Engineering

Master of Science in Transport Engineering

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.

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.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 528,000
Job market: High

The programme

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

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 15 students
Award: Masters

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 favour

Programme addresses critical infrastructure needs as Kenya invests heavily in road and transport projects.
JKUAT fee data verified from authoritative sources.
Graduates are eligible for EBK registration and ITE international professional membership.
Programme combines theoretical knowledge with practical design sessions in highway and traffic engineering.

Against it

Only one university confirmed offering this specific specialisation in Kenya.
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Programme is offered only in full-time mode, which may not suit working professionals.
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.

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
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.

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

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.

Accredited by

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.

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

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.

Industry links

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.