Earn Your Master’s in Civil & Environmental Engineering at UWM
Advance your career, expand your expertise and position yourself for leadership with a master’s degree in civil & environmental engineering from the UWM College of Engineering & Applied Science. Located in Wisconsin’s largest city and home to a top-tier R1 research university, UWM connects you with cutting-edge research, industry partnerships and real-world opportunities.
Fast-track your future UWM offers Wisconsin’s only civil engineering master’s program with one-year completion options. You can accelerate your degree, gain credit for graduate internships and return to the workforce sooner with advanced skills and credentials that set you apart.
Customize your degree to your goals Tailor your coursework and research to match your interests and career path. Whether you want to advance in structural, environmental, transportation or geotechnical engineering—or prepare for doctoral study—you’ll build specialized expertise aligned with your ambitions.
Gain real-world experience and industry connections Learn from faculty conducting impactful research and collaborate with industry partners across the region. UWM’s strong ties to engineering firms, public agencies and infrastructure leaders provide opportunities for internships, applied research and career advancement.
Open doors—even if your background is different The program welcomes students with undergraduate degrees in civil engineering and related engineering fields, making it possible to pivot into this high-demand profession. Civil engineering careers are projected to grow faster than average, offering strong job security and earning potential.
Start sooner, with fewer barriers No GRE is required for applicants with ABET-accredited engineering degrees, making it easier to take the next step.
At UWM, you’ll graduate ready to design resilient infrastructure, protect the environment and lead the future of civil engineering.
Assistantship decisions are made by the academic departments only after an applicant has been accepted to the program.
Civil & Environmental Engineering Research Labs
The Advanced & Nano Cement Laboratory (ANCL), led by Konstantin Sobolev, uses nanotechnology and nano-engineering to create higher performing and more durable cements and composites to build safer, more dependable roads, bridges and buildings, lower repair and replacement costs, and minimize waste and carbon dioxide emissions.
The Advanced Structures Laboratory (ASL),led by Nathan Salowitz,advances intelligent structures by addressing barriers to real-world use. Their research area includes sensors, data interpretation, structural health monitoring, ultrasonic signals to evaluate materials, automatic damage detection, self-healing materials, and shape memory alloys.
The Automated, Connected & Electric Mobility Systems (ACEMS) Lab, led by Xiaowei (Tom) Shi, focuses on evaluating emerging mobility technologies, including automated and connected vehicles, and developing novel solutions through field experiments and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
The Bicycle and Motorcycle Engineering Research Laboratory, led by Andrew Dressel, helps manufacturers around the world to make their two and three-wheeled vehicles safer and more efficient. They offer students the opportunity to collaborate with manufacturers in designing and building test equipment, collecting and analyzing data, formulating mathematical models, and building prototypes.
The Concrete Advancement Network (CAN), led by Konstantin Sobolev, is an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC), that aims to develop new technologies to produce more efficient, rapidly deployable concrete with reduced dependency on natural resources.
The team at the Institute for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation (IPIT), led by Xiao Qin, bring together researchers across UWM to use research, collaboration, education, and innovation to solve real-world infrastructure and transportation challenges around safety, mobility, and public health.
The Safe and Smart Traffic Lab (S2), led by Xiao Qin, offers research consulting services to facilitate scientific and informed decision making in areas including Highway Safety, Human Factors and Driver Behavior Modeling, Traffic Operations and Control, Transportation Data Analytics, Mathematical Modeling of Urban Transportation Systems, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Geographic Information System (GIS) Application in Transportation, and Impact Analysis.
The Structural Engineering Research Lab (SEL) supports cutting-edge research, education and real-world testing of structures. It encourages collaboration across institutions and provides tools and expertise for faculty, students and industry partners through hands-on learning in mechanics and materials and specialized testing for industry partners.
As an R1 research institution, research is integral to our work at UWM and to the experience of students pursuing graduate degrees. Our college has a wide range of faculty-led labs that perform cutting edge research. Full list of our college’s research labs, centers, and institutes
As an R1 research institution, research is integral to our work at UWM and to the experience of students pursuing graduate degrees. Our college has a wide range of faculty-led labs that perform cutting edge research. Full list of our college’s research labs, centers and institutes.
Poster Competition & Three Minute Thesis
The annual Poster Competition & Three Minute Thesis is a signature event for our college. Students gain valuable communication experience sharing their research and out-of-classroom experiences with faculty and industry judges, who provide feedback.
Student Organizations
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) ASCE at UWM is chapter of Wisconsin ASCE that presents students with the opportunity to participate in engineering related activities and competitions, and network with other engineering students and professionals.
Construction Leadership Council – Student Chapter (CLC) CLC provides young professionals with an opportunity to observe and develop their skills with current industry leaders.
Engineers Without Borders (EWB@UWM) The humanitarian work of EWB@UWM brings running water to impoverished villages in the Ixil Triangle of Guatemala and aims to improve the sustainable use of energy in Wisconsin.
Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) ITE is an international society of transportation professionals who are responsible for meeting mobilty and safety needs.
Structural Engineering Society at UWM (SES-UWM) SES-UWM expands the experience and knowledge of members in structural engineering-related fields through relevant events and technical workshops featuring notable speakers.
Konstantin Sobolev, professor, civil & environmental engineering, looks over concrete samples made with various added materials. A new NSF-funded research center in the college will work with industry to bring high-performance and greener concrete discoveries into use. (UWM Photo/Troye Fox)
