Admissions

In order to apply for admission to The University of Texas at Austin Transportation Engineering Program, one must meet the requirements for both the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Program and the Transportation Engineering Program. This section outlines the two sets of admission requirements, as well as the complete admissions process.

Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering (CAEE) Admissions Requirements
For admission to the Graduate School, an applicant must have a bachelor's degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited program or equivalent non-U.S. institution. Those with a degree in natural sciences or mathematics can be admitted, but will need to complete course deficiencies in undergraduate preparation as shown below. Exceptional applicants seeking the Ph.D. degree can be admitted directly to the Ph.D. program without completing a master's degree.

All applicants are considered individually and admission decisions are based on all applicable items listed below. Decisions are made by the faculty within the area of specialization.

  • GPA - A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 out of 4.0 is expected for M.S. applicants and 3.5 for Ph.D. applicants. This GPA is based on upper division undergraduate courses and all graduate work.
  • GRE Score - Applicants must take the aptitude test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). While there is not a published minimum required score, successful applicants typically have a verbal score above 500, a quantitative score above 700, and an analytical writing score of at least 4.0/6.0, or at least 600 on the old version of the analytical section.
  • TOEFL Score - The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of all students whose native language is not English, and a minimum score of 550 paper-based, 213 computer-based, or 79 internet-based test is required.
  • References - Three letters of recommendation from previous instructors and/or supervisors are required whether or not the applicants intend to apply for financial aid.
  • Statement of Purpose - All areas of specialization require a personal statement of background and objectives.

It should be noted that meeting the minimum requirements does not insure admission.

Additional Requirements
Students with bachelor's degrees in fields other than engineering will be required to satisfy the following course requirements in addition to the requirements for the graduate degree program.  Satisfaction of course requirements may be made through course equivalencies other than those specifically defined below.  These will be determined by the Graduate Advisor on a case-specific basis, depending on the student's preparation.  Depending on the number of courses required, students may be asked to enroll as undergraduates until they are ready to begin graduate level course work. Credit is given for any course listed below that has been taken previously. 

  • Physics - 8 hours, must include laboratory work
  • Chemistry - 3 hours (CH 302 or equivalent)
  • Mathematics - 8 hours of calculus plus M427K or equivalent
  • Digital computation - 3 hours (CE 311K or equivalent)
  • Engineering mechanics - statics, dynamics, and elementary strength of materials (equivalent to at least EM 314 and 319)
  • Engineering science - 3 hours, typically thermodynamics or electrical circuits
  • Fluid mechanics - 3 hours (CE 354)
  • Civil engineering - 12 hours, including courses in at least two areas

For more information, contact:

Dr. Howard Liljestrand
CAEE Graduate Advisor
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering
1 University Station C1700
Austin, TX 78712-0273
Telephone: (512) 471-4604
Fax: (512) 471-0592
Email: liljestrand@mail.utexas.edu

Transportation Engineering Program Admissions Requirements
The Transportation Engineering Program receives a very large number of applications from very qualified individuals every year and offers admission to no more than 20% of the applicants. We consider a number of different factors in admission/aid decisions including academic performance, GRE/TOEFL performance, recommendation letters, prior experience, etc., as well as the qualifications of competing applicants. Typically, we will look for a strong academic performance, strong recommendation letters, as well as very good GRE Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing scores.

The Transportation Engineering Program has a centralized graduate application review system where each application for graduate studies is first reviewed and a determination is made regarding whether to admit or deny admission to the applicant. Decisions regarding assignment of students to faculty (and vice-versa) constitute a second-tier decision if a positive decision is made regarding admission. This assignment is based on student interests and faculty research areas of study.

For further information regarding the Transportation Engineering Program:

Dr. Chandra Bhat
Faculty Graduate Coordinator
Transportation Engineering Program
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering
1 University Station, C1761
Austin, Texas 78712-0278
Telephone: (512) 471-4535
Fax: (512) 475-8744
E-mail: bhat@mail.utexas.edu

Ms. Lisa Macias
Staff Graduate Coordinator
Telephone: (512) 232-6272
Fax: (512) 475-8744
E-mail: lisaweyant@mail.utexas.edu

Graduate Admissions Process
January 15 is the preferred application deadline for summer and/or fall semester and October 1 is the final application deadline for spring semester. These deadlines are the dates by which the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) and the Civil Engineering Graduate Advisor must receive complete credentials. Please note that the application process is a two-step process and that the Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering may not act on student applications until the application packet has cleared the Graduate and International Center. Students are recommended to make certain that the necessary credentials (transcripts, scores...) are received by the Graduate and International Center well ahead of the application deadline for the semester for which they are applying.

All applicants are required to submit the following materials by the appropriate deadline.  Incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed.

1. Online application. Applications should be submitted online at http://www.utexas.edu/student/giac by the appropriate deadline.

2. Application fee. $50 for U.S. and Permanent Residents; $75 for International

3. Official GRE score sent by ETS.  ETS codes are: UT - 6882; Civil - 1102

4. Official TOEFL score sent by ETS - required for international students unless they have an undergraduate degree from an English speaking country. ETS code for TOEFL - 65

5. Official transcripts. Original transcripts should be sent directly to GIAC. A photocopy of your transcripts should be sent to the department.

6. Three letters of recommendation, preferably from academic sources.

Effective for Fall 2008: When you complete the "References" portion of the online application for admission, you will give the names and email addresses of those you have asked to recommend you. Be sure that the email address is current and accurate.

You will be asked to inform us if you are going to waive the right to view your letters after they are submitted. Please indicate this by answering the associated question on the application for admission.

GIAC will send an e-mail message to the address you provide and ask your recommender to visit a web site where they can complete a questionnaire.  Your recommender will be informed if you have not waived your right to view his/her letter of recommendation.

If you make a mistake on the email address or if you need to replace one recommender with another please contact Marla Boye at marla.boye@austin.utexas.edu.

7. Statement of Purpose. May be submitted online with your application (preferred method), or sent separately to the department.

8. Class ranking if available.

All materials sent to the department should be addressed to:
Graduate Coordinator
University of Texas
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
1 University Station C1700
Austin, TX 78712-0273

Once all your materials are complete in both GIAC and the department, your application will be forwarded to the faculty for review. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions, or want to inquire whether your file is complete, please E-MAIL the Graduate Coordinator, Ms. Kathy Rose, at krose@mail.utexas.edu.
 
Spring 2008