Civil Engineering - Coastal Engineering Concentration (PhD)

Please see the Program Policy Document for more information.

Program Educational Goals:

Graduates obtaining a PhD from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with a concentration in Coastal Engineering will be able to:

Demonstrate a solid understanding of fundamental principles and advanced-level knowledge of coastal engineering concepts such as wave theory, fluid dynamics, coastal processes, and sediment transport and apply these concepts to new problems.
Understand and critically assess published literature and research findings in coastal engineering.
Formulate and execute a research plan to generate and defend new knowledge and publish findings in peer-reviewed literature.
Develop and/or apply new experimental, computational, or theoretical tools in coastal engineering research.
Communicate coastal engineering concepts effectively in writing, orally, and graphically.
Collaborate on interdisciplinary teams to address problems of societal significance.

Requirements for the PhD Degree

The Ph.D. in Civil Engineering offers a concentration in Coastal Engineering. The Ph.D. program is aimed at training the graduate student to achieve the highest degree in research within a chosen topic. Mathematics, fundamental sciences, and engineering sciences are combined to provide a personalized program of study and research. All graduate students work in close cooperation with the faculty in the chosen area. Although it is possible for students to study toward a Ph.D. directly upon entering graduate school, most students choose to obtain the MCE or MAS first.

A student’s doctoral program, comprising 72 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree (including doctoral dissertation), is planned around a central objective in applied science and mathematics. If a student who already holds a master’s degree in the specific field of study is accepted directly into the Ph.D. program, the coursework from the master’s degree will be considered in the design of the doctoral program. All courses in the program are selected with the approval of the student’s dissertation advisor.

PhD Dissertation

9 credits

CIEG 969 - Doctoral Dissertation Credit(s): 1-12

Research

Minimum of 9 credits

CIEG 868 - Research Credit(s): 1-6

Seminar

All doctoral students are required to attend departmental or college seminars each semester in their fields of study. Students are expected to register for CIEG865 (0 credits) each semester.

CIEG 865 - Civil Engineering Seminar Credit(s): 0

Concentration Requirements

Coursework

Students who enter the doctoral program without a master’s degree are required to take a minimum of 36 credits of coursework.
Students who hold a master’s degree may have up to 30 credits of coursework considered in the design of the doctoral program. An additional 12 credits of coursework beyond the master’s degree is required.

All courses in the program are selected with the approval of the student’s dissertation advisor.

CIEG 639 - Ocean Fluid Dynamics Credit(s): 3
CIEG 670 - Physics of Cohesive Sediment Credit(s): 3
CIEG 672 - Water Wave Mechanics Credit(s): 3
CIEG 675 - Matlab for Engineering Analysis Credit(s): 3
CIEG 678 - Transport and Mixing Processes Credit(s): 3
CIEG 679 - Sediment Transport Mechanics Credit(s): 3
CIEG 680 - Coastal Processes Credit(s): 3
CIEG 681 - Water Wave Spectra Credit(s): 3
CIEG 682 - Nearshore Hydrodynamics Credit(s): 3
CIEG 871 - Coastal Structures Credit(s): 3
CIEG 872 - Advanced Water Wave Mechanics Credit(s): 3
GEOG 670 - Geographic Information Systems and Science Credit(s): 3
MAST 681 - Remote Sensing of Environment Credit(s): 3
MAST 691 - Fluid Dynamics in Marine Systems Credit(s): 4
MAST 693 - Waves in the Marine Environment Credit(s): 3
MEEG 690 - Intermediate Engineering Mathematics Credit(s): 3

Additional Research and/or Coursework

Students entering the doctoral program without a master’s degree are required to take a minimum of 18 credits of research and/or coursework chosen in consultation with their faculty advisor.
Students entering the doctoral program with a master’s degree are required to take a minimum of 12 credits of research and/or coursework chosen in consultation with their faculty advisor.