A Master's degree in Civil Engineering is increasingly required for advanced-level employment opportunities with higher-profile national and international employers. Students who want to obtain a 'state of the practice technical foundation in one of the civil engineering subdisciplines should seriously consider taking a Master's degree either through the ABM program (see above) or as a stand-alone qualification. The programs of study provide knowledge of modern engineering concepts and practices, and build upon the knowledge and skills expected of a holder of a typical Bachelor's degree to the point where a Master's graduate can make high-level contributions to contemporary engineering designs. A Master's degree is also an ideal preparation for further study towards the doctoral degree if desired. The thesis option requires six credit hours for writing a medium-length technical report. This thesis is generally a contribution to original engineering research on a topic of great relevance to current state-of-art in Civil, Coastal or Environmental Engineering.