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.

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. The technical report should be prepared in a style that is suitable for publication in a national journal. In general, the report shall follow the guidelines for authors of publications in American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) division journals. The title page and signature page shall be similar in format to those used for the MS thesis (omitting the signature block for the Graduate Dean). Other styles may be approved by the student’s graduate committee.

Two copies of the report will be submitted: one for the School 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.

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 which will oversee and approve the student’s graduate program of study and research. A technical report committee must have at least three members: two members from the student’s area of study including the major professor; and an outside member 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.

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 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 must be distributed to each member of the examination committee 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.