Doctor of Philosophy
The doctorate program in civil engineering is a research-oriented curriculum designed to prepare students for advanced research and university-level academic positions in civil engineering, as well as industry.
Program requirements
This program requires a minimum of 90 credit hours or 60 credit hours beyond the master’s degree, including at least 30 hours of research credit.
Fifteen hours of coursework should be at the 800-level or above. Appropriate coursework from the master's degree can be transferred to the Ph.D. program of study with the approval of the supervisory committee.
A written preliminary exam must be taken by doctoral students. The preliminary exam must be completed within three years and at least seven months before the final oral exam. A dissertation of original research of sufficient quality and importance to merit publication in refereed journals should be completed by all doctoral students. The final examination may be taken when the student has completed all requirements of the Program of Study as well as satisfied all other program requirements.
Admission
The general requirements for admission to a civil engineering graduate program include a Bachelor of Science or equivalent degree from an accredited civil engineering program and evidence the applicant has the ability to do satisfactory graduate work. Students not possessing a degree in civil engineering may be admitted if their undergraduate work is closely related to their civil engineering specialty area of interest, and they complete a core program of undergraduate civil engineering coursework.
Students admitted for work toward a doctorate degree are required to develop an original research program, pass a preliminary examination and complete a doctoral dissertation under the guidance of and advisory committee.