Doctoral Degree Procdeures:
IDC Guidelines Civil Engineering
Introduction
The Ph.D. Program provides contemporary and significant research
topics in structural and advanced material engineering, experimental,
computational and theoretical mechanics, environmental engineering,
and geotechnical and transportation engineering. Students are expected
to formulate and analyze these problems using modern experimental methods
of investigation, numerical simulations, mathematical analysis, and
computer modeling. The Program also develops students' interdisciplinary
communication skills, thereby enhancing their ability to interact with
other professionals.
The following provides broad guidelines regarding program requirements
for the Ph.D. degree. For more detailed information the student should
consult the document on Interdisciplinary Doctoral Procedures provided
by the College of Engineering.
Academic Matters – Ph.D. Degree
in Engineering
The first year of the Ph.D. Student
Upon arrival the student will meet with graduate committee members.
This committee will conduct a placement review to determine an appropriate
initial plan of study consisting of at most 18 credit hours. Before
completion of the initial plan of study the student must identify
an interdisciplinary field of study, a dissertation director and
form an interdisciplinary doctoral curriculum (IDC) committee.
The chair of the IDC Committee must be in the Department of Civil
Engineering.
The IDC Committee shall consist of at least five faculty members,
of whom at least two members must be from the Civil Engineering Department
and one from outside the College of Engineering.
The Plan of Study
The Plan of Study is established by the IDC Committee in accordance
with the following guidelines:
The Plan of Study has a minimum of 96 total credit hours with a
minimum of 45 credits of coursework. At least 36 credits of the coursework
must be at the 600-700 level approved by the IDC Committee. At least
6 credits of the coursework must be from outside of the Civil Engineering
Department.
The intent of the coursework in the Plan of Study is to provide
background necessary to conduct the dissertation research. Coursework
for other purposes may be included in the Plan of Study only if the
IDC Committee deem appropriate.
The Plan of Study must include a language requirement as specified
by the IDC Committee.
The Qualifying Examinations
The Qualifying Examinations consist of two components: one component
covers at least two topics in math/science and is composed by the
respective departments; the second component includes as a minimum
three topics in civil engineering and is composed by the faculty
of Civil Engineering Department.
The Qualifying Examinations is normally offered once a year. It
must be taken no later than the end of the student's first year of
study. At most one retake of the examination is allowed.
The Candidacy Examination
The purpose of the Candidacy Examination is to test the student's
ability to conduct independent research. The student must pass the
Candidacy Examination composed and administered by the IDC Committee
within one year after passing the Qualifying Examination. The student
cannot enroll in doctoral dissertation credits before becoming a
doctoral candidate upon passing the Candidacy Examination.
Upon submission of the Dissertation Proposal by the doctoral candidate,
the IDC Committee determines the way in which the Candidacy Examination
is to be conducted. At most one re-examination may be granted if
the IDC Committee concurs and sets a time limit for the re-examination.
The Dissertation Proposal
The student must present an acceptable Proposal for Dissertation
Research to the IDC Committee. This should be done within one year
after passing the Qualifying Examinations. The proposal shall be
in written form and given to the IDC Committee at least 10 days prior
to the scheduled date of the Dissertation Proposal oral presentation.
The Dissertation and Oral Defense
The dissertation must be a scientifically acceptable and comprehensive
study whose format meets all accepted standards of the College of
Engineering and the IDC Committee. The written dissertation should
be given to the IDC Committee at least 10 days prior to the scheduled
date of the oral defense. The doctoral candidate must successfully
pass this oral defense allowing no “fail” vote from the
members of the IDC Committee.
