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.