Introduction

This manual is designed as a general reference for graduate students and faculty in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering (CSEE). Policies and procedures of the Department, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Graduate School of the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York are listed. Specific types of information in this manual include:

  • summary of admissions policies and procedures, and financial aid opportunities
  • information on advisement and registration
  • summaries of degree programs and requirements
  • general information about faculty, personnel, and physical facilities in the department
  • general course information and guidelines for degree conferral.

Other booklets that should be consulted by graduate students include:

  • Graduate Student Manual: Policies and Procedures for Graduate Students, Office for Graduate Education, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
  • Policies and Procedures for Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships, Office for Graduate Education, University at Buffalo, The State University of New Yor
  • Guide to Financial Assistance for Graduate Students, Office for Graduate Education, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

URL address for Office for Graduate Education is http://www.grad.buffalo.edu

These booklets contain information and requirements for the various degrees, in addition to what is in this manual. Departments and programs may specify requirements for a degree more rigorous than those listed in other booklets. Therefore, when there appears to be a conflict in requirements as listed in the various booklets, the more rigorous requirements must be satisfied. Students also may want to obtain a copy of Student Rules and Regulations from the Division of Student Affairs. This booklet deals with standards of conduct, behavior, housing, student activity centers, and student finances and records.

Additional information for the University at Buffalo, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and the Department of Civil Engineering is available in various electronic formats on the world-wide web (Internet). URL addresses for some of these sites are:

Admissions

The CSEE Department currently offers Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Master of Science (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in civil engineering. In addition, SEAS offers an M.S. degree in Engineering Science, with a specialization in Environmental Science. This degree program is administered through the Department and is designed for students having baccalaureate degrees in natural science or engineering. Students without civil engineering backgrounds are not eligible for admission to a civil engineering degree program, unless they are prepared to make up courses that would normally be included as part of an undergraduate engineering curriculum.

All applications for admission to graduate study in civil engineering must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. Applicants to the Master's program are normally admitted with undergraduate degrees in engineering, or in natural science if applying for the Environmental Science Program (see below). All applicants for masters degrees must have an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (based on a 4 point system), and Ph.D. applicants must have a grade point average of at least 3.4 in their graduate work. M.Eng. applicants who are New York State residents may be eligible for a full or partial tuition scholarship depending on availability of funds. Students with undergraduate degrees outside of civil engineering may be required to complete remedial undergraduate coursework in Civil Engineering before beginning their graduate programs. Any remedial work may not be used to satisfy graduate course requirements.

Other supporting documents for admission include score reports for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which must be submitted for those applicants requesting financial aid, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), for applicants from non-English speaking countries, a personal statement, and three letters of reference. Letters of reference are preferable from academic referees, but employment supervisors also may be used. Financial Statement Forms also must be submitted by applicants from outside the United States or Canada. The minimum GRE score to be considered for financial aid is 1200 (combined verbal and quantitative scores) and minimum TOEFL score for admission is 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based). Students achieving a TOEFL score below 550 (or 213) will be required to participate in Intensive English Language Institute courses (at their own expense) before they can enroll in regular courses. International students are not admitted provisionally or given non-matriculant status.

Financial Assistance

Research and teaching assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis to M.S. and Ph.D. students with outstanding qualifications. The stipend for such awards ranges from $11,400 to $14,000 per academic year and, contingent upon annual appropriation by the New York State legislature, includes a full tuition scholarship. Health insurance is normally covered as well, so that the total support including stipend, tuition scholarship and health insurance is approximately $16,000 for New York State residents and $20,000 for out-of-state residents. Teaching and Research Assistants are expected to aid faculty members in the instructional and research programs for about 20 hours per week during the academic year, including the semester break period in January. Applicants and admitted students also may be nominated for fellowships (e.g., Presidential, NSF, Woodburn), which provide an extra stipend, along with a teaching or research assistantship.

M.Eng. and M.S. applicants who are New York State residents and have undergraduate GPAs of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 system), but have not been awarded assistantships, may be eligible to receive full or partial tuition scholarships depending on availability of funds. These scholarships will generally be awarded on a "first-come, first-served" basis.

Typically, teaching and research assistantships, with tuition scholarships, are awarded on an annual basis. Current students should maintain communication with their faculty advisors to determine appropriate funding arrangements and new applicants desiring financial aid should check the appropriate box on the application. Deadlines for submission of applications for admission and financial aid are:

  • For fall support - January 15 of same year
  • For spring support - September 15 of preceding year

Research support is generally administrated by the faculty members directing the projects and not by the department. However, faculty members consult with the Director of Graduate Studies concerning the availability of qualified students seeking support.

A score of 55 (out of 60) on the SPEAK test is required for all international graduate assistants. The purpose of the SPEAK test is to assess the spoken English proficiency of non-native speakers of English and to measure their degree of comprehensibility in English. The SPEAK test is given the week before each semester begins. New students must register with the Intensive English Language Institute during orientation to take this test. Continuing students must register the week before that.

Normally, Teaching Assistantships are awarded to entering M.S. or Ph.D. students for one academic year. For students whose programs require more than one year, it is expected that research funding should be obtained for continued support. Occasionally a Teaching Assistantship may be renewed for a second year in exceptional cases based on the student's academic performance in graduate courses and assigned duties and recommendations from the student's advisor. The time limits for university support of graduate students are two years for a Master's program and four years for a Ph.D. program including, in the latter case, the support received for a Master's program at the University at Buffalo. Tuition scholarship awards may not exceed 30 credit hours for a Master's degree or 72 credit hours for a Ph.D.

Advisement and Registration

Upon admission, each student is assigned a preliminary advisor. The preliminary advisor will: (1) work with the student to decide coursework that should be taken during the first and second semesters; (2) help with any general questions a student may have about the program, opportunities for research or funding; and (3) help the student find a permanent advisor (who may or may not be the same person as the preliminary advisor). For M.Eng. students, the advisor is the coordinator for the specific M.Eng. program to which the student has applied (see section on M.Eng. program for more information). All M.S. and Ph.D. students must select, with mutual agreement, a permanent advisor by the beginning of their second semester of full-time studies. The permanent advisor then serves as the chairman of the student's committee. Other faculty members may be included in an M.S. committee and at least two additional faculty members must be chosen for a Ph.D. committee. Faculty from other departments also may participate on a student's committee. The student's advisor will help to form the committee.

Graduate study is individual in nature and requires frequent interaction of the student with advisors and other professors. The principal advisor must be consulted in the planning of coursework and research for each semester and in the preparation of the Application to Candidacy and other forms that must be submitted before graduation. Deadlines for most paperwork are given in section 3.3 of this manual. Other consultations may be arranged by the student as needed. An advisor also may be of assistance and provide counsel in noncurricular matters, such as health, housing, deficiencies in reading, speaking, or writing. When necessary, an advisor may counsel a student to review academic goals, alter course of study, or terminate work at the University.

All students, after consultation with their advisors, are required to register on dates specified in the class schedule booklet available from the Office of Records and Registration. Students enrolling for graduate study for the first time should report to the Department Offices in Jarvis and Ketter Halls at least one to two weeks prior to the first day of classes. International students registering for the first time should report to the Office of International Education in Talbert Hall for assistance on housing, visa status, and orientation before coming to the department office.

Scholastic Standing

  1. A minimum cumulative average of "B" (3.0 points) is to be maintained for all graduate work. In addition, no more than two "Cs" are allowed. A course in which a grade of "I" (incomplete) is obtained may not be included in a degree program and must be removed within one year or the University will automatically convert it to an "F" grade. (An "I" will automatically be converted to an "F" for purposes of TAP after one semester by regulation of the State Education Department.
    2.
  2. A student whose average is less than 3.0 at the beginning of a semester is considered to be on probation and must raise his/her average to a 3.0 by the end of that semester.
    3.
  3. A student will be required to withdraw if he/she:
    a) has received an "F" (failure) in any course or has received more than two "Cs"
    b) has a cumulative grade point average of less than 3.0 at the end of two consecutive
    semesters
    c) has failed in a second attempt at the Ph.D. qualifying examination (see Section 2.6); or
    d) is found guilty of academic dishonesty as stated in Student Rules and Regulations - Section III, paragraph 5.00: "The development of intelligence and strengthening of moral responsibility are two of the most important aims of education. Fundamental to the accomplishment of these purposes is the duty of the student to perform all of his or her required work without illegal help.
    4.

The following actions constitute major forms of academic dishonesty among students:

(a) submission to satisfy academic requirements of material previously submitted in whole or in substantial part in another course, without prior and expressed consent of the instructor

(b) plagiarism: copying material from a source or sources and submitting this material as one's own without acknowledging the particular debts to the source (quotations, paraphrases, basic ideas), or otherwise representing the work of another as one's own;

(c) cheating: receiving information from another student or other unauthorized source or giving information to another student with intention to deceive while completing an examination or individual assignment;

(d) falsification of forms of computer data or reports, forging an instructor's name or initials, or submitting a report, paper, materials, computer data, or examination (or any considerable part thereof) prepared by any person other than the student responsible for the assignment; or

(e) procurement, distribution, or acceptance of examinations, laboratory results, or confidential academic materials without prior and expressed consent of the instructor."

Seminars

Seminars in the major interest areas of the department are scheduled on a regular basis during the school year and attendance is required for all full-time graduate students. Notices are generally posted in the hallways of both Ketter and Jarvis Halls.

Miscellaneous

Keys
Permission to obtain office and laboratory keys must be granted by the Department Chair. Keys may be obtained from one of the departmental secretaries once permission is approved. A $5 deposit is required for each key, which is refunded when a key is returned. Offices and laboratories should always be locked at night and/or whenever they are unoccupied. All keys must be returned to the department at the conclusion of a student's graduate program.

Offices and Desks
Office and desk space, if available, is assigned to full-time students by the Department Chair. The order of priority for desk assignments is as follows: teaching assistants, research assistants, full-time Ph.D. students, full-time M.S. and M.Eng. students, part-time Ph.D. students and part-time M.S. and M.Eng. students. It may not be possible for every student to be assigned desk space.

Mail
Mail may be picked up from mailboxes in the corridor outside of Room 212 Ketter Hall or in the mailroom in 207 Jarvis Hall. Incoming mail is usually distributed before noon. All students should check their mailboxes regularly to learn of any important announcements. Outgoing mail can be deposited in the department office. Students should have all personal mail sent to their local residences rather than to the University address.

Telephones
A number of laboratories have phone service restricted to University calls and incoming calls. The main department phone number is 645-2114. Each office has its own extension. If long distance calls of an official nature are required, they should be made through the advisor's phone and a charge slip completed listing the date, phone number, and person/company called. Under no circumstances will COLLECT calls be accepted on any department phone. Personal calls should be made at pay phone stations.

Bulletin Boards
Bulletin boards are maintained in a variety of locations in both Ketter and Jarvis Halls. Seminar, course and examination announcements, job openings, meeting notices, contests, information of current and recent research interest, and other general information will be posted on these bulletin boards. The general CSEE graduate student bulletin board is located outside of the department office in the corridor of Ketter Hall.

Copying
There are two main copiers for department use, one in the department offices in Ketter Hall and the other in Room 207 Jarvis Hall. These copiers may only be used by graduate students copying material associated with a research project or with a teaching assignment, and then only with the express written permission of a faculty member. The amount of copying done on these copiers should generally be limited to less than 50 copies. Large copy volumes should be taken to the University copy service in Jacobs Hall (Quick Copy Center). For students on research projects, an account to use a copier in the Science and Engineering Library (SEL) also can be arranged through the research project director. Any personal copying, including copying of notes, homework/exam solutions, journal articles, and thesis drafts is not permitted on department copiers. Public copy machines are located in SEL and in Makin' Copies in the UB Commons (across the street from Jarvis Hall).

Typing
Typing a thesis or report is the responsibility of the student. Students should not ask department or research secretaries to do any typing; such requests should come from faculty members. Word processing software is available on all of the computer systems and can be used for manuscript preparation. The thesis or report can then be printed by a laser printer for a fee. Word processing software on personal computers located in 208 Ketter Hall and around campus also can be used to prepare a thesis or report. The student must be sure to use a printer of appropriate quality for preparation of the final copy of a thesis or report. University letterhead paper should not be used unless the letter is for official University business and the student's advisor has approved its use.

Computer Resources
Computer time is available to all graduate students, and all students should obtain e-mail and UNIX accounts from the Computing Center in Fronczak Hall, or by following the directions that can be obtained at consultation sites such as 101 Bell Hall. SUN workstations also are available at a large number of campus sites. A University account can be obtained for SUN workstations from the Computing Center in Fronczak Hall. SEAS also maintains extensive computer facilities for support of academic and research activities. An Engineering UNIX account can be obtained by applying at the SEAS computer facility in Bell Hall, after receiving a University UNIX account. The CSEE Department also maintains several networks of personal computers and additional personal computers are available at other public sites on campus and are available for use by students. A separate account must be set up in order to use the Department's PC labs. These machines may be used for class and research work.

Machine Shop
Machine shop facilities are located on the ground floor in Jarvis Hall. Students may borrow equipment and use certain machine tools with supervision and prior approval of the shop foreman. Such use is limited to research and is not for personal work.

Safety
Safety precautions should be followed at all times. When in the shop or laboratories, all students must follow all safety rules and procedures. The student should become familiar with all relevant safety requirements and procedures before using any laboratory or shop equipment.

Deadlines
It is the responsibility of the student to submit the proper paperwork on time to both the Department and the Graduate School and in all other respects satisfy the general requirements for a degree as specified in the Graduate Student Manual of the Graduate School. Each graduate student must become familiar with these University regulations. The Degree Conferral Timetable for Receipt of Paperwork is given each semester in the University course timetables and is also summarized in Section 3.3 of this manual.