Overview
In 1957, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), constructed its first building on a 60-acre plot of desert and opened its doors to an inaugural class of 300 students. Today, enrollment exceeds 25,000, and some 700 professors bring degrees and teaching experience from all over the world.

The university made great strides toward its goal of becoming a top-notch research institution when the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching reclassified UNLV, placing it in the category of Doctoral/Research University-Intensive - a substantial jump from its previous classification as a Master's Comprehensive I institution. UNLV increasingly is a dynamic resource for, and partner with, the community that it serves.

The Location and Community
The University's campus of about 335 acres is located on Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas about a mile north of McCarran International Airport and 3 miles east of I-15. The Las Vegas community has a population in excess of 1 million people. The city is considered one of the entertainment capitals of the world. Outdoor activities include boating on Lake Mead and skiing on Mount Charleston.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
Programs of study lead to the degrees of Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) in civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering; the Master of Science (M.S.) in computer science and construction management; and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. Areas of study and research include civil and environmental engineering (fluid mechanics and hydraulics, structural analysis and design, construction, geotechnical and geological, transportation, and environmental), electrical and computer engineering (power systems, communications, computer engineering, electronics, solid state devices, nanotechnology, and controls), mechanical engineering (robotics, controls, vibrations, and acoustics; heat transfer, fluid flow, and energy systems; nuclear, mechanics, and materials), and computer science (algorithms, artificial intelligence, software engineering, distributed systems, programming languages, multimedia, and graphics). There are two M.S. programs: 30 credits of graduate course work plus a 3-credit design project or 24 credits of graduate course work plus a 6-credit thesis. The Ph.D. degree requires the M.S. degree or equivalent for admission to the engineering or computer science programs. A minimum of 27 credits of course work is required beyond the M.S. plus a minimum of 18 credits for the dissertation. A qualifying oral and written examination is required after the completion of at least 12 but not more than 18 credits of required course work. A preliminary examination is required upon presentation of a dissertation research proposal.

Facilities & Resources
The College of Engineering is housed in the Thomas E. Beam Engineering Complex. This facility contains fifteen laboratories, seven classrooms, an auditorium, several College computer and terminal rooms, machine shops, a supercomputer center, and office space.

Each department has well-equipped laboratories. The Tiberti Research Laboratory is a large, high-profile lab containing three large acoustical chambers, two 100-foot wind tunnel ducts, piping and controls for a 3,600-GPM flume, and a state-of-the-art MTS machine for a variety of materials testing applications. Other laboratories are devoted to soil mechanics and construction materials, water and wastewater treatment, fluid mechanics and hydraulics, heat transfer and thermal fluids, energy conversion and robotics, machine design, electric power systems, electronics and communications, digital systems and controls, computer-aided design, geographical information systems, computer graphics, multimedia, information retrieval and OCR, and Web design.

Every department has access to Sun and Digital Equipment Corporation computers, graphics workstations, CAD/CAM stations, more than a dozen GIS stations, and many IBM-compatible personal computers. The University Computer Center is available for student and faculty use. The National Supercomputing Center for Energy and the Environment supports an Origin 2000 system, a Cray EL92, a Convex C-220, a Storage Tek Silo, and a variety of software, all of which are housed in the College of Engineering. Additional research opportunities are available through the Transportation Research Center, the Information Science Research Institute (ISRI), and the Center for Mechanical and Environmental Systems Technology.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition is $166.00 per credit hour for Nevada residents, with an additional fee of $4,200 per semester for out-of-state students. Health and other fees were $80 per semester. Student health insurance is available for $279 per semester. Graduate assistantships qualify students for in-state status for tuition purposes.

Financial Aid:
Each department has teaching and research assistantships that pay student tuition plus half-time monthly stipends. Fellowships, scholarships, and grants are available through the Graduate College. Computer science offers research internships sponsored by industry to exceptionally qualified students. Students may apply for employment and a number of loan programs (work-study, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Student Loans, and Incentive Grants) through Student Financial Services.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Eight dorms are available. Room and board prices range from $4,130 to $4,900 per semester. One hall was reserved for graduate students. Off-campus rental housing costs ranged from $600 to $800 per month, depending on utility and other costs. Students often live together in order to cut costs. Living costs are quite reasonable in the Las Vegas community.

How to Apply / Application
Applicants to the M.S. programs should have earned a bachelor's degree in the appropriate discipline (ABET-accredited for engineering programs) or a closely related field with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Provisional admission may be granted to promising applicants, but any deficiencies must be made up prior to the start of graduate work. A doctoral candidate must obtain satisfactory scores on the General Test of the GRE. The complete application consists of the application form, official transcripts of all previous university work, and three letters of recommendation. International students must file a financial statement and complete the TOEFL with a score of at least 550. They must also take the UNLV English as a Second Language Placement Test and may be required to take English language courses.

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