Master of Science in Civil Engineering​​

Master (Coursework)

Programme Type

Full-time, Part-time

Civil engineering activities cover very broad areas of disciplines, including structural and construction engineering, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering, water resources and environmental engineering, etc. 

Civil engineering essentially deals with all the physical infrastructure and supplies that support and sustain human activities. In a sense, the advancement in civil engineering practice is an accurate measure of the level of civilization and it provides the foundation for economic and business competitiveness of a country.

The Master of Science in Civil Engineering programme in NTU is intended to equip students with the latest advancements in knowledge and technology in modern civil engineering practice.  The course leading to the degrees of Master of Science in Civil Engineering comprises coursework with or without a M.Sc. dissertation. A total of 30 Academic Units (AU) is required for graduation. In general a candidate will take subjects from several disciplines within civil engineering and graduate with a fairly broad knowledge, leading to the degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering – M.Sc. (Civil Eng).

  • Have a good Bachelor degree in Engineering or equivalent in a related discipline.

  • TOEFL/IELTS is required for applicants whose Bachelor programme is not conducted in English. Test date must be within 2 years or less from the date of application. The minimum score required is as follows:

    • TOEFL (Paper-based): 600
    • TOEFL (Computer-based): 250
    • TEOFL (Internet-based): 85
    • IELTS (Academic): 6.0

  • GRE/GMAT score is not required for admission.

Intake Period

  • There is only one intake yearly  - the August intake.
  • The application portal opens from November to January every year. Candidates may apply via the "Apply Now" button at the top right of this page when the portal opens.

Application Fee

  • Effective Academic Year 2024 intake onwards, the application has been adjusted to S$50, inclusive of GST.

Programme Structure

  • The programme is available in both full-time study and part-time study.
  • Students must complete 30 AUs (10 Courses), of which 15 AUs must be from the Civil Engineering curriculum.
  • Students may opt to specialise in either Geotechnical or Structure Engineering.
  • Eligible students may choose to select Coursework + Dissertation study track from their 2nd semester onwards (eligibility terms apply)
  • Note that a dissertation project is in lieu of 2 courses.

Lesson & Examination Schedule

  • There are two semesters each year. You may refer to the academic calendar here for more information.
  • Classes are conducted on weekday evenings between 6.30 PM – 9.30 PM, unless otherwise informed by your lecturer or indicated in the timetable system. This applies for both full-time and part-time students.
  • Note that examinations are generally scheduled on weekday mornings or afternoons, unless otherwise indicated in the timetable system.

Candidature Period

 Courses allowed per semester Normal / Minimum Candidature Period Maximum Candidature Period
Full-time Study Up to 5 courses
(15 AUs)
1 year (2 semesters) 3 years (6 semesters)
Part-time Study Up to 3 courses
(9 AUs)
2 years (4 semesters) 4 years (8 semesters)

Course Offerings

Course Code Course Title AUs  
CV6103 Structural Dynamics 3  
CV6107 Behaviour and design of steel and composite structures 3  
CV6108 Analysis and Design of Tall Buildings 3
CV6109 Advanced Concrete Technology 3
CV6162 Structural Response to Blast Loading 3
CV6311 Soil Behaviour and Engineering Properties 3
CV6312 Slope Stability and Ground Improvement 3
CV6313 Shallow and Deep Foundations 3
CV6314 Excavation & Earth Retaining Systems 3
CV6315 Engineering Geology and Rock Engineering 3  
CV6422 Statistical Methods and Applications 3  
CV6481 Urban and Regional Transport Planning 3  
CV6807 Fatigue and Fracture of Steel Structures 3  

Please note that course offerings are subject to review and changes each academic year.

Course Content

CV6103 Structural Dynamics (3 AUs)​​​

Free and forced vibration of single degree of freedom structures; damping; convolution integral; state space method; free and forced vibration of multi-degree of freedom structures; numerical methods; structural response to seismic loading; response spectra; time history analysis and response spectra analysis; special topics.

CV6107 Behavior and Design of Steel and Composite Structures (3 AUs)

Behavior and design of steel structures: columns, beams, beam-columns and frames; behavior and design of composite structures: shear connectors, composite beams, columns, slabs and joints.

CV6108 Analysis and Design of Tall Buildings (3 AUs)

Philosophy and design criteria of tall buildings; structural systems for tall buildings: moment-resisting frames, shear walls, braced frames; P-Delta effects and instability; structural design process: functional requirements; design criteria and loading: dead, live, wind, and earthquake loads; preliminary and computer-aided proportioning; analysis of tall buildings; very tall buildings including framed tube, tube in tube, trussed tube and hat trusses, etc.

CV6109 Advanced Concrete Technology (3 AUs)

Concrete constituent materials; properties of fresh concrete: workability, superplasticizer, self-compacting concrete; hydration and microstructure formation of concrete: hydration process, microstructure; durability of concrete; cement replacement materials; evaluation of concrete structures: cracking in concrete, testing of hardened concrete, assessment of concrete quality.

CV6162 Structural Response to Blast Loading (3 AUs)

Introduction of structural dynamics; blast load and structural response characteristics; energy solutions; equivalent systems method; numerical solutions; damage index and control limits; stress wave propagation from surface and buried explosions; impact and ballistic loading and associated responses; human response to blast loading; M & E considerations; Special topics. 

CV6311 Soil Behavior and Engineering Properties (3 AUs)

Physical properties of soils. Hydraulic properties of soils. Compressibility and consolidation behavior of soils. Stress-deformation and shear strength behavior of soils. Measurements of strength, stiffness, compressibility, permeability and consolidation properties of soils by laboratory and in-situ testing methods. Evaluation of design parameters.

CV6312 Slope Stability and Ground Improvement (3 AUs)

Slope stability: shear strength, total and effective stress analyses, methods of slices involving circular and noncircular slip surfaces, slope monitoring and stabilization, case studies. Soil improvement: surface compaction, deep compaction, admixture stabilization, reinforced soil, preloading and vertical drains. Pre-treatment and post-treatment assessment. 

CV6313 Shallow and Deep Foundations (3 AUs)

Footing and raft foundations: design considerations, bearing capacity, settlement, combined footings, soil-raft interaction analysis, pile-raft foundations. Deep Foundations: response of piles to vertical and horizontal loads, load transfer, dynamic pile testing and static pile load tests.

CV6314 Excavation & Earth Retaining Systems (3 AUs)

Retaining structures: Lateral earth pressure, design of earth retention systems, concrete retaining walls, reinforced soil walls and anchored bulkheads. Supported excavation: overview of braced/anchored excavations in soil, evaluation of soil properties, stability of excavations, design of excavation support systems, ground movements associated with excavation, construction monitoring.

CV6315 Engineering Geology and Rock Engineering (3 AUs)

Engineering geology: plate tectonics, minerals, rock types and rock cycle, geological structures, rock dating and geological time scale, geological maps, hemispherical projection, geology of Singapore. Rock mechanics: rock mass classifications, laboratory measurements of strength and deformation properties of rocks, failure criteria, shear strength of discontinuities. Applications: rock foundations, stability of rock slopes, underground rock excavations.

CV6422 Statistical Methods and Applications (3 AUs)

Probability and statistical concepts. Sampling methods. Statistical Inference: estimation, hypothesis testing. Goodness-of-fit tests. Non-parametric procedures. Regression analysis. Time series analysis. Computer applications.

CV6481 Urban & Regional Transport Planning (3 AUs)

National and regional transportation planning. Urban issues and the planning process. Economic, environmental and energy considerations. Transport and land use interaction. Travel patterns and planning of transport networks. Freight movement and facilities planning. Feasibility analysis of transport facilities. Transportation planning in developing countries.

CV6807 Fatigue and Fracture of Steel Structures (3 AUs)

Introduction, Fracture mechanics, Fatigue design principles, Fatigue capacity, fatigue loading and stresses, Simplified fatigue assessment, Spectral fatigue analysis and design, Application of fracturAe mechanics, Assessment of integrity of structures containing defects, Material selection and criteria.

Currently Suspended:

CV6104 Behavior and Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures (3 AUs)

Properties of concrete; flexure, shear, and torsion theories; time-dependent behavior; slender columns; flat plate flat slab systems; yield line theory and strip method of design, strut and tie models for design.

CV6106 Precast and Prestressed Concrete Structures (3 AUs)

Prestressing systems; properties of concrete and prestressing steel; flexural analysis and design of prestressed concrete beams under flexure, shear, and torsion; design of anchorage zone; precast building systems, design and analysis of precast column/wall, beam and slabs and component connections; design for precast construction and production.​

CV6112 Fundamentals of Catastrophe Risk Modeling (3 AUs)

Introduction to various catastrophe risks and modular structured ways to model the risks from various perils, probability distributions, basic framework of Catastrophe risk Models; treatment of uncertainties, risk quantification, aggregation across several perils, introduction to some advanced applications, risk management, risk transfer techniques, validation and use of Cat models, seminars and independent study cum presentation.

CV6316 Planning and Development of Underground Space in Rock Caverns (3 AUs)

Introduction to uses of underground rock caverns, benefits and challenges, review of cavern space development in Singapore, planning considerations for rock cavern facilities, cost planning, site investigations, design of rock caverns and layout options, stability analysis and rock support design, construction technology, blasting and vibrations, risk management, HSE aspects, special considerations for selected underground facilities, and case studies with two selected projects.

CV6443 Traffic Impact & Safety Studies (3 AUs)

Overview of transport project impacts. Trip and parking generation. Site traffic impact analysis. Assessment of environmental impacts of transport facilities: noise, pollutant emission, visual impact. Measures to mitigate traffic impacts. Road safety study: accident characteristics, analysis techniques, remedial and prevention measures.

CV6809 Analysis of Offshore Floating Structures (3 AUs)

Introduction to floating structures; Review of basic mathematics and fluid mechanics; Current and wind loads; Linear wave theory, viscous wave loads, wave loads on large bodies – linear diffraction theory; Radiation analysis for large floating structures; Overview of design requirements of floating structures; Mooring lines and risers; buoyancy and stability; dynamic analysis of floating structures.

Tuition Fees

MOE subsidy remains available to Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents enrolled in the Academic Year (AY) 2024 intake. Eligible candidates enrolled in the AY2024 intake may still enjoy MOE subsidy for up to their minimum/normal candidature period. 

Please note, however, that MOE subsidy will not be available from AY2025 onwards. All students, regardless of nationality, admitted from AY2025 Aug intake will be liable for non-subsidised tuition fee. 

Please see the “Programme Structure & Duration” section above for information on candidature period. 

 Full-timePart-time
Tuition fee for AY2025-2026
(based on minimum candidature)
S$55,030.78
Tuition fee per semesterS$27,515.39S$13,757.70


Important things to note:

  • The above fees are based on the minimum candidature period. Additional fees will apply for each semester extended beyond the minimum/normal candidature

    (i.e. if you are enrolling as a full-time student and intend to complete your programme in 2 years instead of the normal period of 1 year, you will be billed S$27,515.39 per semester from your 1st to 4th term).

  • Tuition fee is payable each semester regardless of the number of courses registered that term. This is applicable even if the student did not register any course that semester, unless the student has been approved for Leave of Absence (LOA) before the 2nd teaching week of that term.

  • Students who apply LOA or withdraw their candidature after the second teaching week of the semester will be liable for that semester’s fees.

  • Note that Service Obligation is no longer available from Academic Year 2020 onwards.

  • Fees listed are inclusive of the prevailing Goods and Services Tax (GST).

  • The University reserves the right to revise its fees every year without notice. For more information on other applicable fees, click here.

Financial Aid (Applicable only from AY2025 Aug Intake)

  • All Singaporeans and Permanent Residents:
    From the academic year starting in 2024, Singaporeans and permanent residents who enrol in self-funded master’s by coursework programmes at NTU will enjoy a $5,000 subsidy, with those in need of financial aid will receive up to $10,000

  • All NTU Alumni:
    All NTU alumni will receive an additional 10 per cent tuition fee rebate. These initiatives, are meant to promote lifelong learning and make postgraduate education more accessible for all.