The Michigan Association of State Universities approved a landmark proposal to lower credit requirements for U-M CEE master’s programs, promising greater affordability and accelerated completion times for students.
As of Friday, January 17th, the Michigan Association of State Universities approved CEE’s proposal to modify the credit requirements for all Master of Science (MSE) programs within the College of Engineering. The proposal initially put forth by CEE sought to reduce the requirements for students seeking an MSE in Civil Engineering, an MSE in Construction Engineering and Management and an MSE in Environmental Engineering from 30 credits to 26. It evolved into a proposal representing the entire College of Engineering. The state review marks the final step in the approval process, a journey that the department embarked on nearly three years ago with the hopes of making its MSE programs more accessible for all students. The approval of the proposal is a reflection of the collaborative efforts of faculty and staff within the department as well as at the U-M College of Engineering, Rackham and beyond.
This change brings benefits to both potential CEE students and the department as a whole. By reducing the credit requirement for MSE programs, students outside of the Rackham Sequential Undergraduate/Graduate Studies Program (SUGS) seeking to obtain their MSE will be able to realistically complete their graduate degree in only two semesters rather than three. Additionally, this reduction of the credit requirement will result in a decrease in program cost. The increase of the accessibility of these programs will also contribute to making the department more competitive with other civil and environmental engineering institutions across the nation.
“We are extremely excited for the potential impact of this change,” said Professor and Associate Department Chair of Graduate Programs Jeff Scruggs. “I hope that students outside of the SUGS program will look to our MSE programs with new interest. Thank you to all those who assisted in making this change possible.”
“The success of this proposal is the result of three years of hard work, collaboration, and dedicated leadership,” said Yafeng Yin, Department Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “I would like to thank Prof. Scruggs for orchestrating the effort, and the College of Engineering and Rackham Graduate School for their support. I am excited about the changes this proposal will bring to the department and the many benefits it will offer our future CEE students.”
Thank you to all who contributed to the success of this proposal. The department looks forward to implementing this change to our MSE programs and anticipates having the reduced program available beginning in Fall 2025.
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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering