MSE Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering

Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering represents an important partnership that’s dedicated to keeping the country moving safely and effectively. The successful movement of people and goods via cars, trucks, trains and more depends on highways, airports, railroads and waterways that are well-planned, designed, built and operated.

At Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, the Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) degree program provides students with a foundational core curriculum, along with the opportunity to pursue concentrated study in the specialized major of Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering.

Marshall University’s master’s degree in Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering offers a unique set of classes to ensure a well-rounded, up-to-date educational experience. Engineering majors take courses in both Transportation and Structural Engineering to ensure that they are well-prepared to work in these specialized fields.

Marshall University’s MSE in Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering is an interdisciplinary engineering program designed to meet the specific needs of engineers employed in industry, government and consulting, as well as those professionals who want a traditional research-based graduate degree.

Marshall University’s master’s degree major in Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering is supported through small class sizes that ensure personalized attention, along with distinctive courses that focus on critical knowledge and issues in these fields, including:

Excellent faculty. The Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering faculty has expertise in these specialized fields. MU professors in the Department of Civil Engineering [link to https:/dev-marshall-university.sites.presalesexamples.com/cecs/faculty-and-staff-civil-engineering/] have practiced professionally in the areas in which they teach courses, which provides master’s degree students with a closer look at professional engineering experiences.

Professors in the Civil Engineering department are dedicated to student success. The faculty is committed to helping our graduate students learn effectively, using innovative and hands-on educational methods, while achieving academic excellence.

Scope of learning. In addition to the Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering major, the Civil Engineering department also offers these two in-depth master’s degree majors: Engineering Management, and Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Civil Engineering focuses on the application of physical and mathematical principles to solve the problems of society. Civil engineering is a broad profession with several specialized sub-disciplines such as: structural, transportation, geotechnical, construction, water resources and environmental. The work of civil engineers and relies on solid knowledge of mathematics, physics, statics, mechanics, materials science, soil properties, hydrology, water resources, environmental resources and other fields.

Transportation and Infrastructure engineers’ duties include analysis, planning, design and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures, roadway networks, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.

Career Outlook for Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering Majors

Graduates with an MSE in Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering will be prepared to succeed in a job market that requires advanced knowledge of the design and management of transportation and infrastructure assets such as roads and bridges.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field of civil engineering includes the work of more specialized engineers in Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering, such as:

The employment of civil engineers will grow about 2 percent through 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). As infrastructure continues to age, the BLS reports that engineers will be needed to manage more projects to rebuild, repair and upgrade bridges, roads, levees, dams, airports, buildings and structures of all types.

The work of civil engineering also will be needed for renewable-energy projects and overseeing the construction of structures such as wind farms and solar arrays. Although state and local governments continue to face financial challenges, some delayed projects will have to be completed to build and maintain critical infrastructure, as well as to protect the public and the environment.
Overall, job placement is high for Marshall graduates with a master’s in Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering. Sample positions held by MSE graduates include the following: [RNL note: It would be great if 3-4 examples of actual positions held by graduates could be added here for a brief bulleted list.]

Top employers. MU graduates with an MSE in Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering are hired by the West Virginia Division of Highways and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, along with private consulting firms and construction companies.

Under the general category of civil engineering, which includes such specialized engineering positions such as Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering, the median (or midpoint) annual wage for civil engineers was $88,570 in May 2020, reports the BLS.

The median annual wages for civil engineers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows as of May 2020:

Master’s in Engineering students may take laboratory courses in engineering subjects such as GIS, environmental chemistry and many other areas. Marshall’s Huntington, WV, campus provides additional resources for students, including numerous computer labs and “huddle stations,” which allow students to interact with faculty while they work on assignments and class projects.

Marshall University has modern learning facilities including technology-enabled classrooms and other supporting facilities across campus. Transportation and Infrastructure majors also can learn and study in Marshall’s Transportation Engineering Laboratory. This specialized facility offers:

Along with laboratory courses, many engineering courses are offered online; 100% of the course content can be accessed on your laptop or desktop. These courses do not require on-site attendance, so distance learning is supported.

Civil and Environmental Engineering students can take advantage of opportunities to work with faculty on research projects, when available. For the graduation requirement, MSE majors can choose a project option or a thesis option that will require at least 3- or 6-credit hours of research, respectively. Students who complete the project or thesis options work hand-in-hand with faculty members on applied research directly related to Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering.

The MSE in Civil and Environmental Engineering’s comprehensive graduate project is not the traditional graduate thesis with a research orientation. Instead, it’s a real-life, industry-type project in which the student undertakes an assignment that requires synthesis of all of coursework and its application to a typical problem from a relevant subject area. A subject proposal is submitted for approval.