Civil & Environmental Engineering

Program Overview

Earn a master of science degree from one of the nation's top civil engineering departments entirely online. Explore our Certificate program, or take a class as a non-degree student. All online students receive access to recorded on-campus lectures and follow the class syllabus, including the same assignments, exams, and projects as on-campus students.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign enjoys an outstanding reputation for excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, and for research that improves the quality of life in our nation and around the world. CEE at Illinois consistently ranks among the most elite programs in the U.S. and worldwide for both undergraduate and graduate studies (graduate programs currently ranked #1; US News & World Report).

Since the founding of the department in 1871, Illinois civil engineers have made their mark on the nation. Illinois engineers have worked on numerous infrastructure landmarks: the Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the New York subway, the interstate highways, and drinking water and waste treatment systems in communities across the nation. Illini engineers continue to design, build and improve society’s infrastructure—in the United States and, increasingly, throughout the world.

Online CEE Degree

Master of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering

The M.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering requires 36 credit hours (a thesis is not required). Students choose a specialty area and also have the option to develop cross-disciplinary programs in consultation with their advisers. Online students have five years to complete the program.

The department specialty areas currently available online are:

In addition, courses are available online in the following areas of concentration to complement the student's area of specialty.

Construction Materials
Environmental Engineering and Science
Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
Structural Engineering

Online Certificates

The Certificate Program allows students to receive a certificate in a specialized area within civil and environmental engineering. Each certificate requires students to complete three courses (one must be at the 500-level, except for the Railroad Engineering Certificate, and courses cannot be applied to more than one certificate), earning a B- or higher in each course. Select the areas that follow for more information about each certificate and the courses offered. Admission to a certificate program does not guarantee future admission to a degree program.

The certificate areas available are listed below.

Construction Management

CEE 420 — Construction Productivity
CEE 421 — Construction Planning
CEE 422 — Construction Cost Analysis
CEE 525 — Construction Case Studies
CEE 598 COL — Construction Optimization and Decision Making
CEE 598 SCM — Sustainable Construction Methods

Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

CEE 440 — Fate Cleanup Environ Pollutant
CEE 446 — Air Quality Engineering
CEE 453 — Urban Hydrology and Hydraulics
CEE 457 — Groundwater
CEE 535 — Environmental Systems II
CEE 540 — Remediation Design
CEE 598 WT — Advanced Materials for Water Treatment
GE 530 — Multiattribute Decision Making

Pavement Engineering

CEE 406 — Pavement Design/Analysis I
CEE 503 — Construction Materials Deterioration
CEE 506 — Pavement Design/Analysis II
CEE 508 — Pavement Evaluation and Rehabilitation
CEE 598 ABM — Advanced Asphalt
CEE 598 IRO — Infrastructure Repair

Railroad Engineering

CEE 409 — Railroad Track Engineering
CEE 411 — Railroad Project Planning and Design
CEE 498 HPO — High Speed Rail Planning
CEE 498 HRO — High Speed Rail Construction Management
CEE 498 HSR — High Speed Rail Engineering

Transportation Engineering

CEE 406 — Pavement Design/Analysis I
CEE 407 — Airport Design
CEE 409 — Railroad Track Engineering
CEE 411 — Railroad Project Planning and Design
CEE 498 HPO — High Speed Rail Planning
CEE 498 HRO — High Speed Rail Construction Management
CEE 498 HSR — High Speed Rail Engineering
CEE 498 PT — Public Transportation
CEE 503 — Construction Materials Deterioration
CEE 506 — Pavement Design/Analysis II
CEE 508 — Pavement Evaluation and Rehabilitation
CEE 509 — Transportation Soils
CEE 512 — Logistics System Analysis
CEE 598 ABO — Advanced Asphalt
CEE 598 IRO — Infrastructure Repair
CEE 598 SSO — Transportation Soil Stabilization

Online Courses

Below is a list of the Civil & Environmental Engineering graduate courses offered online. To review which courses are being offered for the upcoming terms, see the current Course Offerings page.

CEE 406 — Pavement Design/Analysis I
CEE 407 — Airport Design
CEE 409 — Railroad Track Engineering
CEE 411 — Railroad Project Planning and Design
CEE 420 — Construction Productivity
CEE 421 — Construction Planning
CEE 422 — Construction Cost Analysis
CEE 440 — Fate and Cleanup of Env. Pollutants
CEE 446 — Air Quality Engineering
CEE 453 — Urban Hydrology and Hydraulics
CEE 457 — Groundwater
CEE 462 — Steel Structures II
CEE 472 — Structural Dynamics
CEE 480 — Foundation Engineering
CEE 491 — Decision and Risk Analysis
CEE 498 PT — Public Transportation
CEE 498 HSR — High Speed Rail
CEE 498 HPO — High Speed Rail Planning
CEE 503 — Pavement Durability
CEE 506 — Pavement Design/Analysis II
CEE 508 — Pavement Eval and Rehab
CEE 509 — Transportation Soils
CEE 512 — Logistics System Analysis
CEE 525 — Construction Case Studies
CEE 526 — Constr Optimization and Decision Making
CEE 540 — Remediation Design
CEE 572 — Earthquake Engineering
CEE 573 — Structural Dynamics II
CEE 574 — Probabilistic Loads and Design
CEE 575 — Fracture and Fatigue
CEE 581 — Earth Dams and Other Embankments
CEE 588 — Geotech Earthquake Engr
CEE 589 — Computational Geomechanics
CEE 597 — Independent Studies (El-Rayes and L. Liu)
CEE 598 AB O — Advanced Bituminous Materials
CEE 598 COL — Construction Optimization and Decision Making
CEE 598 IR O — Repair of Civil Infrastructure
CEE 598 SCM — Sustainable Construction Methods
CEE 598 SS O — Transportation Soil Stabilization
CEE 598 TSR — Tunneling in Soil and Rock
CEE 598 WT2 — Materials for Water Treatment Systems

Contact Information

Email: ceeonlineillinois [dot] edu
Phone: 217-333-3921

Professor William G. Buttlar, PhD, PE
Director of Online and Blended Programs
buttlarillinois [dot] edu

Meg C. Griffin, PE
Coordinator of Online and Blended Programs
mgriffnillinois [dot] edu

For additional information regarding Engineering Online graduate programs, contact the Office of Online and Professional Engineering Programs.

Department Page

cee.illinois.edu/ceeonline

"I decided to pursue an online education because I considered it to be the best alternative for working professionals that would like to further their education while maintaining an active professional career. Engineering Online at Illinois provides an accessible world-class education that will provide immediate impacts on your engineering skills sets."

Brian Castro, Civil Engineering

Illinois Dept. of Transportation