Program
Applications are currently being accepted for the upcoming Spring (May) term. The deadline for international students to apply by is November 30th. The deadline for domestic students is January 31st. All applications must be submitted prior to the deadline and be marked "Complete" to be considered. All Incomplete applications will be declined. Your application will be marked as 'Complete' once all required supplemental items, excluding English Test Results, and all 3 letters of recommendation are received. Outcomes will be communicated to applicants approximately two months after the deadline.
| Program | Expected Length | Project and/or thesis | Course based |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.Eng. | 2 years | ||
| M.Sc. | 2 years | ||
| Ph.D. | 4 years |
Graduate courses in civil engineering are offered in four broad areas:
Transportation include topics on transportation economics, transportation systems, pavement management, geometric design, and traffic engineering.
Geological, geotechnical, and geo-environmental engineering include topics on rock mechanics, hydrogeology, petroleum wells and reservoirs, terrain evaluation, physio-chemical properties of soils, frozen soils, unsaturated and swelling soils, volume change and shear strength, slope stability, saturated-unsaturated seepage, contaminant transport, solid waste management, foundation and retaining wall design.
Structures and materials science include topics on structural analysis, numerical analysis methods, dynamics of structures, theory of elasticity, advanced composite materials, structural steel design, prestressed concrete and concrete technology.
Water resources and environmental engineering include topics such as water quality, advanced water and wastewater treatment, stormwater collection systems, river engineering, erosion and sediment transport, open channel flow, hydraulic structures, climate change adaptation, water resources management, and surface and statistical hydrology.
Active research programs are conducted in several majors including: geotechnical; geo-environmental; engineering geology; waste management in the domestic, resource and industrial sectors; environmental; hydrology; hydraulic structures; transportation and transportation economics; structural analysis and design, and civil engineering materials.
While conducting research at the University of Saskatchewan, you will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and research centres including:
- the Saskatchewan Centre of Excellence for Transportation and Infrastructure (SCETI)
- the Centre for Advanced Numerical SIMulation (CANSIM)
Research supervisors
This program requires you to have a supervisor. Gaining entrance into this program is a competitive process and we recommend that you reach out to potential supervisors directly.
| Name | Research areas |
|---|---|
| Mining Education, Engineering Education | |
| Bridges; Cement-based materials; Computational mechanics; Constitutive modeling; Corrosion of reinforcing steels; Damage mechanics; Durability of construction materials; Fiber reinforced composites; Fiber reinforced polymers; Service life/performance prediction of reinforced concrete structures | |
| Contaminated site assessment and remediation; Bioremediation; Petroleum hydrocarbons; Freezing contaminated soils; Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria; Microbial community characterization | |
| Geotechnical; In-situ testing; Saturated/unsaturated soil mechanics; Soft ground tunneling | |
| Bond and development of reinforcement; Bridge engineering; Code calibration; Large-scale testing; Reinforced concrete; Reinforced masonry; Service life prediction; Structural engineering; Structural evaluation; Structural rehabilitation | |
| Engineering geology; Geothermal energy; Groundwater modeling; Heat transport in porous media; Hydrogeochemistry; Hydrogeology | |
| Geotechnical Engineering; Full-scale physical modelling of soil-geosynthetic systems; Earthworks & Transportation Geotechnics; Behaviour and improvement of weak clays | |
| Biogas production from anaerobic digestion and gasification; Environmental protection; Geoenvironmental engineering; Hydrology; Ion exchange in reactive groundwater transport; Waste utilization | |
| Caprock integrity; Geological storage of CO2; Geomechanical site characterization; Hydraulic fracturing; Petroleum geomechanics; Reservoir mechanics; Wellbore stability | |
| Atmospheric boundary layer processes; Energy and mass transport in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum; Irrigation | |
| Groundwater modelling; Groundwater resource management; Groundwater quality; Hydrological change in northern latitudes; Integrated hydrological-epidemiological research; Integrated hydrological data improvements; Modelling flow and transport in the hydrological cycle; Sustainable development of natural resources; Water resource engineering | |
| Drownproofing of hydraulic structures; Environmental fluid mechanics; Erodibility testing; Erosion and scour in cohesive soils; Fluid mechanics; Hydraulic design of water treatment plant reservoirs or clearwells; Scour below hydraulic structures | |
| Indigenous water and environmental related projects; Municipal and environmental engineering; Municipal wastewater; Partitioning to organic matter; Recreational water quality; Stormwater runoff | |
| Empirical mine design; Ground control; Joint roughness; Rock mass classification; Rock mechanics; Rock stability; Rock support; Underground stability | |
| Adsorption; Bioremediation; Environmental modelling; Eutrophication; Gas transfer; Water/ wastewater treatment | |
| Analysis of surrogate safety measures; Evaluation of road engineering safety countermeasures; Highway geometric design; Speed management studies; Statistical methods in highway safety analysis | |
| Geo-environmental Engineering, Groundwater flow and contaminant transport, Mine waste management, Project management, Engineering economics | |
| Aquitard hydrogeology and characterization; Engineering geology; Hydrogeochemistry; In situ testing | |
| Pavement maintenance / rehabilitation; Pavement management; Pavement materials; Pavement performance and safety | |
| Fretting fatigue of bolted connections; Structural health monitoring; Vibration-based damage detection; Cold weather masonry materials; Mechanics of composite materials; Cement-based materials; Fibre-reinforced concrete |
Tuition and funding
Funding
In your application, indicate if your attendance is dependant on receiving funding. Competition for scholarships and fellowships is competitive. Award decisions will be made by the department after you have been admitted to the program. When contacting potential supervisors about the research you would like to do, ask about funding opportunities.
Most thesis-based graduate students in the College of Engineering receive funding during their studies (e.g., scholarships, stipends, awards, research fellowships and teaching assistantships). Some typical funding levels are:
Stipends and scholarships:
- $14,000-$18,000/year (M.Sc.)
- $18,000-$22,000/year (Ph.D.)
Teaching assistantships (employment governed by the PSAC agreement):
- Average of $2,500/student/year (50% of students receive teaching assistantships)
College of Engineering awards:
- Average of $3,500/student/year (10% of students receive awards)
Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.
Tuition
Master’s students in a thesis or project-based program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.
Master’s project-based (M.Eng.) program
| Program | Canadian students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| Master of Engineering per term |
Master’s thesis program
Graduate students in a thesis program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.
| Term | Canadian students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 - December 31, 2024 | ||
| January 1 - April 30, 2025 | ||
| May 1 - August 31, 2025 | ||
| Total per academic year |
Doctoral program
Doctoral students pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program. Both international and domestic Ph.D. students pay the same rate.
| Term | |
|---|---|
| January 1 - April 30, 2025 | $1,726.00 CAD |
| May 1 - August 31, 2025 | $1,726.00 CAD |
| September 1 - December 31, 2024 | $1,726.00 CAD |
| Total per academic year | $5,178.00 CAD |
Student fees
In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.
| Fall 2024 | Winter 2025 | Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student fees | $504.45 CAD | $666.08 CAD | $35.00 CAD | $35.00 CAD |
Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.
Admission requirements
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (e.g. 60 credit units)
- A four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field of study
- Demonstrated ability for independent thought, advanced study, and research
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (e.g. 60 credit units)
- A four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field of study
- Demonstrated ability for independent thought, advanced study, and research
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
- Master's degree, or equivalent, from a recognized university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field of study
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of full-time study (e.g. 60 credit units)
Application process
Before you apply
Please visit our department's website to familiarize yourself with the program details.
Submit an online application
Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.
During the application, you'll be asked for:
- Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
- Contact information of your three referees
- For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
- Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions
The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.
At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable $120 application fee. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.
Frequently asked questions
Submit required documents
Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application, and upload the documents outlined below.
Preliminary Statement of Marks
- Once you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload unofficial PDF copies of your academic transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended. This requirement will appear as Preliminary Statement of Marks or Additional Prelim. Statement under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- The uploaded transcript can be an unofficial copy of the transcript issued by the university or college, and must include a grading key/legend.
- All pages of a transcript must be uploaded as a single PDF document.
- Uploaded transcripts will be considered unofficial or preliminary. Official copies of your transcripts will be required only for applicants offered admission. This requirement will appear as Post-secondary Transcript under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
Post-secondary Transcripts
If you receive an offer of admission, you will then be required to have your official post-secondary transcripts sent (by mail in a sealed envelope directly from the institution) to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
- Transcripts usually indicate the institution’s name, grading scheme (typically on back of transcript), your name, course names, numbers, credits, and the grades you have received. Depending on the country or institution, some features may not be available.
- Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation.
- If you are a current University of Saskatchewan student completing your undergraduate program then a letter of completion of degree requirements will be required from your college.
For students who are required to provide proof of English proficiency:
- It is your responsibility to have completed a relevant test with the appropriate score before the application deadline.
- Tests are valid for 24 months after the testing date and must be valid at the beginning of the student's first term of registration in the graduate program.
- Applicants will be required to upload a PDF copy of any required language test score. Uploaded test scores will be considered unofficial or preliminary.
If you receive an Offer of Admission you may be required to have your official language test scores sent to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building - 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
In addition to the above official documents, please upload the following documents:
- A statement/letter of intent outlining your research interests
- A curriculum vitae or resume
Contact
Department of Civil, Geological, and Environmental Engineering
Room 2B60
57 Campus Drive
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9
Graduate Chair
Dr. Kerry McPhedran
Email: engr.CGEEgradchair@usask.ca
Graduate Administrator
Graduate Commons
Email: engrgrad.inquiries@usask.ca
- Department of Civil, Geological, and Environmental Engineering
Learn more about the academic unit offering this program - Program and Course Catalogue
To view official admission and program requirements