Civil engineers design and maintain the massive infrastructure which today's society depends upon: roads, buildings, bridges, dams, tunnels, levees, sewer systems, and water treatment plants. Guiding the future of our infrastructure, Civil Engineers currently direct the spending of more than one tenth of Canada's gross national product, more than any other professional group. Because Civil Engineers' primary client is society, we often must deal with the human impact of engineering, including social, moral, and legal issues. The Civil Engineer, regardless of whether they are a generalist or a specialist, draws heavily upon the work of the physical and social sciences, other professions and other branches of engineering. Moreover, as engineers have become involved in many interdisciplinary activities over the last decade, the job demarcation between boundaries of engineering has become much less restrictive. People with the strong quantitative problem solving skills provided by a Civil engineering degree are sought after in fields ranging from urban planning to banking to business administration.<br><br>The Master of Applied Science is a research-focused degree option, which may be completed on a part-time or full-time basis, though full-time enrolment is strongly encouraged. A student who is registered full-time in the MASc will normally complete the degree in two years, the first year is focused primarily on coursework, while the second year is largely research-based. Admission into the MASc program is based on the agreement of a faculty member in the candidate's area of specialization who is willing to act as a research supervisor and provide funding. If you are applying for the MASc program, you are strongly encouraged to communicate with a prospective supervisor in the research group that you are interested in prior to submitting your online application. While it is not a requirement that you do this, it is a valuable opportunity to determine whether your research interests align with the faculty member you are most interested in studying with. You are also encouraged to type the name of your preferred supervisor(s) into the appropriate section of the online application.<br><br>The structures mechanics and construction engineering (SM&C) field of study is supported by 14.75 (FTE) tenure and tenure-track professors and one research assistant professor. This research field is also extremely strong within civil and environmental engineering and has an outstanding track record of providing excellent education and training opportunities. In addition, the superb laboratory facilities and specialized technical staff provide support for a large cohort of lab-based graduate students.