Academic Regulations
Program Standards: The student’s MBE program of study shall be designed to develop a degree of competence in advanced business and construction engineering and management, significantly higher than the customary baccalaureate education, and shall include background and adjunct knowledge normally expected of a person entering professional practice. The major shall include not less than 16 credit hours of 500-level, non-blanket, Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) or other CCE courses. (Note: Blanket courses are those numbered 501, 505, 506, and 507.) A minimum of 20 credit hours of both blanket and non-blanket coursework in CEM or CCE courses is required. Additionally, a minimum of 18 credit hours of 500-level Business Administration content is required. The MBE program provides several options to align the program with the student’s interests. These options include: non-thesis options of Internship, Project, or All-coursework; alternatively, the student may chose to complete a master’s-level Thesis.
Non-Thesis Options (Internship, Project, and All-coursework)
Internship: Students may undertake additional study through an internship, subject to the approval of the student’s major professor. It is the intent of this option that a student work with a current employer to implement academic concepts from their coursework in the workplace, measure and analyze the outcomes, and publish results. The internship option normally involves CE 510 (Internship), with a maximum of 6 credits. This option requires completion of an Internship Report (see below).
Technical Report (Project) Requirements: Students are required to prepare a technical report on a program-related problem or project of a substantial nature. The scope of the project should be consistent with the credit hours awarded for the project (3-6 credit hours). The general requirement for the report is that it treats some significant program-related problem or project in sufficient depth to contribute to engineering knowledge.
Internship or Project Report: The report on the work conducted should be prepared in a format suitable for publication in a national journal (following the guidelines for authors of publications in American Society of Civil Engineers division journals, for example). The title page and signature page shall be similar in format to those for a thesis (omitting the signature block for the Graduate Dean). Other styles may be approved by the student’s graduate committee.
Two bound copies of the report must be submitted, one for the Department and one for the major professor. Other members of the student’s graduate committee may also request bound copies. The report will be presented for discussion and approval at the time of the student’s final oral exam.
All-Coursework: The student may complete the degree requirements by pursuing a program of study that may include all non-blanket (CE 501, 503, 505, 506, and 510) coursework. Supervised, independent study (CE501 or CE505) may be included upon completion of a written statement of purpose and approval of the major professor, up to a maximum of 6 credits. The student should choose elective coursework that is targeted to a specific area of interest. Choice of this additional coursework will occur in consultation with the student’s major professor. This option requires completion of a Portfolio (see below).
All-Coursework Portfolio: Students undertaking the all-coursework option will compile a portfolio during his/her tenure in the MBE program and present the portfolio at the Oral Exam. The portfolio will be a compendium of written and other tangible work performed during the MBE program of study, with an emphasis on the student’s major area of interest. The portfolio will be of a nature that a student might show a prospective employer to demonstrate experience, competency, and professional goals. Students will be evaluated on the basis of completeness of portfolio material, on the clarity of the presentation of the written and oral material, and on the relevance of the material to the student’s professional goals. The portfolio is to include the following: 1) a statement of professional goals; 2) for each course taken, a summary of how the course complemented or facilitated achieving the professional goals; and 3) conclusions synthesizing the MBE degree in relation to the professional goal(s). In an appendix, the student shall place 1 or 2 examples of work from each course that demonstrate the course’s support of their professional goals.
Students will submit two bound copies of the portfolio: one for CCE and one for the major professor. Other members of the student’s graduate committee may also request bound copies.
Thesis Option
Thesis: The CCE MBE Thesis is normally 6-9 credits of CE 503 (Thesis). This option is especially encouraged for those students who are interested in pursuing further research either in a future industry or academic career. A thesis will generally involve more substantial research than a technical report, and should be suitable for publication in a national academic journal. The research must be unique and on a contemporary topic. Students should consult with their major professor regarding the quality and content of thesis research.
MS Thesis Submission: All MS theses are to be submitted electronically to the OSU Library for archiving. In addition, the major advisor may request additional bound copies at their discretion. Details for preparation of a thesis are provided by the Graduate School.
General Requirements
Blanket Course Limitation: Blanket courses are those numbered 501, 505, 506, and 507. The maximum number of blanket course credits allowed in an MBE degree is 6 credits. Other blanket course credits may be allowed in a Master’s degree program of study, such as CE 505 – Reading and Conference or CE 501 – Research, based on a Statement of Purpose included with the student’s program of study and approval of the student’s graduate committee.
Non-engineers in the MBE Degree Program: Admission of non-engineering baccalaureate degree holders to the MBE degree program in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering is only permitted when the student has demonstrated sufficient work experience (currently defined as a minimum of three years of responsible industry experience) or completed those engineering requirements for the BS degree that are considered prerequisite for entry into the chosen area of graduate study. Hence, the student generally is held in a post-baccalaureate status until the prerequisite requirements are reconfirmed by the student and major professor (or graduate advisor) and any further remedial coursework is promptly taken once the focus and content of the MBE degree program of study is determined.
CCE Graduate Seminar: It is highly recommended that all students pursuing the MBE degree take the Fall and Winter quarters of the CCE Graduate Seminar (CE 507). Each quarter carries one credit hour. The Spring quarter of the CCE Graduate Seminar, which deals with graduate student research, is also recommended.
Procedural Requirements
Selection of Major Professor: It is important that the student work with a major professor whose program, research, and professional interests lie in the same area as the student’s. In view of this, students are given a short period of time on campus before a major professor is selected. The assignment of a major professor will be by mutual agreement among the faculty member, the student, and the School. Normally, MBE students will arrange for a major professor and for the members of their graduate committee by the end of their second term in residence at OSU.
Forming a Graduate Committee: Each student must form a graduate committee that will oversee and approve the student’s graduate program of study and research. A technical report committee must have at least three members: two CCE members from the student’s area of study including the major professor; and an outside member from the College of Business, chosen based on the relevance to the student’s research and coursework. A Graduate Council Representative is not required on the committee. Committee members should be selected based on mutual agreement between the student and major professor. The committee should be formed in time to review the student’s program of study.
Review and Filing of Program of Study: Students should submit their official program of study with the Graduate School and CCE by the end of their second term in residence at OSU. Students who do not file a program of study within the specified deadline specified by the Graduate School for their degree will not be allowed to register for the next term. A registration hold will also be placed on graduate students whose programs of study are not approved after initial evaluation by the Graduate School.
Graduate program of study forms can be found on the Graduate School website. This completed form must be reviewed and approved by the CCE Graduate Committee for compliance with CCE requirements prior to submittal to the Graduate School.
See Master's Degree Progress Flow Chart here (pdf).
Exam Scheduling Form: You must schedule all examinations required by the Graduate School using the Exam Scheduling Form. You must submit this form at least one week prior to a doctoral preliminary exam or a master's final exam, and two weeks prior to a doctoral final exam. You are responsible for:
- Informing the Graduate School of the date, time, and place of each exam
- Confirming the committee membership
- Notifying and reminding the committee of the exam date, time, and place
In addition, a CCE MBE Degree Checklist must be completed and submitted to the CCE Graduate Committee along with the program of study.
Final Oral Examinations: All MBE degree examinations will be two hours in duration. The technical report or portfolio will be presented during the first hour of the examination. The first hour of the examination will be open to the public and must be advertised at least one week prior to the examination. The second hour of the examination will be devoted to examination on coursework with only the student’s graduate committee members present.
Technical reports or portfolios must be distributed to each member of the examination committee, as required above, at least one week prior to the examination.
Students may be re-examined only once. Re-examinations may not be given sooner than one month after the original examination. Those who fail to pass their final oral examination twice will be terminated from graduate study in CCE and will not be given additional examinations.
