Transportation and Urban Systems
Admission Requirements
The Transportation and Urban Systems programs are open to qualified graduates of universities and colleges of recognized standing. To be admitted with full standing, the applicant must:
- Hold a baccalaureate degree from an educational institution of recognized learning with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or equivalent
- Have adequate preparation in one or more of the disciplines comprising transportation and logistics and must have professional experience or interests in community practice
- Have shown the potential to undertake advanced study as evidenced by prior academic performance and have a stated interest in transportation and (for the M.S.) the capability to conduct transportation research
- Submit official transcripts
- Submit a two-page resume
- Submit a one-page "Letter of Intent" outlying your reasons for pursuing the Transportation and Urban Systems degree/certificate
- Submit three letters of recommendation (NA for Certificate Option)
- Submit online application through the NDSU Graduate School website
- International applicants whose first language is not English and who do not possess an U.S. bachelor's degree or higher are subject to additional requirements when they apply for admission. They must meet the minimum requirements on measures of general English language proficiency. The accepted measures of language proficiency are the TOEFL ibT 71 and IELTS 6.
Students who do not meet all requirements for admission or have deficiencies in prerequisite course work, but show satisfactory potential for graduate study, may be admitted conditionally. The conditional status may be changed to full graduate standing after the first or second semester of study, based on the student's academic performance.
Apply for Admission
To apply for admission, please visit the Admission Information page.
Degree Requirements
Master of Science (M.S.) in Transportation and Urban Systems
A minimum of 30 credits is required for the degree of which 24 must be core courses. All students must take a final examination which covers the course work taken by the candidate, as well as the thesis topic as coordinated with their adviser.
Each thesis must be of sufficient depth and quality to warrant at least six (6) graduate credits. However, no more than 10 credits can be earned for any thesis. Each thesis will contribute one of the following:
- New models – may be achieved through the synthesis of several techniques, the modification of existing models, or new applications of analytical techniques to transportation/urban problems.
- Knowledge – may be accomplished through the collection and analysis of original data or the development of innovative planning techniques.
Master of Transportation and Urban Systems (MTUS)
The MTUS is an online graduate program and is a non-thesis degree. All 30 credits must be completed using the core courses below.
Certificate in Transportation and Urban Systems
The certificate in Transportation and Urban Systems will consist of a minimum of 9 credits selected from the core courses below.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| TL 751 | Supply Chain Transport Security | 3 |
| TL 752 | Transportation Planning and Environmental Compliance | 3 |
| TL 753 | 3 | |
| TL 754 | Urban Transportation Systems Analysis | 3 |
| TL 755 | City Logistics | 3 |
| TL 756 | Transportation and Land Use Integration | 3 |
| TL 757 | Technologies for Supply Chain Transport Solutions | 3 |
| TL 786 | Public Transportation | 3 |
| TL 787 | Transportation and Distribution | 3 |
| TL 789 | Managerial Leadership for Supply Chain Professionals | 3 |
| Thesis (M.S. only) | 6-10 | |
| Master's Thesis | ||
Faculty
Raj Bridgelall, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2015
Research Interests: Big Data Analytics, Internet-of-Things (IoT), Cloud Computing; Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV), Shared Mobility, Intelligent Transportation Solutions; Signal Processing and Mathematical Modeling of Transportation Systems; Remote Sensing with Unmanned Aircraft Systems; Hyperspectral Image Analysis; Radio Frequency Identification (RFID); Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS); Energy Harvesting and Massive Scale Autonomous Wireless Sensor Networks
Department: Transportation, Logistics, and Finance
Robert Froberg, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2019
Research Interests: Transport of Rolling Stock, Equipment, and Supplies to Austere Locations, Austere Environment Sustainment Planning, Transportation Analysis and Planning for Logistics, Supply Chain Planning, Assessment, and Optimization Leveraging (Big) Data, Modeling of Supply Chains and Transportation Networks
Department: Transportation, Logistics, and Finance
Ranjit Godavarthy, Ph.D.
Kansas State University, 2012
Research Interests: Public Transportation in Small Urban and Rural Areas, Demand Response Transit and Paratransit, Bike Share, Roundabouts, Traffic Engineering and Operations, Transportation and Highway Safety
Department: Transportation, Logistics, and Finance
Pan Lu, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2011
Research Interests: Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, Smart Material and Structure Health Monitoring, Big Data Analytics for Transportation, Smart Transportation, Transportation System, Asset Management, Multimodal Transportation, Geospatial Transportation Modeling
Department: Transportation, Logistics, and Finance
Jeremy Mattson, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2017
Research Interests: Public Transportation, Transportation Economics, Demand Modeling, Travel Behavior, Built Environment
Department: Transportation, Logistics, and Finance
Diomo Motuba, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2009
Research Interests: Transportation and Land Use Planning, Freight Modeling, Transportation Economics, Connected Automated Vehicles, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Transportation Safety
Department: Transportation, Logistics, and Finance
Tim O. Peterson, Ph.D.
Texas A&M University, 1988
Research Interests: Managerial Leadership, Application of Information Technology to Organizational Issues, Scholarship of Teaching
Department: Management and Marketing
Fred Riggins, Ph.D.
Carnegie Mellon University, 1994
Research Interests: Economics of Information Systems, Interorganization Systems, Adoption of New Technology, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Internet-of-Things (IoT), Blockchain, Cryptoeconomics, Information and Communication Technology in Microfinance
Department: Accounting and Information Systems
Robert Swearingen, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2019
Research Interests: Change Management in Supply Chain Organizations, Lean Inventory Management Process Improvement Supported by Value Stream Mapping, Enterprise Information Systems Supporting Supply Chain Management
Department: Transportation, Logistics, and Finance
Joseph Szmerekovsky, Ph.D.
Case Western Reserve University, 2003
Research Interests: Project Management and Scheduling, Supply Chain Management and Technology, Energy Supply Chain Management, Healthcare Logistics
Department: Transportation, Logistics, and Finance
Denver Tolliver, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1989
Research Interests: Highway Systems Modeling, Multimodal Transportation Planning, Freight Transportation, Energy and Environmental Analysis
Department: Transportation, Logistics, and Finance