CEE-PHD - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Simple Requirements
Students with a GPA less than 3.5 on four core courses, selected by their adviser at the start of their PhD program, must take the PCE within a semester after completing the core courses. The requirements for the PCE are detailed in the General Information section of the Lyle School’s graduate catalog.
All Ph.D. students are required to pass a QE to be admitted to candidacy.
The QE consists of two parts:
Part 1: Comprehensive Exam
Part 1 of the QE, the comprehensive exam, is administered by an ad-hoc committee consisting of at least three faculty in the student’s major field, including the academic adviser. The ad-hoc committee should develop the exam and inform the student of its format and timing at least four weeks prior to the exam, which can be written, or oral. At a minimum, the exam assesses the student’s ability to respond to open-ended questions, apply critical thinking skills, synthesize across course topics, and demonstrate adequate knowledge and skills to complete a dissertation. The comprehensive exam should be administered no later than 18 months (or part-time equivalent) after matriculation into the program, unless an exception is approved by the ad-hoc committee. A waiver to the comprehensive exam requirement can be granted by the ad-hoc committee, at their discretion, if:
• The student has a GPA of 3.5 or greater; and
• The student has submitted a peer-reviewed paper within the same 18-month period (or part-time equivalent) since matriculation. The paper must be approved by the ad-hoc committee as sufficiently rigorous and relevant to the thesis to merit the waiver.
Part 2: Thesis Proposal
Part 2 of the QE, the thesis proposal, is administered by the student’s supervisory committee, which should be formed and approved by the department and Lyle School at least one month prior to the exam. The Part 2 exam should be completed no later than 12 months after completing 24 credit hours of coursework towards the PhD. For this exam, the student shall prepare and orally defend a written dissertation proposal. The proposal should include, at minimum, the first draft of the student’s first research paper, as well as a plan for completion of the remainder of the dissertation. The written proposal should be submitted to the supervisory committee at least 14 days prior to the oral exam. During the oral exam, the student will present a summary of the dissertation proposal and committee members will ask questions about the proposal, as well as assess the student’s ability to respond effectively to oral questioning.
All Ph.D. candidates will be required to complete and successfully defend a dissertation.
In addition to meeting the Lyle School of Engineering requirements for the Ph.D. degree, candidates are required to satisfy the following:
At least 54 credit hours of coursework beyond the baccalaureate degree.
A minor of at least 12 credit hours providing breadth and support to the doctoral program.
Twenty-four credit hours of dissertation.
The major and minor courses comprising a degree plan for a doctoral student will be determined by the student’s advisory committee. These plans will vary among students depending on their background and dissertation research topic. Possible Ph.D. program focus areas include geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, transportation systems management, air pollution control and atmospheric science, or water and wastewater engineering.
Direct Admission into the Ph.D. Program
The Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department offers direct admission into its Doctoral Program for outstanding students with a bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering or related field. This special program would allow a student to move up to 18 SCH from the coursework hours requirement to the dissertation hours requirement, while retaining the 78 SCH required past the bachelor’s degree. The minimum number of dissertation hours remains at 24 SCH. A student admitted into this program will therefore need to successfully complete a minimum of 36 SCH of coursework and a minimum of 24 SCH of dissertation with the total coursework and dissertation hours reaching a minimum of 78 SCH. The expected program of study for most students in this track is 36 SCH of coursework and 42 SCH of dissertation. A minimum of 36 SCH of the coursework must be from regularly scheduled, graduate-level courses, and cannot be one-on-one, directed study type courses.