The University of Washington Master of Science in Civil Engineering: Construction Engineering is one of the few online graduate programs in the nation with a focus in heavy construction. Hear faculty and alumni talk about the specialized curriculum, career opportunities and the convenient online format. Learn more at www.constructionengineering.uw.edu. Video Transcript: [Barbara] My favorite part about construction engineering is the way that no two things are ever the same. You can go to the same site two days in a row and something is going to be different about it. [Steve] The program's actually focused on what we would loosely call heavy construction, heavy civil -- things like roads and bridges and marine construction and things like infrastructure -- as opposed to buildings and houses and things. So we get a lot of courses like marine construction. Construction materials focuses on materials you can use on that. I teach a class on pavement construction. [Lane] Heavy construction has a lot of different elements to it -- from environmental to law to estimating, even down to the construction scheduling. [Barbara] I started thinking, when I was searching for work, I realized that the bar has been raised. Now employers are really looking for people to have a master's degree in this field. [Steve] It's an online program for a master's degree in civil engineering, just like a master's degree that you would get here on campus if you came here. Students sign up for and register for and take, can take, all the courses online, so they don't actually physically have to be here on campus. [Barbara] So I chose the online option rather than a more traditional program because I work during the day, and that seemed to be the best way for me to get a master's in civil engineering and still be able to pay my bills. [Steve] So we might find students that are well into their career in construction, maybe 10, 15 years into it, and are looking to broaden their education for their own personal gain or maybe for something they want to do for a company or a career change. [Lane] Now that I have a master's in civil engineering I have a little bit of an advantage upon my counterparts who strictly have bachelors of sciences. [Steve] You get the best faculty members we have here at the University of Washington. Just like you would if you came here in person. [Lane] My favorite part about working in the program was that it gave me the flexibility to choose how much coursework I wanted to take that quarter or semester. [Barbara] My favorite part about being in this program is the interactions with the students and the professors. It's been a really great experience; we've really encouraged each other. [Steve] I've had students in my class, in the same class, too, from like Okinawa, west coast of the United States, east coast of the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia. [Barbara] So you get perspectives more than just the local perspective that you would be more likely to get just on an in house or an on campus classroom. [Steve] So as a student, not only do you take these classes and meet these professors, you meet the other students too. And sometimes it's somebody working right across town and sometimes it's somebody working halfway across the world, and you learn from them. You don't only learn from the professor in the class; you probably learn as much from the other students.

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