Financial Support
Financial Support for Graduate Transportation Engineering Study
The University provides conditional financial support. For a complete guide to the University of Utah's financial support program click the "Why Utah?" icon.
If you have the necessary skills and willingness to apply yourself, there are five ways that you can provide yourself with enough support to complete a Masters or Doctoral degree through the Utah Traffic Laboratory:
- Teaching Assistantships (TAs)
- Research Assistantships (RAs)
- Sponsored Internships
- Tuition Waivers
- Lab Pay
There are special requirements for overseas students.
Get further information for Graduate School Applicants
Teaching Assistantships
Employment as a TA depends on your ability to communicate orally and verbally in English. Your job will be to assist in the undergraduate Transportation Engineering program. You will grade assignments, prepare tests, organize field studies and maintain student records. See the teaching web pages to get an idea of the work.
Research Assistantships
RA appointments depend on your research skills and abilities. It is important to have the willingness to acquire new skills. You may have a joint appointment combining research with teaching.
You will work in the Utah Traffic Lab. The lab emphasizes Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and computer technologies as they relate to transportation application. We have a direct fiber optic link to the new Advanced Traffic Management System currently being installed in the Salt Lake Valley. This work will develop your skills in computing and telecommunications technologies. The Lab will provide opportunities to learn computer programming, networking, software, hardware, telecommunications, and operating systems. We have a variety of platforms: Windows NT, Windows XP, MacOS, Open VMS and Unix. Your willingness to acquire new skills is as important as the skills you bring.
The policy of the Utah Traffic Lab is to offer every new graduate student the opportunity to demonstrate that he or she has the ability and enthusiasm to perform either as a TA, an RA, or both, for one semester. So far, most of the students we've "tried out" have stayed with us, but there are no guarantees!
Sponsored Internships
Salt Lake City, Utah sits at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains in the heart of the Rockies. It is known for its skiing, beautiful wilderness and its quality of life. The region is enjoying unprecedented economic growth and faces many transportation challenges. As an intern, you will contribute to tackling a variety of problems such as traffic calming and the traffic implications of the implementation of a Light Rail system. Others will be helping to develop a new type of transportation system.
The Utah Traffic Lab has links with industrial and government employers. As an intern, you will work in a transportation engineering office. Normally, you will work for about 20 hours per week during the semester and 40 hours during vacations. Your dissertation topic will likely be work related and will be jointly supervised by your internship employer and the University.
Tuition Waivers
Most Traffic Lab RAs and TAs earn full tuition waiver.
Lab Pay
All TAs, RAs and interns are paid hourly. You will begin by earning $12 per hour. At the end of each semester, we review your progress and pay rate. Some outstanding students have seen their pay rates climb to $20 per hour. It's up to you!
International Student Requirements
If you are an International Student and wish to apply to the University of Utah for admission to the Graduate Program, you will have to meet the following requirements:
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning.
- A cumulative equivalent (US) grade point average of at least 3.0 (equivalent to a UK 2(i)).
- Completion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test, with a combined score of 1,000 or better on the Quantitative and Verbal portions (original documents only).
- A score of at least 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
- Three letters of recommendation from people who are familiar with your qualifications.
Those failing to meet these requirements need not apply.
Master of Science & PhD
Students are normally registered for a Master of Engineering or Master of Science degree. Progress to the PhD program normally follows the successful completion of a Master of Science degree. Exceptional students with a Bachelor's degree may be eligible for a "Fast Track" direct entry into the PhD program. The key word here is "exceptional."
Financial support is entirely dependent on you. If you are diligent and are able to combine a working week of about 20 hours with a busy course work-load, then you will be able to support yourself throughout your studies here.
Sometimes we won't have immediate openings; students can work on campus for a semester before joining the lab.
For overseas students: If you are satisfied that you meet all of the requirements above and you are confident in your ability to communicate both verbally and in written English, apply to the University for admission as a graduate student. For further information, please write or e-mail your request for an information package and application form to:
The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
122 South Central Campus Drive, Room 104
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0561
E-mail:
For help with the GRE exam, go to: http://www.gre.org/
A good site to help you get into and succeed at Graduate School is http://www.gradview.com/