The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers programs of graduate study and research in the following two areas: mechanics, materials, and structures, and environmental engineering and water resources. The department offers three degree programs of study: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.), and Master of Engineering (M.Eng.). Students must be admitted to one of these three degree programs. The student-faculty ratio in the department is kept small to allow for productive working relationships between students and their advisers. The department maintains an atmosphere where close interaction between students and faculty is the norm, whereby students benefit from the background, experience, and knowledge their advisers have gained in solving important engineering problems. When a Ph.D. student enters the department, an adviser is assigned to the student based on the student's area of interest. Every admitted Ph.D. student is given financial support in the form of a first-year fellowship. In addition, all admitted Ph.D. students are automatically considered for the prestigious Wu and Upton Fellowships.