All Graduate and Undergraduate admissions are handled centrally by the Georgia Tech Office of Admissions. Application Information
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Graduate Admissions
General Application Questions | Application Requirements and Deadlines | Degree Requirements | Funding | GRE & TOEFL Tests | Problems with Online Application | Recommendations
General Application Questions
Can I apply directly to the PhD program, or is a Master’s degree required before doing so?
Prospective students may apply for admission directly into the PhD program from their undergraduate studies. Many PhD students complete a Master’s degree during the course of the doctoral program, but it is not required. Students may also enter as Master’s students and later apply for admission into the PhD program.
Can I apply to more than one School at Georgia Tech?
Yes, but a separate online application must be submitted for each School.
Can I submit a supporting document after the deadline?
No, all materials must be submitted prior to the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Can students earn Joint or Dual Masters degrees with other programs?
The only formal dual degree program in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering is between the School of City & Regional Planning and CEE’s Transportation Systems Engineering group. Students must apply separately to each program, and meet each programs’ degree requirements. A small, limited number of credits can be used toward both degrees. Students completing the dual degree program receive a Master’s degree from each program, and the degrees must be awarded simultaneously. More information is available here:
Even though no other formal programs exist, students may pursue multiple graduate degrees with other Georgia Tech Schools. Students must apply separately to the alternate School's program, and must meet the programs’ degree requirements. Separate Master’s degrees are awarded from each School when the degree requirements are satisfied.
Can you evaluate my chances of admission before I apply?
No, a complete application package is necessary before the faculty can consider a student for admission, and possible funding support. By reviewing the minimum scores and GPA for admission you can get a general idea of the competitiveness your application.
Do I have to complete the online application in one sitting (one login session)?
No, you can save your entries, and return to complete the application at a later time.
If I do not have an engineering background, am I eligible to be considered for a MS or PhD degree in engineering? Will I need to take any pre-requisites before being accepted?
Yes, one can apply for the MS or PhD program with a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university or its equivalent. CEE has no published prerequisites.
May I apply to more than one area of concentration within Civil & Environmental Engineering?
No. Applications will only be considered by the group listed on the application.
Where can I learn about the faculty’s research?
You can go here (http://www.ce.gatech.edu/people/faculty) for a list of all faculty members in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering. Each professor’s web page should provide information on their research interests.
Where should I mail supporting materials for my application?
Mail to:
Graduate Admissions
Georgia Institute of Technology
631 Cherry Street, Room 318
Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0321
Graduate Admissions
Georgia Institute of Technology
631 Cherry Street, Room 318
Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0321
Application Requirements and Deadlines
Can I apply for the Spring term? What is the deadline for Spring semester?
A very small number of students are admitted to enter in the Spring semester. Generally, Spring semester matriculation is better for PhD students, for many Spring semester courses taken by MS students have prerequisites offered only in the Fall semester. The Spring semester application deadline is August 31 and all materials must be submitted prior to the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
What are the application deadlines?
The application deadlines are January 2 for Fall semester or Summer semester and August 31 for Spring semester. All materials must be submitted prior to the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Does CEE make admissions decisions on a "rolling basis" as mentioned on the Institution's Graduate Admissions web page?
No. The CEE faculty prefers to view the entire pool of applications for a term before making admission decisions. We expect to report decisions, initially via email, by March 30 for Fall and Summer semesters and by October 30 for Spring semester.
Degree Requirements
How long does it take to complete the degree?
A full-time student will usually complete a Master’s degree in a year and a half. PhD degrees generally take four to six years beyond the Bachelor’s degree, with most of the time involved with researching, and writing, the doctoral thesis. In both cases, the time to complete a degree is dictated by the pace of coursework and research completed by the individual student.
What are the course requirements for the Master’s degree?
A minimum of 30 credit hours is required for the Master’s degree (24 credit hours, plus 6 thesis hours, if writing a Master’s thesis). Students must complete 18 credit hours within their chosen area of concentration among Construction Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Water Resources, Geosystems Engineering, Structural Engineering Mechanics and Materials, and Transportation Systems Engineering. Further, each area of concentration within the School of Civil & Environmental determines their own specific course options.
What are the course requirements for the PhD degree?
The PhD is primarily a research degree. The specific courses(i.e., Program of Study) to be taken are established for each student by their faculty advisory committee. Doctoral students generally take 50 to 60 credit hours of course work beyond the Bachelor’s degree. All doctoral students must also complete a Minor Field of Study, consisting of at least 9 credit hours outside of CEE.
What are the differences between the MS, MSCE, and MSEnvE, and MSESM degree requirements?
The course requirements are generally the same for each of the Master’s degrees. To receive the MS in Civil Engineering degree, a student must have an undergraduate degree specifically in Civil Engineering. The MS in Environmental Engineering degree requires an undergraduate degree in engineering (any discipline). The MS in Engineering, Science, & Mechanics requires an undergraduate degree in engineering or physical sciences. The undesignated MS degree is for students who do not have a Bachelor's degree in engineering from a regionally accredited college or university or its equivalent, but meet the graduate degree requirements.
Funding
Can I have the application fee waived?
No, the application must be paid as part of the submission of the online application. The fee cannot be waived, and the application is not transmitted to Georgia Tech until the application fee has been processed.
How do I apply for financial aid/assistantships?
There is not a separate application for funding. By answering "Yes" to either of the two questions in the online application ("Do you request funding?" and/or "Do you require funding?"), the faculty will consider you for funding during the application evaluation. You should mention your research interests and experience in your Personal Statement.
What is the cost to attend?
Current tuition and fee information is found at the Georgia Tech Bursar’s Office web site.
What types of funding are available?
Nearly all funding from the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering is in the form of either a research or teaching assistantship (GRA or GTA). These require 20 hours per week of lab or class support, and provide a monthly stipend along with a waiver of most tuition.
Who makes the admission and funding decisions?
The faculty in the specific area of concentration within the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering to which you apply make the admission and funding decisions.
GRE & TOEFL Tests
Can I use my GRE or TOEFL scores if they are more than two years old?
Although Georgia Tech does not have a time limit on the use of test scores, an official score must be reported, directly from ETS. ETS will only report official scores during a finite timeframe for the specific test in question. Georgia Tech retains scores online that were directly reported by ETS.
Do I need to take the GRE exam?
Yes, all applicants are required to submit GRE scores, except Georgia Tech undergraduate CEE students applying to the BS/MS program.
If I have a degree from a university where English is the language of instruction, do I still have to take the TOEFL?
Yes. However, an exception is often granted to International applicants who have attended a U.S. college or university for a minimum of one academic year. However, a transcript must be provided in order to qualify for this exemption. Georgia Tech does not accept the IELTS.
If my GRE or GPA scores are below GT requirements, can I still apply and be considered for admission?
Yes. Faculty can request a limited number of exceptions to the minimum score requirements when one item is slightly below the required level. Admission is rarely offered if more than one item is below minimum.
What are Georgia Tech’s codes for the reporting of GRE and TOEFL scores?
Georgia Tech's Institute Code for GRE registration is R5248, and CEE's department code is 1102.
Georgia Tech's Institute Code for TOEFL registration is 5248, and CEE's department code is 65.
Georgia Tech's Institute Code for TOEFL registration is 5248, and CEE's department code is 65.
What are the minimum GRE and TOEFL scores and undergraduate GPA for the graduate program?
New GRE scoring - Quantitative - 155
Old GRE scoring - Quantitative - 700
The minimum score on the original computer-based TOEFL is 213, and is 79 for the current version of the TOEFL. Although rare, paper-based test scores are still accepted, and the minimum score is 550. These minimums are set by Georgia Tech, and absolutely no exceptions are permitted. Georgia Tech does not accept the IELTS.
The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission is 3.00 (on Georgia Tech's 4-point scale). If the faculty should wish to admit an applicant with a GPA below 3.00, then they may request an exception. Only a limited number of exceptions are permitted.
The average scores of those admitted are well above the minimum scores, and funding support is generally offered only to those with the most outstanding credentials.
Problems with Online Application
Where do I go when having problems with the online application?
CollegeNet is the vendor that hosts the online application process. If you have technical difficulties while completing your application or letters of recommendation, you should send an e-mail to help@collegenet.com and include your User ID in the e-mail. The technicians at CollegeNet should be able to look at your application or letters of recommendation and help clear the problem.
If you are unclear on how to answer a particular question, you should go to www.gradadmiss.gatech.edu, and click on “Contact Us” at the bottom of the page. Choose the Subject: Problem With Online Application from the list, and under Comments, describe your problem. It is helpful if you provide your user ID and password.
Recommendations
Is there a specific format for recommendations?
The online recommendation has specific questions that references are asked to answer, and there is space for recommenders to provide written comments. If a recommender prefers to submit a paper recommendation, then contact the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, at gradinfo@ce.gatech.edu, to request a copy of the School’s paper recommendation form; this form is not required, as only a letter is sufficient, but both the form and a letter are preferred.
Can I send in paper copies of my recommendation?
Although the online application will require email addresses of recommenders, recommendations may be submitted on paper if the recommender prefers to do so. Please be aware that paper recommendation letters will not show up on the BuzzPort application item checklist.
My recommender has not received the email prompt to complete the recommendation. What should I do?
If you or your recommender have technical difficulty with the online letter of recommendation system, contact CollegeNet directly at the following email address: help@collegenet.com or you may call CollegeNet at 503-973-5213. In the correspondence, include your User ID and the name of the applicant and recommender.
My recommender contacted CollegeNet, but cannot access the online recommendation system. What should I do?
Contact the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, at gradinfo@ce.gatech.edu, to request a copy of the School's paper recommendation form; this form is not required, as only a letter is sufficient, but both the form and a letter are preferred.
