CE Graduate Admissions FAQ

• What is the application deadline? Is there an application fee?

  FALL ENROLLMENT – February 1* is the priority deadline.

  SPRING ENROLLMENT – October 1** is the priority deadline.

  SUMMER ENROLLMENT – Students are only admitted to a summer term under special circumstances (e.g., recruited students with assistantship offers when agreed upon by the student and their faculty advisor). Any other student who applies for a summer term will be evaluated for Fall enrollment.

  *Applications may be submitted after February 1 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis until May 1. Any application received after May 1 will be evaluated for Spring enrollment.

  **Applications may be submitted after October 1 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis until November 1. Any application received after November 1 will be evaluated for Fall enrollment.

  Application Fee

  As of January 2023, Clemson University no longer charges an application fee.

• Can I apply to the Ph.D. program without an M.S. degree?

  Yes, Civil Engineering accepts “direct entry to Ph.D.” applicants. Applicants who apply directly to the Ph.D. program from their B.S. program should have strong credentials, including demonstrated research experience and the highest academic achievement. During the application review process, faculty have the discretion to admit a direct entry applicant to the M.S. program rather than the Ph.D. program if it is determined that the M.S. program would be a better fit for the student.

• Where can I learn more about the specialty areas within Civil Engineering?

  Applicants will select a specialty area of study when they apply to the Civil Engineering graduate program.

  • Construction Materials
  • Construction Engineering and Management
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Structural Engineering
  • Transportation Systems
  • Water Resources

  Each specialty area has its own curricular/course requirements – more information can be found on the Civil Engineering Research website. Applicants should only apply to one specialty area. Students who submit applications to more than one specialty area will be asked to select one application to be reviewed. Students will follow the course requirements for the specialty area in which they were accepted, however, there are opportunities (pending advisor approval) to take courses from other specialty areas or from outside of the Department.

• Are GRE scores required?

  GRE scores are optional but are not required.

• What language proficiency exams are accepted, and what are the minimum score requirements?

  Information on language proficiency test options (including minimum score requirements) can be found on the Graduate Admissions website. Official scores must be submitted by the testing agency.

  Please refer to the Guidelines for English Language Proficiency Exemptions found on the Graduate Admissions website. Language proficiency scores are waived only for applicants from the listed exempt countries or exempt institutions.

  Institutional Code for Submission of Scores

  Clemson’s institutional code is 5111. A departmental code is not needed.

• Does CE offer conditional language admission for participants in ESL programs?
  Civil Engineering does not offer conditional language admission for ESL students.
• Is Civil Engineering at Clemson a STEM program?
  Yes, Civil Engineering is a designated STEM program.
• I've applied. When will I receive my decision?

  Applications review begins when all the supporting material (references, personal statement, etc.) has been received by Graduate Admission and the application packet is complete. 

  Once an application is complete, an applicant can generally expect a decision within 2-3 weeks. Faculty begin reviewing Spring applications in September and Fall applications in January.

• Do I need to submit a separate application to be considered for funding?

  No, a separate application is not needed. Faculty make decisions about funding at the time of application review. Applicants who are interested in research should indicate their research interests in their Personal Statement, specifically how their research interests align with the current research being conducted in their intended academic specialty area. See the Civil Engineering Research pages for information on current research.

Accepted Students Questions

• When will funding decisions be made? How will I be notified?

  Teaching and research assistantships are made by individual faculty members based on credentials, compatibility of research interests, and availability of funding. Faculty typically make decisions on funding at the time of application review. Students who are selected to receive funding will receive notification by email from the Student Services Manager, which will include an offer letter and assistantship contract.

• How will I know if I will be following the M.S. Thesis or M.S. Non-Thesis pathway?

  M.S. applicants who receive assistantship offers will follow the M.S. Thesis pathway, while students who do not receive funding will follow the M.S. Non-Thesis pathway.

• What is the cost of attending?

  Please refer to the Clemson University Tuition and Fees Calculator to determine the cost of attending per semester.  Be sure to select the “Graduate” tab at the top of the calculator.

• I am an international student. Where do I learn more about the I-20 process?

  All questions related to the I-20 process should be directed to Clemson University’s Office of International Services – IS@clemson.edu.

  International students are encouraged to first refer to the International Services website, which includes a wonderful International Student Arrival Guide.

• How do I learn more about mandatory health insurance for enrolled graduate students?

  Information about student health insurance can be found on the Student Health Services website.  All questions related to health insurance should be directed to this office.

• I am unable to enroll at Clemson for the semester that I was accepted. Can I defer my admission?

  Students are permitted to defer their admission for up to one calendar year from the original date of acceptance. Those who need to defer their start date should send an email to cegraduate@clemson.edu to request a deferral, including full name and desired date of enrollment.

  Deferral requests for students who received assistantship offers will be approved at the discretion of the faculty member who made the offer of funding.
• When is CE orientation for new graduate students?

  New CE Student Orientation takes place each semester on the Tuesday before the first day of class.  Time and location will be communicated by email at least one month prior to the date. All students are expected to attend.

Registration and Advising

• Who is my advisor?

  Students (M.S. and Ph.D.) who receive assistantship offers will be advised by their research advisor.  All questions related to course selection should be addressed to them.

  M.S. students who did not receive an assistantship will be advised by the designated faculty advisor for their specialty area.

  • Construction Materials – Dr. Prasad Rangaraju
  • Construction Engineering and Management – Dr. Kalyan Piratla
  • Geotechnical Engineering – Dr. Qiushi Chen
  • Structural Engineering – Dr. Weichiang Pang
  • Transportation Systems – Dr. Pamela Murray-Tuite
  • Water Resources – Dr. Abdul Khan
• Who do I contact for technical assistance related to registration?

  For any technical issues related to your Clemson account, contact Clemson Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) at ITHELP@clemson.edu.

• Who do I contact for other questions related to registration and advising?

  Email the Graduate Student Services Manager at cegraduate@clemson.edu.