Introduction to Structural Design

Course staff

Required code books and textbook

Every student must purchase and possess both references by the end of the first week of the semester. They are used in every worked example, quiz, examination and the capstone project.

Steel Construction Manual, 16th Edition

American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)

Carries AISC 360-22, design tables and shape properties for steel members.

ACI 318-19 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete

American Concrete Institute (ACI)

Governs reinforced concrete design: flexure, shear, axial and serviceability provisions used in the concrete chapters.

Recommended textbook — AISC student purchase program

Please follow the instructions below to purchase the AISC publication listed below that will be used in this class:

1. Login or create an AISC student account at aisc.org/student-request-landing .
2. Complete the demographics survey and click Next to move to the next page.
3. Use the grey + sign to generate a student coupon. You must have access to your .edu email address to retrieve the student coupon for your purchase.
4. Input the Class Key: EF3220917-5077.
5. Access your .edu email address to retrieve your student coupon and link to the student bookstore to make your purchase.

Your coupon is valid from 8/10/2026 to 10/16/2026. Be sure to use your Morgan State University .edu email when registering.

Examinations — how they are taken

All three examinations are delivered inside the Exam Simulator. Each paper is assembled automatically from the question bank, restricted to material covered by that point in the semester, and seeded so every student in a given paper number sees the same exam. A countdown starts as soon as you open the paper.

Learning outcomes

• Apply AISC 360-22 LRFD provisions to design tension members, columns, beams, and beam-columns.
• Apply ACI 318-19 strength design to reinforced concrete beams, one-way shear, and short columns.
• Select governing ASCE 7 load combinations and justify the controlling limit state.
• Interpret Manual design tables and charts, and verify tabulated results with first-principles calculations.
• Communicate design decisions with clear calculations, sketches, units, and code citations.
• Work on a team to deliver a capstone structural design meeting safety, serviceability, and constructability constraints.

What is graded in every chapter

The library contains 27 reference chapters. Only the 12 chapters in the semester scope below are graded — the rest are optional depth reading. Each in-scope chapter contains:

• Lecture notes & reflection

  Read the chapter and answer the reflection prompt.

• Worked examples

  Textbook solutions worked step by step.

• Guided practice

  Scaffolded problems with hints.

• Independent practice problems

  Unassisted problem set.

• Design challenge

  Open-ended design decision with justification.

• FE exam preparation set

  FE-style questions, ungraded practice.

• Graded chapter quiz

  Weekly graded quiz — selections submitted online.

• Scanned solution upload (PDF)

  Hand-worked solution uploaded with the quiz.

Weekly schedule

• Midterm examination — Oct 23, 2026Reminders start three weeks out, then weekly until the midterm (mid-semester point).
• Final examination / FE readiness assessment — Dec 11, 2026Reminders start three weeks out, then weekly through the final chapter and semester close.
• Capstone design project — upload deadline — Dec 4, 2026Set one week before the end of the semester. Reminders start three weeks out, then weekly.

Grading — weighted rubric

Late submissions

Every deliverable is due 11:59 pm on Sunday. A 30-minute grace window follows each deadline; after that, 5 percentage points are deducted for each calendar day (or part of a day) late, up to 7 days. Work submitted more than 7 days late scores zero unless the instructor waives the penalty.

The instructor can cancel the late penalty for any student — documented illness, university-excused absence, technology failure, or an approved scope exemption. Waivers are recorded on the score and visible to the student.

Academic integrity, accommodations and conduct

• Quizzes and uploads are individual work. You sign in with your own student ID; sharing credentials so another person can complete your assessment is an integrity violation.
• Show your work. Answers without calculations, units, or code citations receive limited credit even when the number is right.
• Reference tools and AI may be used to study, never to produce a submitted solution. Cite any reference you rely on.
• Students needing accommodations should contact the instructor in the first week so deadlines and exam settings can be arranged.
• Respectful participation is expected in class, in teams, and in the capstone studio.