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What is Transportation Engineering?

Transportation engineers are involved with the safe and efficient movement of both people and goods. They design and maintain all types of transportation facilities, including highways and streets, mass transit systems, railroads, airfields, ports and harbors.

Transportation engineers apply technological knowledge as well as an understanding of the economic, political and social factors in their projects. They must work directly with urban planners because the quality of a community is directly related to the quality of the transportation system. 

Degree Information

Students can earn M.S., M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering in the transportation engineering division of emphasis.

The Master of Science (M.S.) Thesis and Non-Thesis options as well as the Master of Engineering (M.Eng) program require 30 hours for completion, and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program is 64 hours. The specific course requirements are decided by the student in conjunction with the student’s committee chair and graduate committee.

Master of Engineering and Master of Science (Non-Thesis)

A minimum of 30 credit hours of approved courses is required for the Master of Engineering degree (M.Eng) and Master of Science (Non-Thesis). The university places limitations on these credit hours in addition to the requirements of the Transportation Engineering program that are listed below. A complete discussion of university requirements is found in the current Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog.

Master of Science (Thesis)

A minimum of 30 credit hours of approved courses is required for the Master of Science degree (MS). At least 25 semester credit hours must be coursework. The university places limitations on these credit hours in addition to the requirements of the Transportation Engineering program that are listed below. A complete discussion of all university requirements is found in the current Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog.

Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is a research-oriented degree requiring a minimum of 64 semester credit hours of approved courses and research beyond the Master of Science (M.S.) degree [96 credit hours beyond the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree]. The university places limitations on these credit hours in addition to the requirements of the Department of Civil Engineering listed below.

A complete discussion of all university requirements is found in the current Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog.