An M.Eng. degree is offered to students who are interested in the applied aspects of engineering and who wish to prepare for professional practice and consulting. The department offers two such programs: the M.Eng. in structural engineering, and the M.Eng. in environmental engineering and water resources. The M.Eng. degree is usually completed in one academic year of full-time study. The M.Eng. in structural engineering focuses on the applied aspects of structural engineering. Two of the leading civil engineering design companies in the world are actively involved in the program by teaching design-oriented courses and supervising design/research projects. The program also provides the opportunity for formal study in nontechnical areas such as corporate finance, public policy, and regulatory issues. The Mechanics, Materials and Structures (MMS) graduate program focuses on global challenges such as climate change and restoring and improving the civil infrastructure in the context of urbanization and aging infrastructure. Research related to these challenges includes: hazard prediction, structural design for coastal defense, sustainable concrete and materials for CO2 capture, utilization and storage, energy-efficient architecture, structural health monitoring, structural optimization techniques, hazard risk assessment of structures and communities following extreme events such as hurricanes and earthquakes, and smart, kinetic, deployable structures.