCE electives. 6XX represents a graduate course 600-level or above. Infrastructure Engineering Track I ENCE ENCE ENCE 6XX Elective* 3 ENCE 6XX Elective* 3 ENCE Restricted Elective 3 ENCE Breadth Elective* 3 ENCE ENCE Restricted Elective 3 CORE 3 CORE 3 Total Transportation Systems and Engineering Management Track I ENCE ENCE ENCE Breadth Elective* 3 ENCE ENCE 6XX Elective* 3 ENCE 6XX Elective* 3 ENCE ENCE CORE 3 CORE 3 Total Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Track I ENCE ENCE ENCE ENCE ENCE Breadth Elective* 3 ENCE 6XX Elective* 3 ENCE 6XX Elective* 3 ENCE CORE 3 CORE 3 Total * indicates change from existing program Total credits for BS degree = 122 (Infrastructure and Transportation Systems & Engineering Management) or 123 (Environmental and Water Resources Engineering). These credit values are unchanged from the existing undergraduate curriculum.

6 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER S DEGREE No changes from the current requirements. Students will bring forward up to 6 credits from their BS program. All remaining requirements for the M.S program will be exactly the same as currently in effect. Total credits for the Master s degree = 30 Total credits for the combined BS/MS = 146 (Infrastructure and Transportation Systems & Engineering Management) or 147 (Environmental and Water Resources Engineering)

7 III-2.20(A) University Of Maryland Policy And Guidelines For Combined Bachelor's/Masters Programs (Approved By The President August 1, 1991; Amended May 10, 2001) In a combined bachelor's/master's program, some graduate level courses initially taken for undergraduate credit may also be applied towards the graduate credit requirements for a master's degree program at the University of Maryland. A bachelor's/master's program may be developed for an individual student, or it may be a structured program. Individual Student Bachelor's/Master's Program: A program may be developed by an individual student in consultation with his/her academic advisor. Such a program is available only to students whose academic performance is exceptional. It is to be developed according to the individual career interests and goals of the student and should be an integrated learning experience rather than merely the completion of a certain number of graduate and undergraduate credits. The proposed program requires the approval of the directors of both the undergraduate and the graduate programs involved and of the Dean for Undergraduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School. Normally no more than nine credits of graduate courses applied to the bachelor's degree may be counted also for graduate credit in an individual student program. Courses to be double-counted must be at the 600 level or above and must be passed with at least a "B" grade. Individual study courses, internships, or courses given credit by examination are not eligible. The credits to be double-counted will be designated as applicable to the graduate program after the student receives the bachelor's degree and matriculates in the Graduate School. This designation will be canceled if the student withdraws from the graduate program before completing the master's degree. Structured Bachelor's/Master's Program: A structured bachelor's/master's program is an articulated curriculum combining an existing undergraduate program and an existing master's program at the University of Maryland, offered by the same or by different departments. Such a program is to be designed for students whose academic performance is exceptional and should be an integrated learning experience rather than merely the completion of a certain number of graduate and undergraduate credits. A proposal for such a program should be submitted by the college(s) housing the academic programs concerned and requires the approval of the Graduate Council, the Graduate Dean, the Senate PCC Committee, and the Provost. Necessary features of a structured bachelor's/master's program include the following: There must be specific requirements for admission to the combined program that speak to the exceptional performance of the students to be admitted. At a minimum, students accepted for the program must be clearly admissible to the graduate program portion. The program should be designed so as not to unduly delay the students' receipt of their bachelor's degrees. Taking graduate credits should not unduly limit the breadth of the student's experience through premature specialization. All requirements of the bachelor's program and of the master's program must be completed to receive the two degrees. Where appropriate, graduate courses taken while an undergraduate may substitute for courses required in the undergraduate major program. The students may be offered deferred admission to the graduate school at the end of the Junior year program, subject to completion of the senior year program in a timely fashion and with a specified level of achievement. Formal admission to the graduate school will require completion of all requirements for the bachelor's degree. The credits to be double-counted will be designated as applicable to the graduate program after the student receives the bachelor's degree and matriculates in the Graduate School. This designation will be canceled if the student withdraws from the graduate program before completing the master's degree. A structured bachelor's/master's program may normally include up to nine credits of graduate level courses (600 level and above) that are counted both for the bachelor's program and the master's program. More than nine double-counted credits may be allowed if both of the following conditions are satisfied. The additional graduate credits applied to the undergraduate program do not unduly limit the breadth of the student's experience through premature specialization. This condition may be satisfied, for example, if the graduate credits substitute for courses required in the undergraduate program that would have been taken in any case, but at a less advanced level. The master's program requires substantially more than thirty credits. This condition will be deemed to be satisfied if the combined program, with double-counting, still requires 150 or more credit hours to complete.

8 CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING B.S./M.S. PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers a structured combined Bachelor s/master s Program, which is available to the top students in the Department. The program will allow these students to earn both a BSCE and a MS in Civil Engineering in five years of study. These outstanding students begin their graduate experience at an earlier date and thereby are presented with the challenges and rewards of advanced learning and research activities that are not normally available. This program does not compromise the requirements for either the B.S. or the M.S. degree. Students must complete all of the normal requirements for both the Bachelor s degree and the Master s degree. Students completing this combined program will have at least 146 semester hours of credit. The program allows up to six credits of coursework to be counted toward both the B.S. and the M.S. degrees. The undergraduate curriculum provides for 6 credits of unrestricted technical electives during the senior year. Under the provisions of the combined B.S./M.S. program, graduate level courses in civil and environmental engineering are taken during the senior year. These graduate courses then count as unrestricted technical electives for the B.S. degree, and also as course credits toward the M.S. degree. The minimum requirements for acceptance into this program are: 1. at least a 3.50 GPA 2. no more than 30 credits of ENCE courses remaining for the B.S. degree 3. no more than 6 credits of CORE requirements remaining for the B.S degree 4. at least three letters of recommendation, with at least one being from a UMD Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty member. 5. an essay or statement of purpose Financial support may be available at the end of the Junior year.

9 September 30, 2004 Superior Student Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Maryland College Park, MD Dear Student: Based on your superior academic performance, you have been identified as a possible candidate for the combined Bachelor s/master s Program in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland. This program will allow you to earn both a BSCE and a MS in Civil Engineering in five years of study. You could be presented with the challenges and rewards of advanced learning and research activities at an early time. To apply for admission to the program, we require three letters of recommendation and an essay or statement of purpose for graduate work. Please forward these documents to the Graduate Advisor as soon as possible, but not later than December 1, We hope that you will seriously consider this program. Congratulations on your achievements to date. Sincerely, Undergraduate Advisor Graduate Advisor

10 September 30, 2004 Superior Student Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Maryland College Park, MD Dear Student: We are pleased to offer you admission to the combined Bachelor s/master s Program in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland. During your last two undergraduate semesters you will be eligible to take two graduate courses. These graduate courses will be counted toward both your BS and MS degrees. You must obtain permission to register for these graduate courses from both the Undergraduate and Graduate Advisors. Please notify both of us in writing as soon as possible of your acceptance or refusal of this offer. We hope that you will decide to join the combined program in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Sincerely, Undergraduate Advisor Graduate Advisor