Prospective Students

Welcome to the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas at Austin!

For over 50 years, our students have worked side-by-side with professional researchers and faculty members to address the transportation challenges of today and tomorrow. Students play a critical role in research projects, and in doing so jump-start their career by gaining real-world experience with a world-class education in transportation engineering.

When you come to CTR, you’ll work on some of the most exciting projects in transportation research. The State of Texas has one of the largest state transportation agencies in the country in the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), a leader in the nation for transportation innovation. CTR closely collaborates with TxDOT, as well as numerous federal, local and private agencies.

Our Philosophy

Why transportation engineering? Some of the biggest challenges in our country, and across the world, are inherently linked to transportation. It impacts where we live, travel, work, the food we eat, clothes we wear, and how we interact with our environment.

When you choose a career in transportation engineering, you are making a difference in improving people’s lives. As populations grow, so does the need for new bridges to be designed, pavements to be developed, traffic models to be studied, and freight movements to be optimized.

When our research is completed, the findings don’t just go up on a shelf. Highways are built, bike lanes are implemented, bridges are constructed, and knowledge is applied to improve our transportation infrastructure.

Why transportation engineering at the Center for Transportation Research?

Our faculty members and researchers are some of the top experts in their respective fields. When you come to study here, you’ll be learning, and work alongside, some of the brightest minds in transportation.

Admission Information

New graduate students must meet both the CAEE requirements and the Transportation Engineering Program requirements. If you meet the requirements, applications are due by December 15 for the summer and/or fall semester and September 1 for the spring semester.

Visiting the Program

Accepted students are invited to visit the program before they make their final decision. The current graduate students show prospective students around for a long weekend, and give them an honest view into what it’s like here at UT Austin. We’re sure that once you visit, you’ll see why we love it so much.

Financing

Outstanding opportunities for financial support are available to graduate students in Transportation Engineering. Most of our graduate students receive support in the form of assistantships and fellowships. In some cases, a nice “package” can be arranged by combining a fellowship with an assistantship. These awards are typically sufficient to allow graduate students to be financially independent and afford a reasonable student lifestyle. Learn more about financial support here.

Ready to Apply?

You can learn more or start here.