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School of CEEES | Glenn Department of Civil Engineering

Admissions FAQ

The Glenn Department of Civil Engineering offers several teaching and research assistantships to M.S. and Ph.D. students. Funding by assistantship is competitive and awarded based on academic excellence, needs of the Department, available funding, and compatibility of research interests. It is helpful if personal statements include information related to research interests, particularly how they relate to current research within the Department.

Graduate assistants pay significantly reduced tuition and receive a twice-monthly stipend. To be eligible for funding, students on assistantship must be enrolled full-time (minimum of 9 credits in fall and spring and 6 credits in the summer). This is a university policy and cannot be waived.

Students who have been selected to receive an assistantship will be contacted by email with an official assistantship contract.

  • What is the application deadline?

    The application deadline for August enrollment is February 1, and the deadline for January enrollment is October 1. International applicants must also consider any Office of International Services deadlines related to I-20 issuance.

    Applications for the Graduate Certificate Programs submission date is June 15 for August enrollment.

  • What materials are required to apply?

    All supporting material will be submitted electronically. Students admitted to Clemson and who decide to attend can submit official transcripts to Graduate Admissions upon arrival on campus.

    1. Personal Statement
      • Why do you want to pursue a graduate degree in civil engineering?
      • Why do you want to pursue a graduate degree at Clemson University?
    2. Letters of Recommendation
      • Ph.D. – 3 recommendations
      • M.S. – 2 recommendations
    3. Transcripts from each college or university attended
    4. GRE scores are optional but not required
    5. *TOEFL/IELTS/PTE Academic scores (international applicants whose native language is not English)
    6. Resume/CV (optional, but encouraged)
    7. Application fee: Domestic fees – $80, International fees – $90

    NOTE: the minimum score requirements for admissions

    • TOEFL – 80
    • IELTS – 6.5
    • PTE Academic – 54

    Application Review Process

    The application review process for Spring admission begins in early September and early January for Fall admission. Faculty review applications based on the specialty area indicated by the applicant. Thus, structures faculty only review structures applicants; geotechnical faculty only review geotechnical applications, etc. The decision process may take up to four weeks to finalize once an application is complete; thus, students are encouraged to apply early.

  • Will I receive financial aid?

    More than 80 percent of current civil engineering graduate students receive some type of financial assistance. Most students are hired by individual faculty members to conduct research on externally funded projects. The department also hires a number of students to assist in instructional activities. Both quarter-time and half-time assistantships are awarded based on the expected weekly time commitment. Students receiving these assistantships also qualify for reduced fees.

    The department awards three research fellowships to outstanding PhD students. In addition, the College of Engineering and Science and Clemson University award recruitment fellowships. Civil engineering faculty members take responsibility to nominate outstanding applicants for these fellowships. Faculty members also help identify external fellowships and assist in the application process.

    Glenn Graduate Fellowship

    The Glenn Department of Civil Engineering is pleased to announce the availability of a prestigious new graduate fellowship, the Glenn Graduate Fellowship. These fellowships are awarded to select incoming students applying to the M.S. or Ph.D. program.

    Fellowship recipients are required to have at least one degree from a U.S. institution.  No separate application is required – all qualified outstanding applicants will be given consideration.  Information regarding the application process may be found on the Graduate Admissions website.

    For more information, contact Kristi Baker.

  • Who do I contact for program details?

    Degree Program Coordinators

    Program Name Title Email
    Civil Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.) Kristi Baker Graduate Coordinator kristi@clemson.edu
    Civil Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.) Pamela Murray-Tuite Student Services Coordinator pmmurra@clemson.edu

    Program Area Contacts

    General inquiries about the Civil Engineering graduate program should be emailed to the Graduate Student Services Office Questions related to specific areas of study within Civil Engineering should be directed to the appropriate faculty area coordinator.

    Program Name Email
    Construction Engineering and Management Kalyan Piratla kpiratl@clemson.edu
    Construction Materials Prasad Rangaraju prangar@clemson.edu
    Geotechnical Engineering Nadarajah Ravichandran nravic@clemson.edu
    Structural Engineering Brandon Ross bross2@clemson.edu
    Transportation Systems Mashrur Chowdhury mac@clemson.edu
    Water Systems Engineering Abdul Khan abdkhan@clemson.edu

Graduate Program

Information on Civil Engineering Courses for Clemson University Graduate Program can be found in the Graduate Student Course Catalog. For answers to commonly asked questions, please view the Graduate School FAQ page.

Potential applicants interested in graduate studies at Clemson University will submit their application and all supporting material to the Office of Graduate Admissions. All material for the review process will be submitted electronically, and applicants can check the status of their application by using the online status check.

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