Self-Study Report

57 Pages·2010·0.45 MB·English

by  Ramzi Mahmood

Self-Study Report –
Graduate Program, Civil

Engineering
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College of Engineering and Computer Science
California State University, Sacramento

June 8, 2010
Background Information
Overview of the Graduate Program
Civil Engineering encompasses a broad range of professional activities. The four years of undergraduate
preparation for the Bachelor of Science degree are devoted to fundamental analytical principles and
basic design applications. For technical competence in specialized areas and continued effectiveness on
the job, graduate study is becoming increasingly necessary. In 2007, the American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE) adopted a Policy Statement (PS) 465 in which the master’s degree in Civil Engineering
is established as the minimum requirement for the entry to the profession of Civil Engineering (ASCE,
2008). ASCE established a 15-year implementation plan for the policy. That is, once the states adopt
the policy, then it becomes required for any Civil Engineering program to offer a master’s degree so that
its graduates can qualify for the professional engineer (PE) license. Note that the PS 465 allows other
pathways (through qualified experience) to reach licensure eligibility.
The Civil Engineering Department offers a graduate program of study leading to a Master of Science
degree in Civil Engineering in the following areas of concentration:
• Environmental/Water Quality Engineering - water quality analysis and management, water,
and wastewater treatment;
• Geotechnical Engineering - properties and behavior of soil and their application to design of
foundation, retaining structures, earth dams and slopes, soil improvement and ground
stabilization, geosynthetics inclusions, and soil dynamics, and earthquake engineering;
• Structural Engineering - earthquake resistant steel and concrete design applied to buildings and
bridges, structural dynamics, structural mechanics, and finite element methods;
• Transportation Engineering - Transportation engineering and planning, traffic flow theory, and
system management applicable to all modes with emphasis on highway and multimodal
transportation; interdisciplinary study with other areas of Civil Engineering as well as with non-
engineering areas (e.g., Environmental Studies, Geography, Public Policy & Administration, and
Business Administration) may also be arranged; and
• Water Resources Engineering - advanced hydraulics and modern hydrologic techniques, flood
forecasting, groundwater flow modeling, water resources management, and policy formulation.
Each area of concentration consists of a set of core courses, elective courses, and culminating
requirements; all selected by the student and approved by an advisor. Practicing engineers who do not
have a degree objective may choose to enroll in selected courses as part of a continuing education
program. The courses required in each area are shown in Table 1.
Graduate students can also elect an emphasis in Engineering Management by taking elective courses in
the College of Business Administration. Graduate students who are interested in this option can select
up to 9 units of foundation courses and/or graduate business classes (refer to College of Business
Administration catalog for listing of courses). Individual programs can be tailored with a faculty advisor.
Admission Requirements
Admission as a classified graduate student in Civil Engineering requires:
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• an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering; and
• a minimum 2.8 GPA both overall and in upper division engineering courses.
In addition, the merit of past academic endeavor, potential for future study, and professional goals may
also be considered for granting admission.
Applicants who have deficiencies in admission requirements that can be removed by specified additional
preparation may be admitted with conditionally classified graduate status. Any deficiencies will be noted
on a written response to the student's admission application.
Students with a baccalaureate degree in engineering majors other than Civil Engineering (e.g., Electrical
and Electronic, Industrial, Mechanical, or Surveying) or in other non-engineering scientific disciplines
(e.g., Mathematics, Physics, or Geology) who wish to pursue the graduate program in Civil Engineering
may be considered on an individual basis. Such students may be admitted as conditionally classified
students and will be required to complete a specifically designed list of undergraduate prerequisite
courses in engineering and/or mathematics, physics, and chemistry to correct undergraduate
deficiencies. Such a student must have an approved study program on file with the Department while
undertaking this qualifying work. Upon completion of these courses with a GPA of 2.8 or better, the
student may apply for classified graduate status in Civil Engineering.
Admission Procedures
Applications may be accepted as long as room for new students exists. However, students are strongly
urged to apply by April 1 for the following fall or October 1 for the following spring, in order to allow
time for registration deadlines. All prospective graduate students, including Sacramento State
graduates, must file the following with the Office of Graduate Studies:
• An online application for admission; and
• Two sets of official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, other than
Sacramento State.
Approximately six weeks after receipt of all items listed above, a decision regarding admission will be
mailed to the applicant. After being admitted, students must meet with an advisor and complete a
Graduate Student Advising Form (obtainable in the Civil Engineering Department). This advising form
must be kept current and on file in the Department Office.

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Table 1. Overview of the Requirements in Each Area of the Graduate Civil Engineering Program
Requirement Environmental Geotechnical Structural Transportation Water Resources
Mathematics/Statistics ENGR201 – Engineering Analysis I ENGR201 ENGR201* ENGR201 ENGR201
(3 units, one course); ENGR203 – Engineering Analysis II ENGR202 ENGR202* ENGR202 ENGR202
Recommended course ENGR203* – Engineering Statistics ENGR203* ENGR203 ENGR203* ENGR203*
is indicated with an
asterisk (*)

Core Courses (15 units) CE250 – Systems Analysis CE280A – Advanced Soil CE231A – Computer Methods CE261 – Transportation CE250 – Systems Analysis
CE252A – Environmental Quality Mechanics and Foundation I of Structural Analysis I Planning CE251 – Water Resources
Processes I CE280B – Advanced Soil CE231B – Computer Methods CE262 – Advanced Planning
CE252B – Environmental Quality Mechanics and Foundation II of Structural Analysis II Transportation Facility Design CE271 – Modern Hydrologic
Processes II CE280C – Advanced Soil CE232 – Stability of Structures CE263 – Traffic Flow Theory Techniques
CE252C – Environmental Quality Mechanics and Foundation III CE234 – Dynamics and CE265 – Analysis and Control CE272 – Advanced
Processes II CE283 – Ground Modification Earthquake Response of of Traffic Systems Engineering Hydrualics
CE254 – Water Quality Management CE284 – Soil Dynamics and Structures CE285 – Geosynthetics I CE274 – Hydrologic Modeling
CE255 – Transport of Chemicals in Earthquake Engineering CE266 – Advanced Design in CE276 – Groundwater
Soil System CE285 – Geosynthetics I Reinforced Concrete Hydrology
CE276 – Groundwater Hydrology CE286 – Geosythetics II CE267 – Structural Systems of
Buildings
CE268 – Pre-stressed
Concrete Bridge Design

Elective Courses 1 Students typically take classes in Students typically take Students typically take Senior Students typically take Courses in Environmental
(9 – 12 units) Water Resources Engineering or courses in structural elective courses to augment courses in Urban Land Engineering; senior electives
(Refer to Table 2 for senior elective courses. engineering; geology, CE181 – the courses listed above. I Development graduate courses are available for
additional senior Geo-Environmental some cases students may take program or senior elective students to take.
elective courses) Engineering, or CE276 as part geotechnical courses courses
of their elective courses.

Culminating CE500 CE500 CE500 CE500 CE500
Requirement (3 – 6
units)
1 The Department added new course CE289 – Project Management as an elective course that all graduate students can take. The course was offered as an experimental class
(CE296B).
Table 2. Senior Elective Courses Available for Graduate Students (organized by specialty area)*
Course Number Course Title Area
CE172 Design of Urban Water and Sewer Systems Environmental
CE173 Design of Water Quality Control Process Environmental
CE 171B Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering Geotechnical
CE184 Introduction to Earthquake Engineering Geotechnical
CE163 Structural Design in Steel I Structural
CE165 Structural Design in Steel II Structural
CE166 Seismic Behavior of Structures Structural
CE167 Bridge Design Structural
CE168 Pre-stressed Concrete Design Structural
CE169A Timber Design Structural
CE169B Reinforced Masonry Design Structural
CE148 Transportation Systems Transportation
CE138 Hydrology Water Resources
CE139 Hydraulic Flow Design Water Resources
*Students may take up to 9 units of 100 level courses for the graduate program provided that they did not take them as part of their
undergraduate degree.
Advancement to Candidacy
Each student must file an application for Advancement to Candidacy, indicating a proposed program of
graduate study. This procedure should begin as soon as the graduate student has:
• removed any deficiencies in admission requirements;
• obtained classified graduate status;
• completed at least 12 units in the graduate program with a minimum 3.0 GPA, including at least
three courses at the 200-level;
• taken the Writing Placement for Graduate Students (WPG) or taken a Graduate Writing
Intensive (GWI) course in their discipline within the first two semesters of coursework at
California State University, Sacramento or secured approval for a WPG waiver; and
• selected and obtained approval for a culminating requirement (Plan A, B, or C).
The student fills out the form after planning a degree program in consultation with his or her faculty
advisor. The completed form is then approved by the Graduate Coordinator of the Department and
submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies.
All graduate degree programs are subject to general University requirements for graduate degrees,
explained in the Graduate Studies section of this catalog.
Requirements - Master of Science Degree
The total number of units required for the master’s degree is 30, which includes culminating experience
and units required in area of concentration (Table 1). The culminating experience includes Plan A, Plan
B, or Plan C. Plan A, is the thesis option for graduate students which represent original work. Option B,
is the report option for graduate students which represent applied work. Plan C, is the Comprehensive
Exam and an independent study option for graduate students. Majority of the students in Civil
Engineering elect Plan C (55% based on the last five years of data as shown in Table 3). The rest of the
students (45%) took the report option (Plan B) for their culminating experience. None of the students
took the thesis option in the last five years.
Graduate students are expected to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the courses taken as part of their
graduate program.
Table 3. Distribution of Culminating Requirements in the Graduate Program in Civil Engineering
Year Plan A Plan B Plan C
2005/2006 0 6 10
2006/2007 0 5 3
2007/2008 0 5 5
2008/2009 0 4 4
2009/2010 0 3 6

Faculty Assignment
The faculty members in Civil Engineering are involved in the graduate program. Their teaching
assignments are shown in Table 4. The faculty also involved in scholarly activities that summarized in
Appendix A.
Table 4. Civil Engineering Faculty Teaching Workload in the Graduate Program
Faculty Member Rank Graduate Courses Area of Specialty
Taught (last four
semesters)
Cyrus Aryani Professor CE 285 (F08), CE 280A (F09) Geotechnical
Francois Cheong-Siat-Moy1 Professor CE 232 (S09), CE 267 (F09) Structural
Eugene E. Dammel Associate Professor CE 252A (S09), CE 252B (F09) Environmental
Benjamin Fell Assistant Professor CE234 (F09), CE296C (S10) Structural
Karen Hansen Associate Professor CE296B (S09), CE289 (S10) Professional
practice/Construction
Management
Ralph Hwang2 Professor CE272 (F08), CE276 (F09) Water Resources
John Johnston Professor None Environmental
Ramzi J. Mahmood Professor ENGR203 (F08), ENGR203 Environmental
(F09)
Eric Matsumoto Professor CE266 (S10) Structural
Saad Merayyan Associate Professor CE251, CE274 (S09) Water Resources
Matthew Salveson Assistant Professor CE 231A, CE 266 (F08), CE231B Structural
(S09)
Kevan Shafizadeh Associate Professor CE261 (F08) Transportation
1 On Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP); teaches only in Fall semesters for five years (started in Fall 2009)
2Retired after Fall 2009
Students
The graduate student population that the Department serves is mostly comprised practicing
professional engineers that are interested in acquiring skills in their chosen area of practice
(environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, or water resources engineering) to be able to
tackle more complex engineering problems. The Department plays a crucial role in the Northern
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California Region by providing a graduate program in Civil Engineering for practicing professional
engineers. No other institution in the region fills this niche for practicing engineers in the region. The
Civil Engineering Department is truly a destination campus for practicing Civil Engineers.
The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) compiles information about the graduate program in the
Department’s Handbook. The data are available on the OIR’s website (www.oir.csus.edu). The
Department will collect additional data as the need develops when it completes the self-study report.
The historic data for entering students, number of students with undergraduate degree from
Sacramento State, annual full-time equivalent student (FTES), and degrees granted are shown in Table 5.
One FTES is equivalent to a student who takes 12 units of classes (typically four classes). In contrast, the
undergraduate FTES is equivalent to 15 units of classes (typically five classes).
Table 5. Summary Statistics of the Graduate Program in Civil Engineering1
Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Average
Entering 8 7 23 18 9 12
Students
from 2 2 11 12 7 7
Sacramento
State
FTES2 11.8/12.5 9.2/7.3 15.7/21.3 28.3/18.5 18.8/15.0 15.8
(Fall/Spring)
Degrees 17 17 6 9 10 12
Conferred
(academic
year basis)
1 Civil Engineering Handbook, Fall 2009 (Office of Institutional Research)
2 FTES is full-time equivalent students which is a student that takes 12 units of courses (typically four courses)
Program Educational Objectives
The program educational objectives are set of outcomes that the Department expects of our graduates
to achieve after completing the graduate program. That is, upon graduation, the students in the
graduate program will be able to:
1. Succeed in professional employment at their chosen specialty of environmental, geotechnical,
structural, transportation, or water resources engineering.
2. Identify, analyze, and solve complex practical civil engineering problems in their chosen field of
specialty.
3. Communicate effectively about technically complex engineering problems to peers, other
professionals, decision makers, and the general public, in the conduct of their work.
These educational objectives are consistent with the mission of the program that targets practicing
professional engineers in the community. These educational objectives are patterned after the
educational objectives for the undergraduate program that were developed for ABET accreditation.
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Focused Inquiry Plan
The Department is interested in learning about the following question through its focused inquiry option
of the self-study:
1. How well does the graduate curriculum serve our professional community?
2. What are the delivery methods that work effectively in achieving our graduate program
educational objectives?
3. What makes our program attractive to the graduate students? How does our program affect
our graduates?
For the first question, the Department will work with the advisory committees to gather data through
two methods:
1. Surveys of employers and survey of our alumni of the graduate program. The Department will
establish goals and will analyze the data to identify areas that needs improvement.
2. Focus group meetings of a sector of the industry (for example, organizations specialized in
structural engineering) will be selected for an interview. The attendees will be asked to respond
to a set of questionnaire. The responses of the meeting will be documented as part of our
assessment of this inquiry. Every year, a different area of specialty will be interviewed.
For the second question, the Department will gather information from courses that are taught using
different methods and through surveys that will be developed.
For the third question, the Department will be evaluated by data collected through a survey of graduate
student s and alumni of the graduate program.
The focused inquiry will be part of the assessment activities that the Department is planning to start for
the graduate program. This patterned after the undergraduate program assessment plan and also is
designed to get the data for the focused inquiry. The five-year assessment plan is summarized in Table
6. The question for the focus group and the surveys are shown below.
Table 6. Five-Year Assessment Plan for CE Graduate Program
Activity AY10/11 AY11/12 AY12/13 AY13/14 AY14/15
Direct Technical Communication
measures competence for Skills
solving complex
problems*
Focus Group Spring 2011 – Spring 2012 – Spring 2013 – Spring 2014 – Spring 2015 –
Environmental Geotechnical Structural Transportation Water Resources
Graduate Every semester Every Semester Every Semester Every Semester Every Semester
Survey
Alumni Survey Fall 2013 Fall 2015
*This will be area specific in core courses.
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Focus Group Questions:
For each specialty area, a focus group will be assembled. The participants will be asked the following
questions. All the responses will be documented. The focus groups will be run once a year in spring
semester.
1. What CSUS learning experiences were most valuable to you in your career?
2. What knowledge and skills that you acquired during your education have you used most?
3. What knowledge and skills that you acquired during your education have you used the least?
4. What do you wish you had learned in graduate school but did not?
5. What are the emerging and expanding fields in your area of civil engineering?
6. What critical skills and knowledge do engineers need for the future?
7. For managers: What are the strengths and what are the weaknesses of our graduates of the
master’s degree in CE program?
Alumni and Graduate Surveys
An annual survey will be gathered from every graduating student. The survey will be sent to the alumni
of the graduate program also according to the assessment plan (Fall 2013 and 2015). The survey
instrument is:
Part 1 – Background information
1. Name – optional
2. Year and semester graduated
3. Area of Employment, give a list with other (Environmental, Geotechnical, Structural,
Transportation, Water Resources, other)
4. Undergraduate School,
5. PE license
6. Date of getting the PE license
7. How often do you use your PE stamp?
8. Type of work, design, planning, operation, construction, other
9. Number of years with current employer
10. Title
11. Member of ASCE, WEB, SEAOCC, APWA, CEWA, other
12. Percentage of time spent on communicating with peers
13. Percentage of time spent on communicating with other professionals
14. Percentage of time spent on communicating with the public/decision makers
Part 2 – Assessment Information
1. In what way did the master’s degree help you? (Select all that applies)
a. Better salary
b. Handle more complex projects and problems
c. Personal goal
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2. How was your graduate degree supported?
a. Personal finance
b. Financial loan
c. Employer supported
d. Other (specify)
3. Did the graduate program help you in improving your communication skills (rate 1 through 5)
4. Did the graduate program improve your analytical skills (rate 1 through 5)
5. Would you recommend the program to others in your field (rate 1 through 5)
6. Provide suggestions on improving the program in the area of communication skills
7. Provide suggestions on improving the program in the area of the technical skills
8. What was your least favorite course? Why?
9. Can you suggest ways to improve the least favorite course?
10. What was your most favorite course? Why?
11. Provide us with suggestions to improve the graduate program.
The Department will use direct mail to collect the survey data through Student Voice software. The Department
has been successful using Student Voice with its undergraduate surveys.

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