By Dr. Siva Srinivasan, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering
The profession of transportation engineering is undergoing a massive transformation. There is a great need to train the workforce in the emerging technologies. Equally important is to develop leadership who can shepherd the profession through these rapidly transformative times and such leadership development goes beyond technical training. UFTI’s educational portfolio caters to the wide spectrum of current and emerging educational needs. The online programs are targeted at working professionals who are looking to further their skills and credentials while the in-person programs are mostly geared towards full time students seeking advanced skills and/or interested in advancing the state of the art through research.
Online Programs
Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Transportation Leadership
The “Transportation Leadership” concentration is a new initiative targeted at working professionals who are looking for career advancement to leadership roles in the transportation profession. This online degree offers a blend of technical and leadership courses and is offered in collaboration with the Engineering Leadership Institute at UF. This program is open to students who have a bachelor’s degree (not limited to civil engineering) and work experience in a transportation-related field.
Upon admission to the program, students will first take the core course “Fundamentals of the Transportation Profession” which is focused on the past, present and future of the profession. Guest Speakers will address various themes such as institutions, public policy, financing, economics, public engagement, communications, leadership, management and select technical issues. The students will take three additional core classes: Engineering Leadership, Fundamentals of Engineering Project Management and Engineering Innovation. The students can take the remaining six courses from a wide array of online transportation-related courses offered by faculty affiliated with the UFTI. There are also opportunities for transferring-in relevant graduate credits from other institutions. Professionals working for the state of Florida may be eligible for tuition waiver. For admission and other questions please contact Dr. Siva Srinivasan. Students can start this program in both Spring and Fall semesters.
Certificate in Transportation Operations and Planning (TOP)
The Transportation Operations and Planning (TOP) Certificate Program has been established for transportation professionals with interests in transportation systems management, operations and transportation planning. This is a nine-credit (three courses) online program, taught by faculty who are affiliated with the UF Transportation Institute. Details about the list of courses and admissions are available here. For admission and other questions please contact Dr. Siva Srinivasan.
In-Person Programs
The Ph.D. and master’s (in-person) programs in Transportation Engineering at UF offer students exciting opportunities to work on cutting-edge technologies such as connected/automated vehicles, big data and data analytics, the theory of traffic flow, simulation and optimization of transportation systems, traveler behavior, infrastructure design and monitoring, dynamic traveler information systems and multi-modal transportation (e.g., transit, ridesharing and micro mobility.) Students with strong analytical capabilities (one or more of statistics, big data analytics, optimization, simulation modeling, programming, GIS) and excellent written and oral communication skills interested in addressing various current and future transportation problems are encouraged to apply. Students from a variety of undergraduate/master’s disciplines including Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, or Industrial and Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Urban Planning and Economics will be considered based on interests and expertise.
An extensive list of graduate level courses related to transportation engineering are here and the degree-requirements for masters and Ph.D. programs are available here. For admission and other questions please contact Dr. Lili Du.
Multi-Disciplinary Programs
Concurrent Degree in Engineering and Urban Planning
UF offers opportunities for students to pursue coursework in two different programs with shared credits leading to dual degrees. The most common such (in person) program in the concurrent degree in engineering and planning. This degree is aimed at holistically preparing students for a successful career in the inter-disciplinary field of planning, designing and operating urban infrastructure. While the planning program is focused on sustainable land-use and transportation policies and geospatial analysis to provide a good quality of life for the future population, the engineering program focuses on rigorous analytical methods for evaluating and prioritizing these policy actions and on operating the transportation systems efficiently. A qualified student can expect to obtain the two degrees in about three years with nine shared credits (three common courses.) Further details are available here. For additional information please contact Dr. Siva Srinivasan (Engineering) or Dr. Ruth Steiner (Planning.)