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Master of Science in Transport Engineering

<p>The Master of Science in Transport Engineering is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in transportation systems, highway engineering, and traffic management. The programme provides specialised training in transportation planning, highway design, traffic engineering, pavement engineering, and transport systems management.

Duration
2 years
Next intake January 2027
Public tuition
Ksh 528,000
Ksh 1,056,000 total
Job market
High
Market demand for graduates

The short answer

What it costs
Up to Ksh 528,000 a year at a public institution, Ksh 1,056,000 for the whole course.The detail
Who can get in
A KCSE mean grade of N/A (Postgraduate) or above. There is another way in without it.The detail
How long, and when
Takes 2 years, full-time, with 0 months of attachment. Next intake January 2027, at 3 institutions.The detail
Where it leads
8 careers in the catalogue. The least exposed to AI is Early Childhood Strategist, at 10 out of 100.The detail

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Overview

Core areas include transportation engineering, highway design, traffic engineering, pavement engineering, transport planning, geotechnical engineering for transport, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, design projects, and research.

The programme is offered by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology as a public institution through the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, as a specialisation option within the MSc in Civil Engineering. The programme is available in full-time mode over two years, combining coursework with research.

Students develop competencies in transportation systems, highway design, traffic management, pavement engineering, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, design projects, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for transport engineering and infrastructure roles.

JKUAT charges approximately KES 181,000 per year. No private university confirmed offering this exact programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as transport engineers, highway engineers, traffic engineers, pavement engineers, transport planners, and lecturers across government agencies, construction firms, consulting firms, and universities.

Skills Required

  • Transportation Systems Planning and Design
  • Highway and Road Engineering
  • Traffic Engineering and Management
  • Pavement Design and Materials
  • Transport Infrastructure Management
  • Geometric Design of Roads
  • Transport Modelling and Simulation
  • Environmental Impact Assessment for Transport
  • Research Methods in Transport Engineering
  • Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

  • Transportation Systems Planning and Design
  • Highway and Road Engineering
  • Traffic Engineering and Management
  • Pavement Design and Materials
  • Transport Infrastructure Management
  • Geometric Design of Roads
  • Transport Modelling and Simulation
  • Environmental Impact Assessment for Transport
  • Research Methods in Transport Engineering
  • Thesis Research

Certifications

  • ITE Professional Membership
  • Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) Registration

Specializations

Highway Engineering

Focuses on highway design, covering highway, design, roads, engineering, and managing highway engineering and road design.

Traffic Engineering

Examines traffic engineering, covering traffic, engineering, management, signals, and managing traffic engineering and management.

Pavement Engineering

Covers pavement engineering, covering pavement, design, materials, roads, and managing pavement engineering and materials.

Transport Planning

Focuses on transport planning, covering transport, planning, systems, management, and managing transport planning and systems.

Geometric Design

Examines geometric design, covering geometric, design, roads, alignment, and managing geometric design of roads.

Transport Systems Management

Covers transport systems, covering transport, systems, management, operations, and managing transport systems and operations.

What you study

10 subjects
  • Transportation Systems Planning and Design
  • Highway and Road Engineering
  • Traffic Engineering and Management
  • Pavement Design and Materials
  • Transport Infrastructure Management
  • Geometric Design of Roads
  • Transport Modelling and Simulation
  • Environmental Impact Assessment for Transport
  • Research Methods in Transport Engineering
  • Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

  • Transportation Systems Planning and Design

    Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore

    Examines transportation systems, covering transport, systems, planning, design, and managing transportation systems planning and design.

  • Highway and Road Engineering

    Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore

    Covers highway design, covering highway, design, roads, engineering, and managing highway engineering and road design.

  • Traffic Engineering and Management

    Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore

    Examines traffic engineering, covering traffic, engineering, management, signals, and managing traffic engineering and management.

  • Pavement Design and Materials

    Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore

    Covers pavement engineering, covering pavement, design, materials, roads, and managing pavement engineering and materials.

  • Geometric Design of Roads

    Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore

    Examines geometric design, covering geometric, design, roads, alignment, and managing geometric design of roads.

  • Transport Modelling and Simulation

    Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore

    Covers transport modelling, covering modelling, simulation, transport, analysis, and managing transport modelling and simulation.

  • Transport Infrastructure Management

    Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore

    Examines infrastructure management, covering infrastructure, transport, management, maintenance, and managing transport infrastructure and maintenance.

  • Research Methods in Transport Engineering

    Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore

    Covers research, methods, transport, engineering, and conducting research in transport engineering, preparing students for their thesis.

  • Environmental Impact Assessment for Transport

    Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore

    Examines EIA, covering EIA, transport, environment, assessment, and managing environmental impact assessment for transport projects.

  • Urban Transport Planning

    Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore

    Covers urban transport, covering urban, transport, planning, cities, and managing urban transport planning and systems.

  • Public Transport Systems

    Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore

    Examines public transport, covering public, transport, systems, management, and managing public transport systems and operations.

  • Research Thesis

    Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore

    Original supervised research thesis on a transport engineering topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and transport knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

  • Highway Engineering

    Focuses on highway design, covering highway, design, roads, engineering, and managing highway engineering and road design.

  • Traffic Engineering

    Examines traffic engineering, covering traffic, engineering, management, signals, and managing traffic engineering and management.

  • Pavement Engineering

    Covers pavement engineering, covering pavement, design, materials, roads, and managing pavement engineering and materials.

  • Transport Planning

    Focuses on transport planning, covering transport, planning, systems, management, and managing transport planning and systems.

  • Geometric Design

    Examines geometric design, covering geometric, design, roads, alignment, and managing geometric design of roads.

  • Transport Systems Management

    Covers transport systems, covering transport, systems, management, operations, and managing transport systems and operations.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Transport Engineering programme combines lectures, design sessions, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover transportation systems, highway design, traffic engineering, pavement engineering, and transport planning. Transportation systems sessions examine transport, systems, planning, design, and managing transportation systems. Highway design sessions cover highway, design, roads, engineering, and managing highway design. Traffic engineering sessions cover traffic, engineering, management, signals, and managing traffic engineering. Pavement engineering sessions cover pavement, design, materials, roads, and managing pavement engineering. Geometric design sessions cover geometric, design, roads, alignment, and managing geometric design. Transport modelling sessions cover modelling, simulation, transport, analysis, and managing transport modelling. Design sessions provide practical experience in highway design, traffic analysis, and pavement design. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting research findings and discussing current developments. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a transport engineering topic.

The trade-offs

In its favourAgainst it
Programme addresses critical infrastructure needs as Kenya invests heavily in road and transport projects.Only one university confirmed offering this specific specialisation in Kenya.
JKUAT fee data verified from authoritative sources.No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Graduates are eligible for EBK registration and ITE international professional membership.Programme is offered only in full-time mode, which may not suit working professionals.
Programme combines theoretical knowledge with practical design sessions in highway and traffic engineering.Transport engineering projects are capital-intensive, which may limit research opportunities.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 332 engineering courses
Public181k to 528k
181k at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology528k at University of Nairobi

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

JKUAT 181K/yr (kenyaeducationguide). UoN Civil Eng 528K/yr (uonbi.ac.ke). Private unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. ITE and TRB may offer fellowships for transport engineering research and education.

Funding options

  • HELB Postgraduate Loan

  • University Scholarship

  • ITE Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

  • HELB Postgraduate Loan

    LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan

    Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.

  • University Scholarship

    ScholarshipKsh 181,000Kenyan

    JKUAT may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate transport engineering students.

  • ITE Fellowship

    ScholarshipKsh 300,000

    ITE and TRB may offer fellowships for transport engineering research and education.

Scholarships you could apply for

2 usable where it is taught
Save one and be reminded before it closes

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade
N/A (Postgraduate)minimum entry
Alternative entry

JKUAT requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant discipline. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant work experience or a postgraduate diploma. Contact the university for specific admission requirements.

When it next starts

Taught at 3 institutions
January 20273 institutions

Including Kenyatta University, University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

May 20273 institutions

Including Kenyatta University, University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

September 20273 institutions

Including Kenyatta University, University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

How you are assessed

4 components

  • Coursework and Continuous Assessment

    Coursework30% of the mark

    Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, design reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.

  • Written Examinations

    Examination70% of the mark

    Written examinations covering transportation systems, highway design, traffic engineering, pavement engineering, and transport planning.

  • Design Project

    Project40% of the mark

    Practical assessment through design projects, demonstrating highway design, traffic analysis, and pavement design skills.

  • Research Thesis

    Research100% of the mark

    Original supervised research thesis on a transport engineering topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and transport knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

  • Commission for University Education (CUE)

    Academic accreditationRequired

    Programme accredited by CUE. JKUAT (public) offers MSc in Civil Engineering with Transportation and Highway Engineering option through the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in transport engineering. Graduates may seek registration with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and international professional bodies including ITE and TRB. The programme aligns with EBK and ITE global transport engineering frameworks.

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). JKUAT (public) offers MSc in Civil Engineering with Transportation and Highway Engineering option through the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in transport engineering. Graduates may seek registration with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and international professional bodies including ITE and TRB. The programme aligns with EBK and ITE global transport engineering frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

  • Transport Engineer

    High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000

    Designs and manages transport systems, covering transport, engineering, systems, design, and managing transport engineering and systems.

  • Highway Engineer

    High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000

    Designs and manages highways, covering highway, engineering, roads, design, and managing highway engineering and road design.

  • Traffic Engineer

    Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 380,000

    Manages traffic systems, covering traffic, engineering, management, signals, and managing traffic engineering and management.

  • Pavement Engineer

    Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 380,000

    Designs pavement systems, covering pavement, engineering, design, materials, and managing pavement engineering and design.

  • Transport Planner

    High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000

    Plans transport systems, covering transport, planning, systems, urban, and managing transport planning and systems.

  • Transport Engineering Lecturer

    Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000

    Teaches transport engineering at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as transport engineers, highway engineers, traffic engineers, pavement engineers, transport planners, and lecturers across government agencies, construction firms, consulting firms, and universities.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

  • AutoCAD Civil 3D

    SoftwarePrimary

    AutoCAD Civil 3D for highway design and transport infrastructure modelling, covering CAD, highway, design, transport, and managing highway design and modelling.

  • VISSIM

    Software

    VISSIM for traffic simulation and analysis, covering traffic, simulation, analysis, modelling, and managing traffic simulation and analysis.

  • ArcGIS

    Software

    ArcGIS for transport planning and spatial analysis, covering GIS, transport, planning, spatial, and managing transport planning and spatial analysis.

  • MATLAB

    Software

    MATLAB for transport modelling and data analysis, covering modelling, transport, data, analysis, and managing transport modelling and analysis.

Common misconceptions

  • Transport engineering is just about building roads.

    Transport engineering covers traffic management, transport planning, pavement design, and systems management beyond just road construction.

  • This programme is only for civil engineering graduates.

    Transport engineering is for professionals from surveying, urban planning, and related fields, not just civil engineering graduates.

  • Transport engineering has limited career prospects in Kenya.

    Transport graduates are in high demand in government agencies, construction firms, and consulting as Kenya expands its infrastructure.

  • This programme is the same as logistics.

    Transport engineering focuses on infrastructure design and traffic systems, distinct from logistics which focuses on supply chain management.

  • Transport engineering is only about highways.

    The programme covers multiple transport modes including urban transport, public transport, and non-motorised transport.

  • You need construction experience to study this programme.

    While experience is beneficial, the programme is accessible to graduates from various engineering fields seeking transport specialisation.

Further reading

Read next