Master of Science [M.S] [Civil and Environmental Engineering] From UMass Lowell

UMass Lowell Master of Science (M.S.) Civil and Environmental Engineering is a 30-credit, full-time, on-campus graduate route in Lowell, Massachusetts. The official catalogue names the award Master of Science in Engineering in Civil Engineering with an Environmental Option. Applicants need an undergraduate degree in engineering, mathematics or science, while applicants without civil or environmental engineering preparation must complete specified prerequisites. Fall 2026 is the current intake, and the 2026-27 international estimate is US$34,717 (INR 33.18 Lakhs) in annual tuition and mandatory fees. A calculated two-year tuition-and-fee basis is US$69,434 (INR 66.36 Lakhs), before living costs.

The Environmental Engineering Option trains students in water and wastewater treatment, groundwater remediation, solid waste management, environmental chemistry, hydrology, hydraulics and air pollution control. Five core courses plus electives create an advisor-shaped plan, while coursework, project-report and thesis routes support different professional and research aims. It suits Indian applicants with strong quantitative preparation who can document the listed chemistry, physics, mathematics and civil engineering prerequisites. The tradeoff is a broad, flexible plan that still requires prerequisite matching before graduate coursework begins.

• The department offers environmental, geoenvironmental, geotechnical, structural and transportation options within the civil engineering degree.
• Late-afternoon and evening classes can support students who need a schedule around employment.
• The Graduate Master’s Co-op Option adds an experiential-learning route that applicants can investigate with the department.

Also Check: UMass Lowell graduate admission details

UMass Lowell Civil Engineering Fees and Living Costs 2026

UMass Lowell’s current 2026-27 international graduate schedule gives the usable full-time on-campus cost basis for Fall 2026. The published annual total combines US$29,250 (INR 27.95 Lakhs) in tuition with US$5,467 (INR 5.22 Lakhs) in mandatory fees, while living costs are listed separately.

2026-27 fee basis: The first three rows are the university’s current international full-time estimate. The application fee is a current graduate-admissions charge, and the final row is calculated from the annual total.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of USD 1 = INR 95.5699 as of 15 August 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

Source: UMass Lowell Graduate Tuition and Fees, 2026-27 schedule.

The US$34,717 annual estimate (INR 33.18 Lakhs) is based on nine credits per semester and is not a guaranteed two-year bill. Credits above nine per semester can add charges, while the mandatory-fee line includes the International Fee and Health Insurance Fee.

• The US$29,250 tuition estimate (INR 27.95 Lakhs) should be funded separately from the US$5,467 mandatory-fee estimate (INR 5.22 Lakhs).
• The US$75 application fee (INR 7,168) is separate from the calculated two-year basis of US$69,434 (INR 66.36 Lakhs).
• The university says these estimates can change by vote of the UMass Board of Trustees, so confirm the amount shown in your student account.

Cost of Living in Lowell for Civil Engineering Students

UMass Lowell’s 2026-27 international graduate estimate assigns US$19,942 (INR 19.06 Lakhs) to annual living expenses. The university describes this combined figure as room and board, books, personal expenses and more, so it should not be split into rent, groceries or transport without separate official evidence.

The one-year university estimate is US$54,659 (INR 52.24 Lakhs). It adds US$34,717 (INR 33.18 Lakhs) in tuition and mandatory fees to US$19,942 (INR 19.06 Lakhs) in living expenses. A calculated two-year planning budget is US$109,318 (INR 1.04 Crore), before travel and other one-time costs. This is a planning illustration, not a course-specific tuition quote. The university separately states that students remain responsible for the full cost of their education.

For on-campus planning, UMass Lowell separately lists optional weighted-average housing of US$11,402 (INR 10.90 Lakhs) and food of US$6,080 (INR 5.81 Lakhs) per year. These optional figures help compare residence choices but should not be added again to the combined living estimate without checking what your selected housing plan covers.

Read More: USA cost of living for international students

Key insight: The current two-year tuition-and-fee basis is US$69,434 (INR 66.36 Lakhs). The combined planning budget reaches US$109,318 (INR 1.04 Crore) after living costs, so secure funding for the full estimate before applying.

UMass Lowell Civil Engineering Admission 2026

Admission is open to applicants with undergraduate degrees in engineering, mathematics or science. Applicants without a Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering degree must show equivalent preparation in the option’s chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering prerequisites.

No course-specific minimum GPA or Indian percentage is published on the checked official pages. UMass Lowell evaluates prerequisite equivalency after an applicant has applied and been admitted, and additional deficiencies can appear in the acceptance letter.

Academic preparation: The table groups the named Environmental Option prerequisites so Indian applicants can map transcript titles before submitting an application.

The prerequisite burden is the main academic screening risk for applicants from adjacent science fields. Equivalent coursework is allowed, but the university makes the formal decision after admission, so a strong overall degree result cannot replace a missing course match.

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) scores are not required for this master’s programme. Applicants may still submit scores if they wish, but the application should first establish the named technical preparation.

English Language Proficiency for Civil Engineering

The current Francis College of Engineering requirements list IELTS (International English Language Testing System) 6.5+ for international applicants. IELTS is an academic English test, so Indian applicants should check whether the department adds component requirements before booking the exam.

The university lists TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) 79+, but the checked page does not identify the score scale. No conversion to the revised 1.0 to 6.0 scale or the older 0 to 120 scale is made here.

• Complete the prerequisite map before English-test preparation because missing chemistry or fluid-mechanics coursework can affect eligibility.
• Ask whether each Indian course is equivalent before assuming that a similar subject title will satisfy the requirement.
• Keep official marksheets, detailed syllabi and laboratory records ready because UMass Lowell may identify deficiencies after review.

Read More: UMass Lowell civil engineering courses

Tip for Indian students: Build a course-by-course prerequisite file before applying. UMass Lowell accepts equivalent preparation, but the university controls the final equivalency decision and may require deficiencies before full matriculation.

UMass Lowell Civil Engineering Application 2026

The Fall 2026 application route is open for the full-time on-campus scope, and the current engineering process says applications are accepted throughout the year. No international deadline, decision date or interview schedule is published for this option, so submit a complete file and confirm review timing before making visa or travel commitments.

Current engineering application surfaces show Fall 2026 and Spring 2027, followed by Summer 2027, Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 routes. The university presents these as term selections rather than fixed deadline rounds, which makes document completeness more important than waiting for a round-specific cutoff.

Forward-looking intake access: The table lists every current or next-term route visible on the checked engineering application surfaces.

The absence of a fixed deadline does not remove the need for an internal timeline. Indian applicants need time for transcript preparation, English-score reporting, financial documents, admission review and the student-visa process, while the university says all required materials must arrive before review.

Application Documents and Review Sequence

The file requires an application, a statement of purpose, two recommendation letters, transcripts and official test scores. The Civil Engineering catalogue also expects prerequisite equivalency, so the most useful statement explains your environmental engineering preparation instead of repeating a generic career objective.

EngineeringCAS is the centralized application service used for Francis College of Engineering programmes. Unofficial transcripts may be used during application, but accepted students must provide official transcripts, and TOEFL scores should be sent using school code B887.

• Prepare one transcript map that connects each Indian course to the Environmental Option prerequisite list.
• Use two recommenders who can describe your technical preparation, laboratory work or environmental engineering projects.
• Keep the statement of purpose within the recommended two-page limit and connect your goals to water, remediation or pollution-control study.
• Confirm the portal timestamp because the university publishes no local timezone or clock cutoff for this rolling route.

The best application sequence is transcript audit, English-test confirmation, recommendation planning, statement drafting and final document upload. This order reduces the risk of paying the application fee before discovering that a prerequisite or test scale needs clarification.

Application tip: Treat the rolling route as an invitation to submit a complete file, not as a reason to delay. The prerequisite map and financial-document timeline should be ready before you start the portal application.

UMass Lowell Civil Engineering Scholarships 2026

Two current UMass Lowell awards match the Indian applicant profile for a full-time, on-campus master’s in engineering. Both are automatic-consideration awards, but they depend on admission, international tuition residency, F-1 status and available funds.

Scholarship cycle: The awards below are published for Academic Year 2026-27. Fall 2026 priority dates have passed, while late applications may still be considered when funding remains; Spring 2027 dates are shown for forward planning.

The Graduate International Excellence Scholarship requires the published academic standard for the programme, while the Global Engineering Leaders Scholarship adds a 3.000 U.S.-equivalent GPA condition. The Indian CGPA approximation is only a planning guide because UMass Lowell assesses the transcript through its stated equivalency process.

• Submit the admission application by the relevant priority date because both awards provide automatic consideration without a separate scholarship form.
• Keep the budget at full cost because late consideration depends on remaining awards and neither scholarship is guaranteed.
• Submit the enrollment deposit within 21 days of an award or the scholarship may be revoked and reassigned.
• Do not combine the award values with a teaching or research assistantship because the university applies only the tuition benefit that is most advantageous.

Assistantships and Funding Risk

UMass Lowell reports limited teaching assistantships for qualified full-time students and research assistantships arranged with individual research advisors. Assistantships require at least nine credits per semester, may include a tuition and operating-fee waiver, and do not have a guaranteed amount in the checked source.

The Civil Engineering catalogue says students receiving teaching or research assistantships will normally submit a publishable thesis. For an Indian applicant, that creates a possible research route, but the award should be treated as conditional until the department issues a written contract.

Scholarship reality: Funding can materially reduce the US$69,434 two-year tuition-and-fee basis (INR 66.36 Lakhs), but priority dates and automatic consideration do not guarantee an award. Submit the transcript and application early enough for the relevant cycle.

UMass Lowell Civil Engineering Salary 2026

No course-cohort salary, offer rate or placement report is published for the Environmental Option. The official programme page cites a market benchmark of US$132,200 (INR 1.26 Crore) for civil engineers with a PE license. It uses 2023 data from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

PE means Professional Engineer, so the benchmark is not an entry-level graduate salary. The same page cites +9% projected civil-engineering job growth between 2023 and 2033, which describes the market rather than the employment result of this master’s cohort.

Salary evidence scope: The figure below is university-cited external labour-market evidence, not a course-cohort outcome or placement guarantee.

Source: UMass Lowell Civil Engineering programme page, citing American Society of Civil Engineers data.

The programme page names Massachusetts Department of Transportation, HNTB, AECOM, Weston and Sampson, Stantec and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers among places where graduates work. These names show reported employer presence, but the university does not publish a cohort, offer rate or hiring volume for this option.

Return on Investment (ROI) for Indian Applicants

ROI means return on investment, and this course requires a cautious qualitative assessment because graduate outcomes are unpublished. The calculated two-year planning budget is US$109,318 (INR 1.04 Crore), before travel and other one-time costs.

• No course-cohort salary or offer rate is published, so do not calculate a payback period from the US$132,200 benchmark (INR 1.26 Crore).
• The benchmark requires a PE license, so identify United States licensure steps and the likely timeline before treating it as relevant.
• The annual tuition and mandatory-fee estimate is US$34,717 (INR 33.18 Lakhs), so model loan repayment against the full two-year cost rather than tuition alone.
• The annual living estimate is US$19,942 (INR 19.06 Lakhs), so keep living finance separate from the amount payable to the university.
• The degree is marked STEM-designated, but verify the assigned CIP code before counting a 36-month post-study work window.

For an applicant targeting the United States, the main financial risk is the gap between a licensed-engineer benchmark and an unreported graduate outcome. For an applicant returning to India, use the environmental curriculum, project or thesis evidence and Indian employer salary data instead of importing the U.S. benchmark.

Gross salary does not equal take-home pay because tax and payroll deductions vary by location and personal situation. Use a current U.S. federal and Massachusetts tax calculator before matching any salary assumption to loan repayments.

Read More: USA post-study work options

ROI reality: The course has a calculated two-year planning budget of US$109,318 (INR 1.04 Crore), but no verified graduate salary or offer rate. Borrow only after testing the cost against your licensure plan, funding and host-country or India-return decision.

USA Visa for UMass Lowell Civil Engineering Students 2026

International students in the full-time on-campus route normally use an F-1 student visa. This status is tied to full-time study, and UMass Lowell requires international graduate students to take nine credits per semester. The university asks for one year of financial documentation before issuing an I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status). This document supports the visa application but does not cap the total cost of the degree. The current visa application fee is US$185 (INR 17,680), and the I-901 SEVIS fee is US$350 (INR 33,449). SEVIS means Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, and its fee is separate from the visa application charge. The current one-year university estimate is US$54,659 (INR 52.24 Lakhs), before personal funding changes.

• Optional Practical Training (OPT) may provide up to 12 months of work authorization after a qualifying degree.
• STEM means Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and a qualifying assigned CIP code may support a 24-month STEM OPT extension after initial OPT.
• H-1B specialty-occupation sponsorship has no single course-linked salary threshold because the employer must meet the higher actual or prevailing wage and selection is separate.
• F-2 status may cover a spouse and unmarried minor children, but F-2 dependants are not employment-authorized and permanent residence has no fixed course-linked timeline.

Also Check: USA student visa requirements

Visa reality: The programme is marked STEM-designated, but a 36-month work window depends on the assigned CIP code and immigration rules. Confirm the I-20 amount, visa timing and work authorization before paying the US$535 combined visa and SEVIS fees (INR 51,129).