Master of Science in Civil Engineering
- Transportation Engineering
- The transportation system contributes in fundamentally important ways to any region's physical, economic, and social structure. The field of Transportation Engineering focuses on the planning, design, construction, management, and performance of transportation systems. These systems consist of facilities, vehicles, control mechanisms, new technologies, and policies that combine to permit the efficient transit of people and freight.
- The Sonny Astani Civil and Environmental Engineering Department offers:
o the Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering with a
specialization in Transportation Engineering (CETP)
o the Certificate Program in Transportation Systems.
- The graduate certificate program provides students from any program with an opportunity to earn a specialized credential in transportation, and provides professionals with the means to broaden and update their education with respect to this rapidly changing field. This interdisciplinary certificate is jointly sponsored by the Astani Department; the School of Policy, Planning, and Development; and the Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
- The Master of Science program offers students an opportunity to acquire special academic depth in several aspects of Transportation Engineering. The program is intended primarily for students with a background equivalent to a BS in Civil Engineering, but qualified applicants from allied scientific fields will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- The program conforms to the general degree requirements of the Viterbi School of Engineering and the Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
- Transportation Engineering is an interdisciplinary field, and the MSCE degree program offers students several choices.
- Each student must complete a core set of courses in transportation engineering and transportation planning. The core is supplemented with restricted electives and a technical elective approved by the student’s advisor.
- The program consists of at least 27 units of course work:
o 18 units must be at the 500-level or higher in the Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering or in closely related departments.
o At least 15 units must consist of courses offered by or cross-listed in the Viterbi School of Engineering.
o No more than 8 units of directed research (590) may be included in the program. Most programs will include less.
o Students may elect to complete a thesis as part of their program, subject to advisor approval.
o The thesis presents the results of an investigation of an approved subject in Transportation Engineering. It must be
a serious, considerable piece of work demonstrating the writer’s power of original thought, thorough grasp of the
subject matter, and ability to present material in a scholarly manner and style.
o The thesis is supervised by a committee appointed by the Chair of the Astani Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering. The committee is usually composed of two Civil Engineering faculty members and one other member
of the University faculty.
o At least four of the 27 units of course work must consist of thesis units (594a,b).
o In addition to the four thesis units, up to four units of directed research may be included in the program.
o At least 16 units, not including thesis units but including other directed research units, must be at the 500-level or
higher.
Engineering Background
- Students with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering may be admitted without special restriction to the MSCE (Transportation Engineering) program.
- Students with a Bachelor of Science in Transportation Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering and associated fields may be admitted, but with restrictions requiring that they complete as part of their programs any undergraduate courses specified by the Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
- Students with applied social science backgrounds will not normally be admitted to the MSCE (Transportation Engineering) program, though students with sufficient mathematical background may be considered. Applied social science students should consider the Master of Planning (MPl, http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/programs/masters/mpl/) or Master of Public Policy (MPP, http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/programs/masters/mpp/) programs in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development (http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/).
Engineering Prerequisites:
· The following prerequisites are associated with the program:
o Two years of undergraduate calculus through differential equations
o One calculus-based course in probability and/or statistics equivalent to ISE 225
or CE 408.
o A course in transportation engineering at the level of CE 471.
o A course in engineering economy at the level of CE 473 or ISE 460.
o A course in intermediate micro-economic theory is suggested, but not required
Program
- Transportation Engineering (3 courses, 9 units):
o CE 552 - Managing and Financing Public Engineering Works (3)
o CE 583 - Design of Transportation Facilities (3), or
o CE 585 - Traffic Engineering and Control (3)
o CE 589 - Port Engineering: Planning and Operations (3)
- Transportation Planning (2 courses, 7 units):
o PPD/CE 633 - Urban Transportation Planning and Management (4)
o CE/PPD 579 - Introduction to Transportation Planning Law (3)
- Restricted Electives in Quantitative Methods (2 courses, 6 - 8 units):
o CE/ISE 545 - Stochastic Optimization (3)
o CE 554 - Risk & Reliability Analysis for Civil Infrastructure Systems (3)
o CE 561 - Uncertainty Quantification (3)
o CSCI 570 - Analysis of Algorithms (3)
o ECON 502 - Mathematical Methods in Dynamic Economics (4)
o ISE 520 - Optimization: Theory and Algorithms (3)
o ISE 525 - Design of Experiments (3)
o ISE 530 - Introduction to Operations Research (3) or PPD 557 - Modeling and Operations Research (4)
o ISE 532 - Network Flows (3)
o ISE 536 - Linear Programming and Extensions (3)
o ISE 538 - Elements of Stochastic Processes (3)
o MATH 501 - Numerical Analysis and Computation (3)
o PM/MATH 544L - Multivariate Analysis (3)
o PM 603 - Structural Equation Modeling (4) or PPD 558: Statistical Analysis (4)
- Restricted Elective in Computer Methods (1 course, 3 - 4 units):
o CSCI 455x - Introduction to Programming Systems Design (4)
o ISE 435 - Discrete Systems Simulation (3) or
o ISE 580 - Advanced Concepts in Computer Simulation (3)
o GEOG 581 - Concepts of Spatial Thinking (4) or
o GEOG 583 - Spatial Analysis and Modeling (4)
- Technical Electives (1 course if needed to complete 27 units, 0 - 4 units):
o CE 471 - Principles of Transportation Engineering (3)
o CE 501 - Functions of the Constructor (3)
o CE 502 - Construction Accounting and Finance (3)
o CE 505 - Heavy Construction Operations and Methods (3)
o CE 506 - Heavy Construction Estimating (3)
o CE 525b - Engineering Analysis (3)
o CE/ISE 545 - Stochastic Optimization (3)
o CE 554 - Risk & Reliability Analysis for Civil Infrastructure Systems (3)
o CE 561 - Uncertainty Quantification (3)
o CE 556a,b - Project Cost Estimating and Control (3, 3)
o CE 558 - International Construction and Engineering (3)
o CE 559 - Strategic Planning in Construction Engineering (3)
o CE 583 - Design of Transportation Facilities (3)
o CE 585 - Traffic Engineering and Control (3)
o CE 590 - Directed Research (in Transportation Engineering, 1-4)
o CSCI 455x - Introduction to Programming Systems Design (4)
o CSCI 570 - Analysis of Algorithms (3)
o ECON 502 - Mathematical Methods in Dynamic Economics
o ENE 502 - Environmental and Regulatory Compliance (3)
o ENE 505 - Energy and Environment (3)
o ENE 516 - Hazardous Waste Management (3)
o ENE 535 - Applied Air Quality Management (3)
o ENGR 596 - Internship in Engineering (1, 3 max)
o GEOG 581 - Concepts of Spatial Thinking (4)
o GEOG 583 - Spatial Analysis and Modeling (4)
o GEOG 589 - Cartography and Visualization (4)
o ISE 435 - Discrete Systems Simulation (3)
o ISE 515 - Engineering Project Management (3)
o ISE 520 - Optimization: Theory and Algorithms (3)
o ISE 532 - Network Flows (3)
o ISE 538 - Elements of Stochastic Processes (3)
o ISE 561 - Advanced Engineering Economy (3)
o ISE 562 - Value and Decision Theory (3)
o ISE 570 - Human Factors in Engineering (3)
o ISE 580 - Advanced Concepts in Computer Simulation (3)
o PPD 542 - Policy and Program Evaluation
o PPD 559 - Policy Implementation and Evaluation
o PPD 560 - Methods for Policy Analysis (4)
o PPD/ISE 587 - Risk Analysis (4)
o PPD 617 - Urban Demography and Growth (4)
o PPD 631 - Geographic Information Systems for Policy, Planning, & Development (2)
o PPD 619 - Smart Growth and Urban Sprawl: Policy Debates & Planning Solutions (4)
o PPD/CE 634 - Institutional and Policy issues in Transportation (4)
o PPD 644 - Shaping the Built Environment (4)
o PPD 636 – Infrastructure and Modern Society (2)
o PPD 694 - Coastal Policy and Planning (4)
