3 North American schools leading the civil engineering charge with advanced master’s degrees

Earth’s vital resources are dwindling rapidly, while the urban population continues to expand. According to the United Nations, over 55% of the world’s population lives in cities. This number is expected to grow, with a projected 68% increase by 2050. With this boom in urbanization, civil engineers, the architects of our physical world, are facing new dilemmas.

Indeed, the future now demands more than just bricks and mortar. It calls for those able to navigate new challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and evolving urban landscapes. The civil engineers of tomorrow won’t just wield steel and concrete – they must be further armed with cutting-edge knowledge about emerging technologies and materials.

Interested? Explore these three North American universities that provide the master’s programs you need.

The WindEEE Dome specializes in simulating complex wind systems, including tornadoes, downbursts, and hurricanes, to study their impact on the built environment. Source: Western University

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Western University

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Western University is renowned for its excellence, nationally and internationally, due to its outstanding academic curricula and award-winning professors. According to ShanghaiRanking, the department is #1 in Canada and #26 worldwide.

The department is home to outstanding academic programs, led by award-winning professors who have strong reputations in their respective fields of research. Those pursuing an Engineering graduate degree will be further supported by the department’s state-of-the-art facilities – a full-scale structural and geotechnical facility, an advanced environmental lab, a one-of-a-kind WindEEE Dome and the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory, and an advanced smart cities laboratory.

With some of the best laboratories for teaching and research, it’s not surprising that the department is home to dynamic, interdisciplinary and hands-on education. The Master of Engineering (MEng) program is one such example; it is a course-based degree structured to assist qualified engineers in advancing their professional careers and address key technological challenges. The MEng program is directed to practicing engineers and new graduates. It provides an excellent opportunity for international students and newcomers to Canada seeking employment in the Civil Engineering field.

Students looking to specialize in their areas of interest can choose between options such as Structural Engineering, Water/Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, or Smart Cities. Regardless of their choice, students may take on projects to gain industry experience and boost their intellectual and practical skills, making them highly sought-after by employers worldwide.

If you seek to develop your leadership skills alongside your technical skills, the MEng-GDip program combines the Master of Engineering with a Graduate Diploma (GDip) in Engineering Leadership and Innovation. In only 16 months, you will develop professional skills in the context of engineering practice, a combination valued by employers within start-ups, established firms, or the public sector. Additionally, those looking to hone their practical acumen may explore the department’s MEng Co-op program. You will complete a four to eight months long paid co-op relevant to your academic field of choice, building your professional network and gaining industry experience unique to Canada.

Learn more about Western University’s Master of Engineering (MEng) here.

The Pratt School of Engineering aims to strengthen local and global connections through community-engaged research and work. Source: Duke University

Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University

The Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University is ranked #23 in the world for its creative solutions to global challenges. Here, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering, a career-focused program aimed at students wishing to deepen their technological acumen while building leadership and management expertise. 

As a student of the program, you’ll cultivate advanced knowledge and skills useful throughout the broad civil engineering industry. Explore the ins and outs of bolstering infrastructure resilience, optimising water and energy utilization and employing complex system analysis for enhanced risk management through specialized technical classes and core business leadership courses. This level of breadth, made possible by a world-class faculty, is intended to ensure students gain a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted challenges posed by evolving landscapes and societies, and how to engineer solutions for them.

Those with specific career paths in mind are welcome to specialize their experience by choosing between three concentration areas – Computational Engineering, Systems Engineering and Optimisation, and Geo-Systems. Whichever you choose, you will benefit from the program’s compulsory industry internship, expanding your engineering knowledge through Duke’s domestic and international professional networks. With such connections and exposure on offer, it’s little wonder why Duke’s engineering graduates leave with a robust project portfolio.

Johns Hopkins University is a national leader in several academic disciplines, especially engineering. Source: Johns Hopkins University

Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

As the first research university in America, Johns Hopkins University has built an international reputation for its curriculum, which emphasizes research and innovation, preparing students to develop big ideas and accomplish their professional goals. It’s evident, especially at its Whiting School of Engineering, where students don’t just take in knowledge – they create it. In classrooms and laboratories, they learn and work with faculty who are leaders in their fields, combining theory with practical hands-on experience to prepare for academic, industry, or research careers.

The school is home to a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering that promises to do all that and more. Courses include fundamental training in materials, probabilistic methods, fire engineering, earthquake engineering, and infrastructure design resilience. Students take this new knowledge and apply it through the school’s externship program, which allows students to network with professional engineers and gain valuable industry experience. This combination of theory and application in a collaborative cross-disciplinary environment provides academic autonomy, made even better by expert faculty members. 

For working professionals, the school offers an online Master’s in Civil Engineering, ranked #7 in the country (US News and World Report). This part-time master’s features practice-oriented courses in small classes taught by industry experts, providing graduate instruction in the fields of structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, ocean and coastal engineering, and preservation engineering. 

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International