Civil Engineering, Ph.D.

The doctor of philosophy program in civil engineering is offered for students who wish to conduct advanced research in environmental/water resources or geotechnical/structures.

Admission Requirements

Admission to doctoral study is granted to a limited number of qualified applicants. The applicant will normally have received a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited institution in a program that provides suitable preparation for doctoral-level studies in civil engineering. The applicant should have at least a 3.2 out of a possible 4.0 GPA for the most recently completed degree.

General admission requirements and the process for applying are presented in the Academic Overview  section.

Degree Requirements

The doctor of philosophy degree is awarded in recognition of scientific accomplishment and the ability to investigate engineering problems independently. The program consists of advanced studies to prepare the student for research and completion of a research project that leads to a significant contribution to the knowledge of a particular problem. Each student should pass the preliminary written and/or oral examination, complete an approved program of study, pass the comprehensive written and oral examination, complete a program of significant research, present the results of the research, and prepare and defend a dissertation concerning the research. A minimum of 24 credit hours of coursework, including a minimum of 12 credit hours of formal (graded) coursework and a minimum of 18 credit hours of dissertation beyond a master’s degree are required.

General degree requirements are presented in the Academic Overview  section.

Curriculum

The doctoral program of study must be approved by the student’s advisory committee and the program chair. Considerable latitude is allowed in course selection provided at least 12 credit hours (beyond the master’s level) are selected from courses in civil or environmental engineering. The remaining courses are selected, again in collaboration with the advisory committee, according to the interests and research objectives of the student. Academic courses for the selected areas of specialization can be selected from course offerings in various academic units as follows:

Environmental/Water Resources: Courses may be selected from academic programs in civil, chemical, mechanical or ocean engineering, environmental science, oceanography, mathematics, operations research and computer science.

Geotechnical/Structures: Courses may be selected from academic programs in civil, aerospace, mechanical or ocean engineering, environmental science, oceanography, mathematics and computer science.