Online Graduate Certificate in Structural Design
Advance your career with KU’s Online Graduate Certificate in Structural Design. This flexible program helps working professionals build skills in construction leadership, project delivery, and risk management.
Online Graduate Certificate • Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering
What Is the Online Graduate Certificate in Structural Design?
KU's online graduate certificates provide an affordable, flexible way to build specialized engineering expertise in just 12 credit hours. Coursework may be eligible to transfer toward a related KU graduate degree, though admission to a master's or doctoral program requires a separate application and approval.
Build expertise in the design of structural components and systems while learning current code-based practices used throughout the industry. With coursework focused on reinforced concrete, steel, timber, masonry, and other structural applications, this certificate helps engineers broaden and deepen their structural design knowledge while enhancing their professional qualifications.
See the Graduate Certificate in Structural Design in the KU catalog for courses and requirements.
Program requirements verified against the 2026–27 KU Academic Catalog. Last reviewed August 2026.
Certificate at a Glance
Everything a practicing engineer usually scrolls to find, before you have to scroll.
Career outcomes
What Can You Do with a Graduate Certificate in Structural Design?
Structural design is where code, material, and geometry meet a signature and a seal. Lightcast counts 28,195 U.S. jobs in the occupations this field serves, with 2,310 openings projected every year through 2030 and median earnings of $124,231.
A graduate certificate in structural design is a short, focused post-baccalaureate credential in the code-based design of structural components and systems. At KU it requires four graduate courses and 12 credit hours, anchored by advanced reinforced concrete and advanced steel building design, with electives in prestressed concrete, bridges, timber, and masonry.
Source for all labor market figures on this page: Lightcast Q3 2026 Data Set (August 2026), CIP 14.0803 Structural Engineering, United States, filtered to the share of the national workforce in these occupations holding a doctoral or professional degree. Structural design and structural analysis map to the same CIP, so these four national figures are shared across both certificates. Figures are national aggregates, not KU outcomes, and no figure here is a guarantee of employment or salary.
Where structural design skills are hired
Four settings account for most of the design hiring in this field. Each applies the same code-based design core to a different structure type, material palette, and approving authority.
Buildings and vertical construction
Reinforced concrete and structural steel are the two systems that carry most occupied buildings in the United States, and CE 764 and CE 765 are exactly those two design sequences. This is the largest employment setting in the field and the one where a design certificate reads most directly on a resume.
- Civil EngineerBuilding design firms and A/E practices17,528 jobs · 1,388 annual openings · $48.46/hr median · +8.9% by 2030
- Structural EngineerMember sizing, connections, and lateral systems2,511 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Project EngineerDesign coordination across disciplines1,539 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Civil/Structural EngineerIndustrial, energy, and process facilities612 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
Bridges and transportation structures
Bridge design runs on its own code framework and its own owner relationships, which is why CE 766 treats steel bridge structures as a separate design course. Public agencies and the large transportation consultancies are the most active recruiters, and bridge postings stay open longer than the field average.
- Bridge EngineerHighway, rail, and pedestrian crossings1,229 unique postings · 26-day median duration, above the 20-day field median
- Civil/Highway EngineerState and federal highway programs637 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Transportation EngineerRegional and municipal transportation542 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Design Engineer, Public InfrastructureHNTB, WSP Global, AECOM, U.S. DOTHNTB 3,449 · WSP Global 902 · U.S. DOT 820 unique postings
Specialty materials and systems
Prestressed concrete, timber, and masonry each carry their own design codes, and few engineers hold all three. The elective bank in this certificate is built around exactly that gap, which is what lets a design credential differentiate a candidate rather than duplicate the resume next to it.
- Structural Engineer, Precast and PrestressedProducers, specialty designers, and A/E firmsStructural engineering named in 9,931 postings, 10.2% of the field
- Mass Timber and Wood Design EngineerA growing specialty in mid-rise constructionConstruction skills named in 7,959 postings, 8.2% of the field
- Masonry and Facade Design EngineerBuilding envelope and restoration practicesEngineering design process named in 6,950 postings, 7.1% of the field
- EngineerGeneralist design titles across specialty firms1,727 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
Technical leadership and engineering management
Architectural and engineering managers carry the highest median earnings in this occupation set. In design practice the path usually runs through licensure and sealed work, and a graduate credential is a common way for practicing engineers to evidence depth before moving into principal or director roles.
- Architectural and Engineering ManagerDesign firm and program leadership10,667 jobs · 922 annual openings · $82.21/hr median · +9.5% by 2030
- Engineering ManagerDesign team and portfolio leadership2,553 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Principal EngineerSenior technical authority and engineer of record2,242 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Director of EngineeringDivision and practice-area leadership1,737 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
Licenses and credentials employers ask for
Design work is licensed work. Across 97,311 unique U.S. postings in these occupations, the Professional Engineer license is requested more than any other credential by a wide margin, and it is the qualification that separates engineers who can seal drawings from engineers who cannot.
- Professional Engineer (PE) License 13,236 postings
- Engineer in Training (EIT) 5,070 postings
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) 4,673 postings
- Project Management Professional (PMP) 1,592 postings
- AICP Certification 898 postings
- LEED Accredited Professional 177 postings
Counts are unique U.S. job postings naming each qualification between January 2010 and July 2026, across the full occupation set for this CIP. This certificate is graduate coursework and does not itself confer licensure. Licensure is granted by state boards, and graduate credit hours may count toward the experience or education requirements in some states. Confirm the rules with the board in the state where you practice.
Software employers ask for by name
Design practice runs on documentation and detailing tools alongside the analysis engine. These are the packages named most often in postings across this occupation set.
- Microsoft Excel 5,139
- AutoCAD 4,671
- MicroStation 2,699
- SolidWorks 1,601
- Microsoft Project 1,248
- Python 5,856
Skills employers hire for
Each percentage is the share of postings in these occupations that names the skill. The two required courses in this certificate map directly to the civil and structural engineering entries.
- Project management 29%
- Physics 18%
- Civil engineering 16%
- Structural engineering 10%
- Construction 8%
- Project engineering 7%
- Engineering design process 7%
- Systems design 7%
- Product design 7%
Organizations that hire these skills
Transportation consultancies, public agencies, and the large multidisciplinary design firms are the most active recruiters for design work. These ten posted the most unique U.S. openings in these occupations between January 2010 and July 2026.
- HNTB 3,449
- State of Louisiana 965
- WSP Global 902
- U.S. Department of Transportation 820
- AECOM 794
- Boeing 6,794
- Northrop Grumman 5,397
- Jacobs Solutions 553
- American Electric Power 388
- Bureau of Reclamation 386
Figures are unique job postings per organization across the full occupation set for this CIP, which includes aerospace structures as well as civil design. Employer listings reflect national hiring activity and are not placement guarantees or KU partnerships. Full methodology at Lightcast (opens in a new tab).
Curriculum
Four Courses. Two Required, Two You Choose.
The certificate is anchored by the two design sequences that carry most occupied buildings, reinforced concrete and structural steel. You then select two electives from four specialty design areas. Every course applied toward the certificate requires a minimum grade of B, and no credits transfer in from another institution.
Required • CE 764 • 3 credits
Advanced Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures
Code-based design of reinforced concrete members and systems, the material that carries the majority of structures built in the United States.
Required • CE 765 • 3 credits
Advanced Steel Design — Building Structures
Advanced design of structural steel building systems, from member selection and connections through lateral force resisting systems.
Elective courses: select two
Design of pretensioned and post-tensioned concrete members and systems. The governing technology for long-span floors, parking structures, and precast bridge girders.
Steel bridge design under its own code framework and loading regime, including girder systems, fatigue considerations, and the design conventions transportation owners expect.
Design of wood and engineered timber structural systems, an increasingly requested specialty as mass timber expands into mid-rise commercial and institutional construction.
Design of reinforced and unreinforced masonry systems, essential for load-bearing walls, building envelopes, and restoration work on existing masonry structures.
Course list from the 2026–27 KU Academic Catalog. The official catalog entry is the authoritative source for requirements.
Admissions
Who Can Apply
This is a graduate-level design sequence, so admission assumes an engineering foundation already in place.
- A bachelor’s degree in engineering with a GPA of 3.0 or better, from a regionally accredited institution or a foreign university with equivalent requirements.
- Official transcripts showing the bachelor’s degree and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees.
- Proof of English proficiency for non-native English speakers. Applicants to online programs need Full proficiency.
- All applicants must meet the requirements in KU’s Admission to Graduate Study policy.
To complete the certificate, earn a minimum grade of B in every course applied toward it. No credits may be transferred from another institution for this certificate.
Next step
How to Apply
Three steps from where you are now to your first course.
Gather your materials
Official transcripts showing your engineering bachelor’s degree, plus English proficiency documentation if it applies to you.
Apply online
Submit the KU graduate application as a certificate-seeking student through the graduate application portal.
Plan your four courses
Work with the Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering department to sequence your two required courses and two electives.
Not sure whether design or analysis is the right certificate?
They are companion credentials, not competitors. Design covers what you build and how you code it; analysis covers how you prove it behaves. Tell us what your next two years of work look like and we will map both against it, including how the credits carry forward toward a master’s.
Keep exploring
Related KU Engineering Graduate Certificates
Three more 12-credit CEAE certificates share this admission standard and the same stackable structure.
Learn more about this online program
Get more info on admission, deadlines, tuition and financial aid, career paths, and more when you fill out the form below. We’ll be in touch to answer any questions and help you get started.
Before you apply
Structural Design Certificate Questions, Answered
The questions practicing engineers ask most — including the one that decides between our two structural certificates, and the one about what this means for your PE.
It is a four-course, 12-credit-hour graduate credential from the University of Kansas focused on the code-based design of structural components and systems. Coursework is anchored in advanced reinforced concrete and advanced steel building design, with electives in prestressed concrete, steel bridges, timber, and masonry.
The certificate requires four graduate courses totaling 12 credit hours. Your timeline depends on course load. Many working engineers take one course per semester and finish in about two years, while a heavier load compresses that. The CEAE department can help you build a realistic sequence.
Yes. Graduate courses taken for this certificate may be eligible to transfer for credit toward a KU graduate degree program. Many engineers complete the certificate first, then carry those 12 credit hours toward a master’s in civil engineering, subject to the degree program’s admission and transfer policies.
You need a bachelor’s degree in engineering with a GPA of 3.0 or better from a regionally accredited institution, official transcripts, and proof of English proficiency if you are a non-native speaker. All applicants must also meet KU’s Admission to Graduate Study policy for certificate-seeking students.
The published admission requirements for this certificate do not list a GRE score. Admission rests on your engineering bachelor’s degree, a 3.0 or better GPA, transcripts, and English proficiency where applicable. Confirm current requirements with the CEAE department, since policies can change between catalog years.
The certificate is graduate coursework and does not itself confer licensure, which is granted by state boards. Graduate credit hours may count toward the education or experience requirements in some states. The Professional Engineer license appears in 13,236 postings in this occupation set, more than any other credential.
Design determines what to build and proportions members to code; analysis proves how a structure responds to load. KU offers both as separate 12-credit certificates. Design is anchored in concrete and steel building codes, while Structural Analysis is anchored in matrix analysis and finite element methods.
Every course applied toward the certificate requires a minimum grade of B. No credits may be transferred in from another institution, so all four courses are completed at the University of Kansas. Plan your course load with both standards in mind from your first semester.
The certificate is a focused, four-course credential in structural design. A master’s requires substantially more coursework across a broader curriculum. The certificate builds a targeted specialty quickly, and because its credits may transfer toward a KU graduate degree, it also works as a lower-risk on-ramp to the master’s.
KU’s CEAE department offers three companion 12-credit certificates: Structural Analysis, Structural Forensics, and Water Resources. Each shares the same admission standard and stackable structure, so engineers often pair design with analysis or forensics.