Civil Engineering - Geotechnical Engineering Concentration (PhD)

Program Educational Goals:

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

Demonstrate a solid understanding of fundamental principles and advanced knowledge in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering and apply them to new problems.
Understand and critically assess published literature and research findings in in soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering, and related fields.
Formulate and execute a research plan to generate new knowledge and publishable results.
Develop and/or apply new experimental, computational, or theoretical tools in their research.
Communicate effectively in writing, orally, and graphically.
Collaborate on interdisciplinary teams to address problems of societal significance.

Program Policy Document:

Please see the Program Policy Document for more information.

Requirements for the PhD Degree

The Ph.D. in Civil Engineering offers a concentration in Geotechnical 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 601 - Introduction to the Finite Element Method Credit(s): 3
CIEG 605 - Intermediate Topics in Finite Element Analysis Credit(s): 3
CIEG 606 - Ocean and Atmosphere Remote Sensing Credit(s): 3
CIEG 621 - Foundation Engineering Credit(s): 3
CIEG 622 - Earth Structures Engineering Credit(s): 3
CIEG 625 - Unsaturated Soil Mechanics Credit(s): 3
CIEG 626 - Soil Behavior Credit(s): 3
CIEG 627 - Deep Foundations Credit(s): 3
CIEG 628 - Ground Improvement Methods Credit(s): 3
CIEG 658 - Pavement Analysis and Design Credit(s): 3
CIEG 675 - Matlab for Engineering Analysis Credit(s): 3
CIEG 698 - Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport Credit(s): 3
CIEG 820 - Inelastic Behavior of Geomaterials Credit(s): 3
GEOG 670 - Geographic Information Systems and Science Credit(s): 3
GEOG 671 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems Credit(s): 3
MAST 681 - Remote Sensing of Environment Credit(s): 3
MEEG 690 - Intermediate Engineering Mathematics Credit(s): 3
STAT 601 - Probability Theory for Operations Research and Statistics Credit(s): 3
STAT 602 - Mathematical Statistics Credit(s): 3
STAT 608 - Statistical Research Methods Credit(s): 3
STAT 609 - Regression and Experimental Design 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.