Online Structural Engineering Certificate: Building Design

Study, Design, and Improve the Future of Buildings With a Graduate Certificate in Building Design From MTU.

Building engineers are the foundation of any modern society. From evaluating structures, designing building components, to understanding multiple material systems, building design and construction professionals need to work with diverse materials, such as steel, concrete, masonry, and timber. They are responsible for designing, creating, and maintaining safe and efficient structures across the U.S. and the globe.

And with recent advances in building design materials and more focus on improving American infrastructure, skilled building engineers are in higher demand than ever.

Earning a graduate structural engineering certificate in building design from Michigan Tech will prepare you for a broad range of careers in industries such as architecture, government, building design, and construction.

Take Advanced Building Design Courses While Customizing Your Program.

As you progress in the building designer program, you’ll master advanced topics in structural analysis, as well as courses in working with materials like concrete, masonry, steel, and timber. The skill sets and experience you’ll accrue in the building design program will make you a highly competitive candidate on the job market. Our online graduate certificate, then, is perfect for any aspiring building design and construction professional.

There are no required courses in the building design program at MTU. That is, you will customize their program using elective courses, choosing one course from Group A and then two courses from Group B, which will provide you with expertise in a specific building material.

When planning your program, remember to check class availability on the course registration page.

Group A Courses (Choose One)

CEE 4213 - Structural Concrete Design

Introduction to design of reinforced concrete structural components. Analyze and design reinforced concrete beams, columns, and footings. Understand material behavior, limit state criteria, and practical detailing considerations. Application of the ACI 318 to cast-in-place and precast systems.

Credits: 4.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-2)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 3202

CEE 4223 - Steel Design I

Behavior and design of structural steel members using both ASD and LRDF approaches. Covers material behavior, external loads, and the design of tension, compression, and flexural members (rolled, built-up, and composite), and simple welded and bolted connections.

Credits: 4.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-2)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Summer
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 3202

CEE 4233 - Structural Timber Design

Introduction to the use of wood as a structural engineering material. Includes design of beams, columns, nailed and bolted connections, trusses, and panels. Overview of engineered timber systems including glulam, LVLs, I-joists, and cross-laminated timber.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 3202 or CMG 3250

CEE 4244 - Loads for Civil Structures

The course focuses on the theory and building code requirements for civil structural loadings that are used in design. The loads and load combinations will include dead loads, occupancy live loads, snow loads, wind loads, and seismic loads.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 3202

Group B Courses (Choose Two)

CEE 5201 - Advanced Structural Analysis

The study of nonlinear structural analysis techniques, especially energy methods, applied to elastic buckling analysis, large deflections of beams, second-order effects in frames, and plastic analysis of steel structures.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 4201

CEE 5212 - Prestressed Concrete Design

Theory of prestressed and post-tensioned members. Covers analysis and design of prestressed concrete beams, slabs, box girders, and bridge girders by elastic and ultimate strength methods. Precast and cast-in-place system construction techniques will be included.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 4213

CEE 5213 - Concrete and Masonry Building Systems

Design of reinforced concrete two-way slabs and reinforced masonry systems for buildings. Includes design of bearing walls, shear walls, lintels, pilasters, slender columns, torsional beams and connections. A design project may be included during the semester.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 4213

CEE 5223 - Steel Design II

Additional topics in steel design including beam-columns, floor vibrations, diaphragms, buckling behavior of thin elements, torsional buckling, and beam and column bracing. Includes an introduction to cold-formed steel design.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Spring
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 4223

CEE 5233 - Advanced Structural Timber Design

Advanced design of timber structures, including glulam tapered and curved beams, arches, and traditional timber frames, advanced shear wall design, advanced connection design, including timber connectors and cross-laminated timber design.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall, in odd years
Pre-Requisite(s): CEE 4233

Lay the Foundation For Future Graduate Study.

Our certificate in building analysis and design was created to help aspiring professionals like you build a strong foundation upon which to advance your career.

But you can also continue learning, using this certificate to launch into graduate studies. That is, you can stack this certificate with other structural engineering certificates to build a customizable master's degree. When you do so, you graduate not only with a master's degree but also three focused credentials.

For instance, the chart below demonstrates how you can create your advanced degree from one required course and three structural engineering certificates: Building Analysis and Design, Hazard Analysis, and Bridge Analysis and Design. Alternatively, you could combine your building design certificate with another two certificates; there are four from which you can choose.

This is a chart that deminstrates how people can build their master's in Civil Engineering degree from three stackable certificates.

This certificate is also available as an on-campus option.

Why Earn your Structural Engineering Certificate in Building Design from MTU?

Since 1885, Michigan Tech has helped engineers of every type excel as professionals who exercise creativity and innovative thinking to make positive impacts on their fields and the world around them.

Earning your structural engineering certificate online from MTU ensures that you receive the same superb educational experience as in-person students. In fact, Michigan Tech is ranked the #3 best accredited online college in Michigan (EDsmart, 2024).

Access these Benefits.

Flexible Education
Enjoy the quality and ease of our building design program courses, thanks to online resources to keep you connected and engaged. Most structural engineering courses are offered regularly and in all three semesters.
Distinguished Faculty
Because of small classes sizes in our online building designer courses, you’ll work closely with highly respected faculty with years of professional and educational experience. Learn about the many uses of concrete in building design and construction. Discover how to become a building designer and make an impact on the world around you.
Community Outreach
Building engineers create and maintain the foundations of communities. That's why we offer multiple programs to connect caring and knowledgeable engineers like you with the larger community. Check out the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach to learn more about how you can help your community stay strong.

What Can You Do with a Structural Engineering Certificate in Building Design?

With so many specialized materials and methods to create structures, building design and construction professionals are always in high demand. You’ll stand out both on the job market and on the job with your sophisticated understanding of building components and systems in structural steel, reinforced and pre-stressed concrete, masonry, and timber. You’ll graduate with a broad knowledge of these materials as well as a focus on a single material, making you a highly adaptable building engineer.

Graduates from our structural engineering certificate in building design work in prestigious organizations and companies in exciting and fast-growing careers.

Close up of steel beams of some structure.

Possible Careers

Architecture
Interior Design
Building inspection
Construction management
Project management

Get Started on Your Online Building Design Certificate.

Want more information about how to become a building designer? Need help finding financial aid and scholarship information? We are here to answer your questions and to help you succeed in your online program.