The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Civil Engineering prepares graduates for successful careers in academia, industry, and government by providing specialized training in disciplines relevant to the design, construction, and enhancement of society’s infrastructure. The PhD in Civil Engineering is a research-oriented degree intended for students with a Master's or Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline. The program requires specialized course work combined with intensive research. Students must choose a specialization for their research and studies from Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Systems Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Smart Cities, or Construction Engineering and Management.
The PhD in Civil Engineering degree offers the following gateways into the program:
- a BS in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline. Students with less related degrees can still be admitted but they may have to take articulation courses (discussed later). These students may obtain a MS degree in Civil Engineering along-the-way to their PhD. The requirements for the along-the-way MS are the same as they are for any student in the specific MS degree program, including a thesis defense, or for non-thesis students the non-thesis portfolio/exam (varies with each master's program/track). Students must choose which degree they want, i.e. MSCE, MS - Geotechnical and Structures Track, MS - Transportation, MS - Smart Cities, and MS - Water Resources. Then they must determine if they want to do a thesis or instead choose the non-thesis option. These decisions should be based on a consensus between the student and their academic advisor.
- Students with an MS degree in Civil Engineering, or a closely related discipline (e.g. Engineering or STEM), are advised to apply for the Post-Master's Track for the PhD. However, they can apply to this program, and if so, they must transfer their master's courses on a course-by-course basis according to current College of Graduate Studies policy.
The Civil Engineering PhD requires completion of 72 credit hours, of which 42 credit hours minimum must be formal coursework, exclusive of directed research (XXX 6918), thesis (XXX 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919), and independent study (XXX 6908), and 15 credit hours minimum of dissertation research (XXX 7980). No more than 15 credit hours combined of thesis (XXX 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919) and/or independent study (XXX 6908) may be taken toward fulfilling the degree program of study coursework requirements. In addition, the maximum number of credit hours for thesis is 6 hours, for doctoral research is 15 hours, and for independent study is 3 hours. Directed research (XXX 6918) cannot be used in doctoral programs.
Total Credit Hours Required: 72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree; 42 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree
Program Prerequisites
Master's or Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline.
Degree Requirements
Degree Details
0 Total Credits
- Degree Details The Doctor of Philosophy degree in this field requires successful completion of a minimum of 72 credit hours at the graduate level and the successful defense of a PhD dissertation. Specifically, the Civil Engineering PhD requires: (1) 42 credit hours minimum must be formal coursework, exclusive of directed research (XXX 6918), thesis (xxx 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919), and independent study (XXX 6908). (2) 15 credit hours minimum must be dissertation research (XXX 7980). (3) No more than 15 credit hours combined of thesis (XXX 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919) and/or independent study (XXX 6908) may be taken toward fulfilling the degree program of study coursework requirements. (4) Successful completion of the PhD Qualifying Examination. (5) Successful completion of the Candidacy Examination. (6) Successful completion of defense of the doctoral dissertation.
Required Courses
12 Total Credits
- Complete 1 of the following
- Based upon the student’s chosen specialization, complete 12 credit hours from one of the following options:
Geotechnical Engineering- Earn at least 12 credits from the following:
- CEG5405 - Seepage in Soils (3)
- CEG6065 - Soil Dynamics (3)
- CEG5115 - Foundation Engineering (3)
- CEG6515 - Retaining Structures and Slope Stability (3)
- CEG6610 - Smart Underground Structures: Tunnels and Shafts (3)
- CGN5506 - Advanced Pavement and Civil Engineering Materials (3)
- TTE5835 - Pavement Engineering (3)
- CEG6317 - Advanced Geotechnical Engineering (3)
- CGN5506 - Advanced Pavement and Civil Engineering Materials (3)
Structural Engineering- Earn at least 12 credits from the following:
- CES5144 - Matrix Methods for Structural Analysis (3)
- CES5325 - Bridge Engineering (3)
- CES5606 - Advanced Steel Structures (3)
- CES5706 - Advanced Reinforced Concrete (3)
- CES5821 - Masonry and Timber Design (3)
- CES6010 - Structural Reliability (3)
- CES6116 - Finite Element Structural Analysis (3)
- CES6209 - Dynamics of Structures (3)
- CES6220 - Wind and Earthquake Engineering (3)
- CES6230 - Advanced Structural Mechanics (3)
- CES6527 - Nonlinear Structural Analysis (3)
- CES6715 - Prestressed Concrete Structures (3)
- CES6876 - Smart City Built Infrastructure (3)
Transportation Systems Engineering- Earn at least 12 credits from the following:
- CGN5617 - Infrastructure Systems Optimization and Identification (3)
- CGN6655 - Regional Planning, Design, and Development (3)
- ESI5219 - Engineering Statistics (3)
- STA5206 - Statistical Analysis (3)
- TTE5204 - Traffic Engineering (3)
- TTE5805 - Geometric Design of Transportation Systems (3)
- TTE5835 - Pavement Engineering (3)
- TTE6205 - Highway Capacity (3)
- TTE6256 - Traffic Operations (3)
- TTE6270 - Intelligent Transportation Systems (3)
- TTE6275 - Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (3)
- TTE6315 - Traffic Safety Analysis (3)
- TTE6526 - Planning and Design of Airports (3)
- TTE6625 - Mass Transportation Systems (3)
- TTE6667 - Discrete Choice Modeling in Transportation (3)
- TTE6668 - Transportation Networks (3)
- CGN6342 - Modeling Human Behavior with Emerging Data (3)
- TTE6608 - Algorithms and Models for Smart Cities (3)
- CGN5340 - Internet of Things: Applications in Smart Cities (3)
- CGN6343 - Cyber-Physical Systems and Smart Cities (3)
- TTE5532 - Policy Aspects of Smart City Transportation (3)
Water Resources Engineering- Earn at least 12 credits from the following:
- CWR5125 - Groundwater Hydrology (3)
- CWR5205 - Hydraulic Engineering (3)
- CWR5634 - Water Resources in a Changing Environment (3)
- CWR5999 - Coastal Systems Analysis (3)
- CWR6007 - Ecohydraulics (3)
- CWR5102 - Advanced Hydrology (3)
- CWR6126 - Groundwater Modeling (3)
- CWR6235 - Open Channel Hydraulics (3)
- CWR6236 - River Engineering and Sediment Transport (3)
- CWR6606 - Stochastic River Network Hydro-Geomorphology (3)
- CWR6660 - Water Policy, Planning and Governance (3)
Construction Engineering and Management- Earn at least 12 credits from the following:
- CCE5006 - Infrastructure Systems Management (3)
- CCE5205 - Decision Support for Infrastructure Projects (3)
- CCE5220 - Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (3)
- CCE6036 - Advanced Construction Planning and Control (3)
- CCE6045 - Cost Analysis of Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (3)
- CCE6211 - Design and Monitoring of Construction Processes (3)
- CCE6817 - Dynamics of Sustainable Systems (3)
Smart Cities- Earn at least 12 credits from the following:
- CGN5340 - Internet of Things: Applications in Smart Cities (3)
- CGN5617 - Infrastructure Systems Optimization and Identification (3)
- CGN6342 - Modeling Human Behavior with Emerging Data (3)
- CGN6343 - Cyber-Physical Systems and Smart Cities (3)
- STA5703 - Data Mining Methodology I (3)
- TTE5532 - Policy Aspects of Smart City Transportation (3)
- TTE6533 - Mobility in Smart Cities: Technologies and Application Areas (3)
- TTE6275 - Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (3)
- TTE6608 - Algorithms and Models for Smart Cities (3)
- TTE5531 - Active Mobility and Technologies: Synergy and Challenges (3)
- CES6876 - Smart City Built Infrastructure (3)
- ENV6533 - Smart Water and Wastewater Management (3)
- CCE5220 - Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (3)
- ENV5128 - Smart Air Quality Monitoring and Air Pollution Control (3)
Elective Courses
30 Total Credits
- Earn at least 30 credits from the following types of courses: Earn at least 30 credits from XXX 5000- or XXX 6000-level elective courses approved by the student's adviser. The electives can be from Engineering and Computer Science courses, where XXX is EAS, EEE, EEL, COP, CEN, CIS, COT, CDA, CNT, CAP, EGM, ESI, BME, EML, EIN, CGN, CWR, TTE, CEG, CES, CCE, ENV, EES, EMA, or OSE; or from course prefixes outside the College, where XXX can be CHM, CHS, PHY, PHZ, GIS, ANG, POS, SYA, CCJ, BCH, BSC, HMG, HSC, MAA, MAD, MAP, MAS, MAT, MCB, MTG, PAD, PCB, STA, or ZOO.
Doctoral Research/Independent Study Hours and Additional Coursework
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: Doctoral Research (XXX 7919) - 15 credit hours maximum (more than 15 research credit hours can be taken, but only a maximum of 15 credit hours will be counted toward the program of study). Independent Study (XXX 6908) - 3 credit hours maximum Formal coursework listed in electives above can also be pursued to meet the doctoral research hour requirement. So, students can earn credits from XXX 5000- or XXX 6000-level elective courses approved by the student's adviser. The electives can be from Engineering and Computer Science courses, where XXX is EAS, EEE, EEL, COP, CEN, CIS, COT, CDA, CNT, CAP, EGM, ESI, BME, EML, EIN, CGN, CWR, TTE, CEG, CES, CCE, ENV, EES, EMA, or OSE; or from course prefixes outside the College, where XXX can be CHM, CHS, PHY, PHZ, GIS, ANG, POS, SYA, CCJ, BCH, BSC, HMG, HSC, MAA, MAD, MAP, MAS, MAT, MCB, MTG, PAD, PCB, STA, or ZOO.
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: XXX 7980 (where XXX can be CGN, CCE, CEG, CES, CWR, or TTE; 15 credit hours)
Examinations
0 Total Credits
- The student must pass three examinations.
Qualifying Examination
0 Total Credits
- The first is the PhD Qualifying Examination in one of the departmental disciplines. This written examination must be taken within the first year of admission into the PhD program. It may be attempted no more than twice.
Candidacy Examination
0 Total Credits
- The student must pass a Candidacy Examination, normally taken near the end of the course work. It consists of a written and oral presentation of a research proposal, and may include additional written or oral questioning by the committee. A copy of the written examination will be kept as part of the student's official record.
Admission to Candidacy
0 Total Credits
- The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours. Evidence that items have been completed must be received by the College of Graduate Studies on the Friday before the first day of classes for those who wish to enroll in dissertation hours in that semester: • Submittal of an approved program of study (during the first 9 hours of coursework at UCF). • Completion of all but 6 hours or less of course work, except for dissertation hours. • The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars. • Successful completion of the candidacy examination.
Dissertation Defense Examination
0 Total Credits
- • The Dissertation Defense Examination is an oral examination taken as defense of the written dissertation. The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that all dissertation defense announcements be approved by the student's adviser and posted on the college's website and on the College of Graduate Studies Events Calendar at least two weeks before the defense date.
Grand Total Credits: 72
Application Requirements
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
- Elective courses must be approved by the student’s faculty adviser and the graduate director.
- Students that have no MS degree should complete the core courses for the MS degree in the respective focus area.
- Doctoral Research (XXX 7919) - 15 credit hours maximum (more than 15 research credit hours can be taken, but only a maximum of 15 credit hours will be counted toward the program of study).
- Thesis (XXX 6971) - 6 credit hours maximum
- Independent Study (XXX 6908) - 3 credit hours maximum
- No more than 15 credit hours combined of thesis (XXX 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919) and/or independent study (XXX 6908) may be taken toward fulfilling the degree program of study coursework requirements
- Directed Research (XXX 6918) is not permitted in a PhD program of study.
Equipment Fee
Students in the Civil Engineering PhD program pay a $16 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled. Part-time students pay $8 per semester.
Independent Learning
The Independent Learning Requirement is met by successful completion of the student's candidacy and dissertation defense examinations.
Full Time Enrollment Requirement for the program
Once a student is admitted into candidacy, full time enrollment is 3 dissertation hours per term. However, if the student needs more than 3 hours to complete the 15-hour dissertation hour requirement, they may enroll in more than 3 hours of XXX 7980 to meet the 15-hr requirement.
