Four degree options, infinite opportunities.

New Mexico State University’s Department of Civil Engineering offers four graduate degrees: 

• Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering [MECE] (course-work only)
• Master of Science in Civil Engineering [MSCE] (thesis and non-thesis options available)
• Master of Science in Environmental Engineering [MSENVE] (thesis and non-thesis options available)
• Doctor of Philosophy [PhD] - Concentration in Civil Engineering

With the Masters of Science in Civil Engineering, you may choose the option in Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, or Water Resources Engineering. Each option requires a total of 30 credits, including core, optional/area of interest, and/or thesis/special research program courses.

Environmental engineering at New Mexico State University provides unique educational and research opportunities at the graduate level in the fields of water quality, water treatment, waterpollution control, waste water treatment reclamation, and reuse, industrial, hazardous and solid waste management, ground water treatment, air pollution control; waste minimization and pollution prevention. The MS program requires either a thesis or a non-thesis practice oriented experience. The thesis option consists of a minimum of 30 semester credit hours, including 6 credit hours of thesis. The non-thesis option is designed primarily for students working full time in engineering practice and consists of 30 semester credit hours of which up to 3 credit hours can be awarded for a professional engineering design experience and up to 6 credit hours can be awarded for an engineering practicum.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires distinguished attainment in both scholarship and original research. The doctoral degree requires significant scholarly study beyond the master’s that is tailored to the needs and interests of the student.  The degree is granted in recognition of the candidate’s high attainments and ability in the special field, shown by work on the required examinations covering both the general and the special fields. The individualized program of study is designed to meet the campus residency requirement including a minimum of 30 graduate credits, and the preparation of a dissertation.

To Apply

Complete the Application for Admission through the online portal by visiting the Graduate School Website: https://gradschool.nmsu.edu/ 

The application system will allow you to access the application multiple times prior to submission. We recommend reviewing the application thoroughly to ensure the required supporting documentation has been included.

Documents and information you will need when applying:

• An electronic transcript from each institution you have attended. NMSU students are not exempt from this requirement. International applicants should submit complete academic records including a certified English translation of all documents.
• Required supporting documents required by the academic program— includes supplemental application materials such as the Statement of Purpose.
• Contact information for three (3) professional references to provide letters of recommendation.
• Application fee: U.S citizens and permanent residents $40. International student $50.

NMSU’s institutional code for test score reporting is 4531.

All documents should be submitted to the NMSU Graduate School by March 1 for Fall semester or October 1 for Spring semester. Please do not mail application materials to the Department of Civil Engineering.

Review your application and supporting documents before you submit the application. Changes or edits to your application can’t be made after the application is submitted.

The graduate program you applied to will have full access to all the documents you submitted. Each program has its own review process and timeline. An email notification will be sent when decision is made on your application.

Admission Information

Application process

The graduate application includes both the NMSU Graduate School's application and the graduate program supplement. When you submit the application it is sent directly to the academic program for review and a recommendation. When a recommendation is made you will be contacted by the Graduate School via email with additional instructions.

International students must also meet English language requirements and should review the international applicants’ tab for specific information (https://isss.nmsu.edu).

Please be aware that only the NMSU Graduate School is authorized to offer admission to NMSU.

Graduate admission categories

NMSU offers one doctoral and two master’s level admission categories depending on previous academic performance (please visit the Graduate Catalog for category specifics):

1. Doctoral Regular
2. Master's Regular
3. Master's Provisional. 

Defer admission

If you must defer your admission semester please complete and return the admission Change of Admission Semester to the Graduate School. The Graduate School will request an approval from the admitting program before making any changes to your record. You may only defer admission twice per offer of admission. If a third deferral is required, a new application is required.

International Student Requirements

A graduate international student must hold at minimum a four-year bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and is able to demonstrate English proficiency, both written and oral by submitting an official TOEFL or IELTS score report.

English Proficiency for Admission

• TOEFL 68-79 IBT; 520-550 PBT
• IELTS 6.0-6.5
• Duolingo 95-105

International students admitted with TOEFL (68 to 78 IBT, 520 to 549 PBT) IETLS (6.0-6.4), or Duolingo (95-104) are required to sit for the English Placement Exam prior to beginning academic coursework. (The International Student and Scholar Services Office arranges this test upon arrival). If the results of the English Placement Exam do not meet the requirements for academic coursework the student can be required to take additional academic English classes (ENGL 1105M Intermediate ESL Composition and Grammar Review and/or ENGL 471 M Scholarly Writing for International Graduate Students) as part of the degree requirements.

Admission process

Please visit the NMSU Graduate School's admissions tab for information regarding the application review process. The Graduate School will generally only offer admission to international students for Fall and Spring semesters.

Deadlines

Because international students have visa requirements, please ensure that you apply by March 1 for Fall semester or October 1 for Spring semester. The Graduate School cannot guarantee that an application will be processed in time for the semester requested if it is received after the deadline. For questions about the I-20 process, please contact International Student and Scholar Services.

Transcript evaluation

Graduate School does not require transcript evaluations as part of the application process but reserves the right to have academic records evaluated should there be a concern or question. If the evaluation does not correspond to the applicant’s idea of equivalency then the applicant is welcome to have the academic record evaluated by a third party evaluator, which must be a recognized member of the National Association of Credential Evaluators (NACES). Academic records sent for third party evaluation should request a course-by-course evaluation as well as degree level achieved. NMSU nor the Graduate School accept responsibility for any fees pertaining to third party evaluations.

English Proficiency Waiver

International students are waived from the English language test requirement if they have received a university degree in the U.S. or from one of the following countries (listed below), or have attended a U.S. college/university as a full-time student for a minimum of one academic year resulting in 30 academic credits.