Online Graduate Certificate in Structural Forensics
Advance your career with KU’s Online Graduate Certificate in Structural Forensics. 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 Forensics?
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.
Learn to investigate, evaluate, and help prevent structural failures through focused study of materials, corrosion, fracture mechanics, structural dynamics, and experimental analysis. This certificate is designed for engineers who want to strengthen their ability to identify the causes of structural performance issues and apply forensic engineering principles in practice.
See the Graduate Certificate in Structural Forensics 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 professional usually scrolls to find, before you have to scroll.
Career outcomes
What Can You Do with a Graduate Certificate in Structural Forensics?
Forensic engineering is retained expertise: somebody needs to know why a structure cracked, deflected, corroded, or came down, and they need an answer that holds up. 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 forensics is a short, focused post-baccalaureate credential in the investigation of structural failures and distress. At KU it requires four graduate courses and 12 credit hours, with at least three drawn from structural engineering materials, corrosion engineering, experimental stress analysis, fracture mechanics, and advanced structural dynamics.
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 forensics, analysis, and design all map to the same CIP, so these four national figures are shared across the three certificates. Figures are national aggregates, not KU outcomes, and no figure here is a guarantee of employment or salary.
Where structural forensics skills are hired
Forensic work is bought by people who need an opinion they can defend. Four settings account for most of the hiring, and each one values a different half of the investigation toolkit.
Failure investigation and expert testimony
Forensic consultancies are retained after something cracks, deflects, corrodes, or collapses, and the deliverable is an opinion that survives cross-examination. Exponent, the archetypal firm in this space, fills its postings in 12 days against a 20-day field median, the fastest hiring in the entire occupation set.
- Forensic Structural EngineerConsulting practices and expert witness firmsExponent 967 unique postings · 12-day median duration, fastest in the set
- Structural EngineerFailure analysis and remediation design2,511 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Project EngineerInvestigation and claims support1,539 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Civil/Structural EngineerIndustrial and process facility investigations612 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
Materials behavior, corrosion, and durability
Most structural failures are material failures first. CE 712 and CE 715 sit exactly there, on the deterioration mechanisms that turn a serviceable structure into a claim: corrosion of embedded reinforcement, fatigue, and material degradation over a service life nobody modeled.
- Materials EngineerDurability assessment and service-life evaluationPhysics named in 17,711 postings, 18.2% of the field
- Corrosion and Durability SpecialistInfrastructure asset owners and consultanciesCivil engineering named in 15,242 postings, 15.7% of the field
- Structural Engineer, Assessment and RepairRestoration and rehabilitation practices2,511 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- EngineerGeneralist investigation titles across specialty firms1,727 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
Experimental testing, instrumentation, and monitoring
Forensic conclusions get their weight from measurement. CE 721 and CE 804 cover experimental stress analysis and advanced structural dynamics, which is how an engineer moves from a plausible narrative about a failure to an instrumented, defensible one.
- Structural Dynamics EngineerVibration, shock, and transient response testing548 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Structural AnalystModel validation and test correlation468 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
- Test and Instrumentation EngineerLoad testing and structural health monitoringSimulations named in 6,577 postings, 6.8% of the field
- Structural Analysis EngineerFailure reconstruction and finite element correlation4,335 unique postings, the most-posted title in this field
Extreme loads and structural resilience
Wind, seismic, and fire are the load cases that generate the largest claims and the most consequential investigations. The fourth-course options in this certificate map directly onto them, which is what lets a forensic credential extend into resilience and code-development work.
- Wind and Seismic Performance EngineerPerformance-based assessment and retrofitStructural engineering named in 9,931 postings, 10.2% of the field
- Structural Fire Protection EngineerFire-resistant design and post-fire assessmentEngineering design process named in 6,950 postings, 7.1% of the field
- Architectural and Engineering ManagerInvestigation practice leadership10,667 jobs · 922 annual openings · $82.21/hr median · +9.5% by 2030
- Principal EngineerSenior technical authority and signing engineer2,242 unique job postings, Jan 2010–Jul 2026
Credentials employers ask for
Forensic engineers are usually the ones asked to sign the opinion, which puts licensure at the center of the practice. 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.
- 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 education or experience requirements in some states. Expert witness qualification is determined by the court, not by any credential.
Software employers ask for by name
Failure reconstruction runs on the same simulation packages as forward design, used in reverse. These are the tools named most often in postings across this occupation set.
- Nastran 5,612
- Python 5,856
- Microsoft Excel 5,139
- MATLAB 4,548
- Abaqus 3,554
- Ansys 3,035
Skills employers hire for
Each percentage is the share of postings in these occupations that names the skill. Investigation is the entry that separates forensic practice from design and analysis practice.
- Project management 29%
- Physics 18%
- Civil engineering 16%
- Structural analysis 11%
- Finite element methods 10%
- Structural engineering 10%
- Investigation 8%
- Research and development 7%
- Simulations 7%
Organizations that hire these skills
Specialty consultancies, large multidisciplinary firms, and public infrastructure owners are the most active recruiters for investigation work. These ten posted the most unique U.S. openings in these occupations between January 2010 and July 2026.
- Exponent 967
- 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
- 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 investigation work. 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. At Least Three from the Core.
This certificate is built as a core investigation sequence with one flexible slot. You take at least three courses from the five-course core list, then take your fourth course either from that same list or from the extreme-loads options. Every course applied toward the certificate requires a minimum grade of B, and no credits transfer in from another institution.
Rule 1 • Core list • 9 credits minimum
Select at least three core courses
Choose three or more from structural engineering materials, corrosion engineering, experimental stress analysis, fracture mechanics, and advanced structural dynamics.
Rule 2 • Fourth course • 3 credits
Then choose your fourth
Take a fourth course from the core list, or specialize with wind engineering, seismic performance, structural design loads and systems, or structural fire protection engineering.
All nine courses: five core, four fourth-course options
Core investigation course. Behavior, properties, and deterioration of the materials structures are built from, which is where most failure investigations actually begin. Offered every year.
Core investigation course. Corrosion mechanisms in structural systems, including corrosion of embedded reinforcement, the slow failure mode behind a large share of infrastructure distress. Offered every year.
Core investigation course. Instrumentation and physical measurement of stress and strain, the evidence base that turns a plausible failure narrative into a defensible one. Offered on a rotating basis.
Core investigation course. Crack initiation, propagation, and fracture in structural materials, the analytical framework for explaining how a flaw became a failure. Offered every year.
Core investigation course. Advanced dynamic response of structural systems, essential where vibration, impact, or transient loading is implicated in the distress. Offered every year.
Fourth-course option. Wind loading and structural response to wind, one of the three extreme load cases that generate the largest structural claims.
Fourth-course option. Structural behavior and performance evaluation under earthquake loading, from demand characterization through performance-based assessment.
Fourth-course option. Special topics in the loads structures are designed for and the systems that carry them, taken as an advanced elective.
Fourth-course option. Special topics in structural fire protection engineering, covering fire-resistant design and post-fire structural assessment.
Course list from the 2026–27 KU Academic Catalog. The official catalog entry is the authoritative source for requirements. Per the catalog curriculum notes, CE 712, CE 715, CE 767, and CE 804 are offered every year, CE 721 is offered on a rotating basis, and a minimum of four qualifying courses are offered in any one-year period.
Admissions
Who Can Apply
This is a graduate-level investigation 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 the four courses that fit your practice.
Not sure which of the three structural certificates fits?
They are companion credentials, not competitors. Design covers what you build and how you code it, analysis covers how you prove it behaves, and forensics covers what to do when it did not. Tell us what your next two years of work look like and we will map all three 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 Forensics Certificate Questions, Answered
The questions practicing engineers ask most — including what forensic structural engineering actually involves, and how this certificate differs from the other two structural credentials we offer.
It is a four-course, 12-credit-hour graduate credential from the University of Kansas focused on investigating structural failures. Coursework covers engineering materials, corrosion, experimental stress analysis, fracture mechanics, and structural dynamics, with options in wind, seismic, and fire.
Forensic structural engineering is the investigation of why a structure failed or underperformed. It combines materials science, instrumented testing, and structural analysis to establish a cause that will withstand technical peer review, insurance scrutiny, and, when a claim proceeds, examination in court.
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. Note that CE 721 is offered on a rotating basis, so plan that course ahead.
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.
You take at least three of five core courses: structural engineering materials, corrosion engineering, experimental stress analysis, fracture mechanics, and advanced structural dynamics. Your fourth course comes from that same list or from wind engineering, seismic performance, structural design loads, or structural fire protection.
Design determines what to build, analysis proves how it behaves, and forensics establishes what went wrong. KU offers all three as separate 12-credit certificates. See Structural Analysis and Structural Design for the companion credentials.
Licensure requirements depend on the state and the engagement. The Professional Engineer license appears in 13,236 postings in this occupation set, more than any other credential. This certificate is graduate coursework and does not confer licensure, which state boards grant. Expert witness qualification is decided by the court.
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.
KU’s CEAE department offers companion 12-credit certificates in Structural Analysis, Structural Design, and Water Resources. Each shares the same admission standard and stackable structure.