huangyhg

master student needs guidence
to any experience structural engineers, i have a few questions.
i just receive my bs in civil engineering from a small school in louisiana called southern university. in the fall i will attend virginia tech's masters program and study structural engineering. i have a strong academic foundation in the basic subjects of structural engineering, (struc. analy., concrete, steel, soils) but very little experience beyond that. since my school was so small my elective courses were very limited. i've had some summer internship experience but none in the structural field. i know what some of my structural interests are but don't know how they relate to the real world engineering industry. i need some guidance and insight on what i should concentrate on while in graduate school. i was an architecture major for one and a half years, so i'm mainly interested in the residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. bridges are definitely an option but don't want to limit myself to there areas. i basically need to know, what are some courses i should definitely take? what is the most universally used structural software i should learn? what type of research i should get involved in that's most applicable in the industry? and what are some of the hot areas of structural engineering today?
i don't know if these are stupid questions, but please help.

rjac,
first let me say that as a graduate student you should realize that your academic pursuit and interest may be two seperate entities. at the masters level, you will undoubtfully assist with the research interest of your advisor. from there it will be up to you to draw parallels, if any, to your interest.
basic to any advanced study in structural engineering is advanced structural analysis. matrix methods and a thorogh study of energy theroems.
if you're going to focus on building design, there many design course beyond the undergraduate level that will be of interest. prestressed concrete, wood design, masonry, and advanced topics in steel design to name some. these courses repeat the same old flexure, shear, and torsion concepts learned in mechanic of material with a more narrow focus, obviously.
if, on the other hand, you're interested in more theoretical aspects. such as where that formula for buckling came from and what exactly are the second order terms and what impact do they have. then you will need to start out with courses in advanced mechanics such as elasticity and stability. interest in these courses may lead to further study in such courses as finite elements and perhaps a course in composite materials.
the latter courses will help if you would like to become involved in an up-and-coming field...developing applications for advanced materials in civil engineering. advanced materials speaks volumes for whats hot in our industry today as does lrfd. so there is the theoretical and the practical right there.
as for software, take the matrix class and understand whats behind the commercial software packages and, if availiable, get used to strudl or similar packages. you'd be surprised to learn how many packages out there today use the same type of "problem-oriented-language" input.
i hope this of some assistance...and get ready to have a great time learning...graduate school is like being in the candy-store of engineering!
. . . just for more emphasis - composites! and, good luck . . .
frank
i also started out in architecture (frustrated architect!!) and moved on (and up) to civil engineering and got a b.s. however, i worked a couple of years before returning to graduate school and was very glad i did, primarily for a break from studying and also to get that "real world" experience.
some schools provide the option of going thesis or non-thesis. i opted for the non-thesis as i had no intention of ever going on to get a phd or do research. i knew that i wanted to work in consulting. if you have any inclination that you might want to continue on in your studies after the m.s., it would be better to go thesis to leave the option open to you.
as for courses, oshake, above listed pretty much what i would recommend. i found the matrix analysis course to be very helpful in finally, really, fully, totally understanding how we "analyze" our structures. finite element analysis was quite theoretical, but in the long run took out all the mystery behind them. steel and concrete classes including prestressed would be good. the prestressed is especially important if you ever go into bridge design. in buildings, most prestress design is handled by the prestress fabricator, but its important to understand what's going on.
while your classwork is important, your "real" teacher(s) will be those engineers that you eventually go to work for after you graduate. these individuals are very important as to how you will develop your engineering talents. while you provide prospective employers with your resume, why not ask them for theirs?
rjac,
you don't have to make up your mind now. the first semester, in graduate school, will help you get a clearer idea of what you want.
i, like jae, opted for the non-thesis plan when pursuing my masters degree. so, if you are not going for the phd, you will be taking just regular advanced courses.
i second the thoughts of the above writers. i would like to add an important issue; go to the va tech footbal games and relax as much as possible. go hokies :-)

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借用达朗贝尔的名言：前进吧，你会得到信心!
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