Transportation Engineering

Degree options:

PhD
MS with Thesis, Report, or Coursework only

Courses

The following are a list of transportation classes that may be available through the Civil Engineering department.  Course schedules may vary each semester.

C E 391C. Analysis and Design of Transportation Systems I.

Introduction to conceptual, methodological, and mathematical foundations of analysis and design of transportation services; review of probabilistic modeling; application of discrete choice models to demand analysis. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

C E 391D. Analysis and Design of Transportation Systems II.

Operations research techniques for modeling system performance and design of transportation services; routing and scheduling problems, network equilibration, and spatially distributed queueing systems. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

C E 391E. Advances in Transportation Demand Analysis.

Developments in the econometric and behavioral aspects of demand analysis and forecasting; supply-demand integration; dynamic models. Applications to passenger and freight transportation and other infrastructure services. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 391F. Advanced Theory of Traffic Flow.

Relations among traffic variables; distribution functions; single lane and multilane traffic flow; characterization of traffic in cities; kinematic waves; yellow signal dilemma; merging; fuel consumption; emissions; and special topics. Emphasis on the interplay among theory, experimentation, and observation. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

C E 391J. Transportation Planning: Methodology and Techniques.

Analysis of a wide range of planning studies to establish the logic and foundation for the transportation planning process. Emphasis on techniques of estimation and forecasting population, economic activity, land use, and mobility patterns; determination of goals and objectives; decision making; economic analysis; and alternative evaluation. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 391L. Advanced Traffic Engineering.

Characterization and analysis of arterial street and freeway traffic operations using theoretical and experimental techniques, especially computer simulation. Introduction to the most current analysis and optimization tools for control device design and implementation. Three lecture hours and three hours of supervised work a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

C E 391M. Advanced Geometric Design.

Geometric design of highways and guideways, including topics on levels of service, alignment, vehicle operations, intersection and interchange design, roadside design, lighting, and economics. Three lecture hours and one hour of supervised laboratory work a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

C E 391N. Engineering System Evaluation and Decision Making.

Advanced methods for selection of transportation and other infrastructure systems in the presence of multiple criteria, multiple decision makers, and uncertainty. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 391P. Highway and Airport Pavement Systems.

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

Topic 1: Theory and Behavior of Pavements. Theories of pavement behavior and concepts of pavement design.
Topic 2: Design and Performance of Pavements. Pavement performance evaluation and the application of theory to the design of pavements.
Topic 3: Pavement Management Systems. Defines the interrelationships among all aspects of pavement technology. Application of computer-based management methodology.

C E 391Q. Bituminous Materials.

Design and use of asphalt mixtures; chemical, physical, and rheological properties of asphalt; and practical applications in highways, airports, and other construction. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

C E 391R. Airport Design and Operation.

Aircraft characteristics, site selection, airport configuration, capacity, terminal design, traffic control, and interfacing with other transportation modes. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

C E 391T. Contemporary Transportation Issues.

Consideration, analysis, and evaluation of recent transportation-related innovations and developments. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Offered on the credit/no credit basis only. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

C E 391W. Transportation Systems Operations and Control.

Concepts and advanced methods for the design of control strategies for transportation systems operations, including highway traffic systems (signalized street networks and freeways), transit systems, and private carrier operations, including airlines. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

C E 392C. Transportation Network Analysis.

Transportation network analysis focusing on planning and optimization using static traffic assignment models. Subjects include deterministic and stochastic equilibrium, traditional and modern solution methods, shortest path algorithms, combined models, and basic nonlinear programming skills. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 392D. Dynamic Traffic Assignment.

Theory and practice of dynamic traffic assignment as an evolving field. Subjects include basic flow models (point queues, cell transmission model, and link transmission model), time-dependent shortest path algorithms, equilibrium algorithms (convex combinations, simplicial decomposition, and gradient methods), and case studies from practice. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 392E. Acquisition and Analysis of Transportation Data.

Methods and technologies for the acquisition and analysis of data on various aspects of transportation systems, including properties of different data sources and types; stated versus revealed preferences; traffic sensing; survey design; sampling strategies; probabilistic methods of data analysis; overview of statistical methods and various regression models, including random-utility, ordered-choice, simultaneous-equations, time-series, and spatial econometric models. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 392H. Regional Transportation Planning: Applications and Tools.

Explore various aspects of regional transportation system performance forecasting, including methods for anticipating Americans' evolving travel choices. Examine key data sources and model specifications for planning activities; forecasting and validation of predictions, for personal vs. commercial travel; and system-wide applications for traffic and travel pattern forecasts. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Civil Engineering 391H and 392H may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 392L. Experimental Measurements of Soil Properties.

Theoretical and practical knowledge of transducers, sensors, and data acquisition systems for soil and general laboratory testing. Experimental techniques used to characterize properties of geomaterials. Two lecture hours and three laboratory hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 392M. Public Transportation Engineering.

Introduction to public transportation systems, including demand forecasting, operations, and design. Includes statistical methods, driver and vehicle scheduling, algorithms, and survey sampling techniques. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 392N. Topics in Infrastructure Systems.

Management principles, modeling techniques, computer applications, and emerging technologies for the analysis, engineering, and management of infrastructure systems. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

Topic 1: Infrastructure Systems Management. Concepts, principles, theories, and models for infrastructure management, with emphasis on civil infrastructure systems.
Topic 2: Reliability and Maintainability of Infrastructure Systems. Theory of reliability, maintainability, and availability and its application for the analysis of infrastructure systems. Civil Engineering 392N (Topic 2) and 397 (Topic: Reliability and Maintainability of Infrastructure Systems) may not both be counted.
Topic 3: Intelligent Infrastructure Systems. Concepts, frameworks, and models of intelligent infrastructure systems, with emphasis on the application of emerging technologies and advanced modeling techniques.

C E 392P. Sustainable Pavement Engineering.

Pavement design; back calculation; use of locally available materials for pavement construction; recycled asphalt pavements and shingles; warm mix and cold mix asphalt; industrial by-products and waste incorporated in pavement materials; emerging technologies for sustainable pavement design and pavement management. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Civil Engineering 392P and 397 (Topic: Sustainable Pavement Engineering) may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, and Civil Engineering 366K, 367P, 391P (Topic 2: Design and Performance of Pavements), 391Q, or consent of instructor.

C E 392R. Discrete Choice Theory and Modeling.

Methods and statistics of model estimation, with emphasis on maximum-likelihood; individual choice theory; binary choice models; unordered multinomial and multidimensional choice models; sampling theory and sample design; ordered models and aggregate prediction with choice models; introduction to advanced concepts, such as unobserved population heterogeneity, joint slated preference and revealed preference modeling, and longitudinal choice analysis. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, and Civil Engineering 391J or consent of instructor.

C E 392S. Intermodal Transportation Systems.

Strategic planning of intermodal freight transportation systems (infrastructure and rolling stock). Freight logistics, intermodal technology, and intermodal terminal operations. Intermodal freight transportation policy, planning, and operational systems and programs. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 392T. Transport Economics.

Application of economic theory and principles to transportation systems analysis and evaluation. Subjects include individual demand decisions, optimal private and public transport supply (including pricing strategies and input demands), market imperfections and externalities, and welfare-based transport policy. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 392U. Transportation Systems Management.

Evolving concepts of transportation agency organization, management, and delivery of transportation programs, products, and services. Separation versus integration of transport policymaking and service delivery functions; emerging models for delivering programs and services, such as outsourcing, privatization, and state-owned enterprises; review of national and international experiences with innovative approaches and the benefits and costs associated with change. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

C E 392V. Methods to Characterize Bituminous Materials.

Introduction to the design and performance prediction of asphalt mixtures. Experimental and computational methods used to characterize the chemical and mechanical properties and performance of bituminous materials at several different length scales. Includes computational models. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Civil Engineering 392V and 397 (Topic: Characterization of Bituminous Materials) may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, and Civil Engineering 366K, 391Q, or consent of instructor.


  • C E 197, 297, 397. Special Studies in Civil Engineering.

    For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester; some topics require additional hours. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing; consent of instructor; additional prerequisites vary with the topic.

    Topic 4: Freight Transportation. Topics include review of transport systems analysis; shipper objectives; demand and supply modeling; freight flow data; network analysis; truck size and weight policies; finance.
    Topic 6: Traffic Science Seminar. Topics range from fundamentals of vehicular traffic science to relevant methodologies in physics, applied mathematics, and operational science.
    Topic 14: Design of Wood Members and Systems. Design and behavior of solid wood and glued-laminated wood structural members; light-frame and heavy timber systems, including trusses and arches. Additional prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
    Topic 16: Evaluation, Materials, and Techniques for Concrete Repair. Causes of distress, evaluation methods, repair materials, repair techniques, and quality control methods for repair of concrete. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester, with one and one-half additional hours a week for guest speakers. Architectural Engineering 383 (Topic 7) and Civil Engineering 197, 297, 397 (Topic 16) may not both be counted.
    Topic 17: Air Sampling and Analysis. Collection and analysis of air samples for gaseous and particulate contaminants. Gas flow rate and calibration techniques, stationary source sampling and analysis, indoor air sampling, ozone and NOx ambient air monitoring.
    Topic 20: Computer Methods for Civil Engineers. Essential methods for computer-aided problem solving in transportation and other civil engineering areas. Topics may include computer operating systems concepts; the Internet and World Wide Web site design; advanced programming with C programming language; data structures; file manipulation and management; Monte Carlo simulation techniques; interfacing with spreadsheets, SQL databases, and computer-aided design packages; introduction to Geographic Information Systems. Team programming is emphasized.
    Topic 22: Intelligent Transportation Systems Seminar. Introduction to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) concepts, evolution, and current initiatives. Program evolution from Mobility 2000, through IVHS and strategic planning activities by the Department of Transportation and ITS America, to current operational tests and deployment projects.