Graduate Admissions

All graduate students must meet the minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate School and be accepted into the departmental program. All prospective students should thus study the admission requirements of the Graduate School as given in detail on the Graduate School website  and in the current Graduate Bulletin. The salient requirements are quoted below, and additional departmental rules as to acceptance into the graduate program are given.

COVID-19 Admissions Update

The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering is temporarily granting GRE waivers for all applicants for the 2022-2023 academic year. A GRE score may be uploaded to the student's application if they have a score available and think it would strengthen their application. 

Departmental Admission Requirements

Students who desire to obtain a M.S. or Ph.D. degree in civil engineering are normally expected to hold bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering from an accredited program. The current guidelines for admission to graduate study in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are given in the following table. These requirements are the recommendations set by the Department. In making decisions on an application, individual departmental discipline groups can modify these requirements based on their evaluation of the application.

Admission Procedure

All applicants should apply online at https://applygrad.lsu.edu/apply/. Paper applications are no longer accepted. All applications require an application fee. This fee is mandatory and cannot be waived. The following items are required to be upload to your application:

• One official transcript from each college or university attended (including summer only work, and even if work appears on another institution's transcript). International applicants should include degree certificates and an English translation of each foreign document.
• Request ETS to submit official GRE and TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international applicants only) scores directly to the LSU Graduate School. The institution code is 6373. The department code is not required.
• 3 Letters of Recommendation on official university/company letterhead. Please note that these letters can be uploaded by the references (those writing the letter) directly through the application website. See instructions and submission options explained on the application.
• Any other documents you wish to submit. You may also submit other documents that you feel would be of interest to those reviewing your application. For example, applicants often submit a resume (or CV), statement of purpose, and/or writing sample.
  (A writing sample is NOT required by our graduate program but you are more than welcome to submit one if you think it would strengthen your application).

If necessary, these items can be mailed to the following address:

Graduate Admissions
Louisiana State University
114 West David Boyd Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA

If you have any issues submitting a document, please email [email protected]. 

Requirements for International Applicants

English Proficiency Score

LSU requires every international student to submit official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Pearson's Test of English (PTE). Only score results received directly from the testing agency are considered official. Minimum score requirements for admission to the Graduate School are:

• TOEFL
  • Internet-Based Minimum Score: 79
  • Paper-Based Minimum Score: 550
  • Computer-Based Minimum Score: 213
    
    
• IELTS
  • Minimum Score: 6.5
    
    
• PTE
  • Minimum Score: 59

Exemptions

Applicants with a bachelor’s or advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or from a university where English is the primary language of instruction are exempt from the English proficiency requirement.

Note: With few exceptions, international students (including those who were exempted from English proficiency requirements) are required to sit for an English Placement Exam.

Additional Requirements for International Applicants

Additional guidance and requirements for prospective international students can be found on the Graduate School's website and International Services' website. Applicants should familiarize themselves with all the information before beginning their application.

Registration for Admitted Students

• Prior to registration for the first time (or upon re-entering), a new student should first meet with their assigned faculty advisor. If you do not know your assigned faculty advisor, you may email the Graduate Programs Coordinator at [email protected] and they will provide you with your faculty advisor's name and contact information. When meeting with your faculty advisor, they will assist you in building your class schedule and also answer any questions that you may have. If your assigned faculty advisor is not available, you may email the Graduate Program Coordinator at [email protected] to schedule an appointment with the Graduate Program Advisor.
• After meeting with your assigned faculty advisor, new students should meet with the Graduate Program Coordinator. The Graduate Program Coordinator will provide new students with helpful information and necessary forms. The temporary advisor, together with the student, will plan and approve a schedule for the first semester, and subsequently for the second semester. The student will seek a permanent advisor during the first semester.
• All full time students must enroll in the CE 7750 Seminar Course (1 credit hour). This is mandatory for all students, every semester (excluding summer). Part time students are excluded from this requirement, the only exception being their semester prior to graduation at which time part-time students should register for the seminar course. If you have a scheduling conflict that does not allow you to register for the CE 7750 Seminar Course, please discuss this issue immediately with the Graduate Program Coordinator.
• All graduate students are strongly encouraged to follow their program checklist. These checklists are provided as a courtesy. When meeting with your faculty advisor, please bring your program checklist. This will aid both you and your advisor during the advisement process. The checklists can be found on the forms page. 
• All students are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with our Graduate Program Handbook and Graduate School Catalog.