Civil Engineering

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Graduate Programs

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers several areas of study for those interested in pursuing an advanced degree in civil engineering. These degrees can lead to employment opportunities in government, industry, or academia. Our graduate program offers the following degrees:

Master of Engineering (ME) in Civil Engineering **
Master of Science (MS) in Civil Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Civil Engineering

** Students may complete the M.E. either on-grounds, or through the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program (CGEP).

An important component of graduate education in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is active involvement in the department’s research program. The research program is organized in the following two focus areas:

Environmental and Water Resources: Our research in environmental and water resources engineering is focused largely on the developing environmentally sustainable technologies as it relates to our water, energy, and transportation infrastructure. This work covers a broad range of topics including protecting and improving the health of the rivers that act as water sources, optimizing the supply and transport of water to a community, improving the chemistry of point of use water treatment, understanding nanoparticle transport in groundwater, modeling contaminant transport in surface and subsurface waters, understanding multiphase transport in porous media, and creating algal biofuels from wastewater. Professors in this area utilize computer modeling, laboratory research, and field sites that vary from rivers in Charlottesville to remote African communities. The Water Quality Lab, the Sustainable Rivers Lab, and the Virginia Environmentally Sustainable Technologies Lab are led by researchers in this area.

Infrastructure Systems Engineering: Our research in infrastructure engineering focuses on improving the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure in a sustainable manner. The department has considerable expertise in advanced information technology to monitor and control infrastructure. Much of the work in this area is conducted in partnership with the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research, through the department’s Center for Transportation Studies. Complementary research in Infrastructure Engineering includes investigation of the physics and mechanics of solids to provide the basis for understanding, predicting and improving the behavior of civil engineering systems.

M.E. and M.S. Degrees

Students pursuing M.E. and M.S. degrees will be assigned a faculty advisor upon entering the program. The advisor will work with the student to define a program of studies, and (if applicable) conduct research for an M.S. thesis. The advisor will work with the student to address M.E. and M.S. degree requirements established by the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS).

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering participates in the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program (CGEP) by presenting graduate-level courses in a distributed learning environment. CGEP students achieve a Master of Engineering degree. CGEP students participate in live class sessions alongside their student peers sitting in the classroom, accessing the interactive sessions via their computer and internet connection. Class sessions are also recorded for later viewing/reviewing.

Ph.D. Degree

When a student enters the PhD program, an advisory committee is formed, chaired by the student’s advisor, to formulate a coursework and research plan suited to the student’s needs, interests, and goals. The advisory committee determines final requirements for the student. The requirements described below are minimum requirements for the department.

Plan of Study
A doctoral Plan of Study, listing the courses taken as part of the Ph.D. program and tailored to the interests and needs of the individual student, is developed in consultation with the student’s doctoral advisory committee. The plan must satisfy all SEAS requirements. The plan of study should ensure both depth in the specific research area and breadth in civil engineering and related sciences.

The plan of study should be submitted promptly after appointment of the doctoral advisory committee.

Qualifying Exam
The student’s doctoral advisory committee will develop and administer a qualifying examination designed to test: (a) the student’s integrative knowledge in their focus area within civil and environmental engineering, and (b) the student’s research abilities. The examination will consist of a written and oral component.

This examination should be completed within a maximum time period of 6 months following the student’s completion of coursework as defined by the plan of study.

Dissertation Proposal
Doctoral students are required to prepare a written dissertation proposal. The proposal should indicate the purpose and objectives of the work to be undertaken, the current state of the art with bibliography, and the strategy to be followed and techniques to be employed in the research. Preliminary data, calculations, and/or theoretical developments should be included in support of the proposed work. The proposal will be presented orally and discussed publicly. The doctoral advisory committee will serve as the dissertation proposal exam committee. This phase of the doctoral program should be completed within a maximum time period of 12 months following completion of Qualifying Exam.

Purpose of the Dissertation Proposal

To determine if the student’s knowledge of the area chosen for research and the pertinent literature is adequate
To determine whether the proposed work, if completed, would provide the basis for an acceptable dissertation
To advise the student on general approaches and specific techniques that may be helpful in the proposed research

Teaching Experience
To contribute to the educational and professional development, each doctoral student should serve as a graduate teaching assistant for a minimum of two semesters. These semesters should occur after the student has passed the qualifying exam.

Publication Expectation
A doctoral student is expected to serve as the lead author on one or more peer-reviewed journal papers prior to scheduling his or her final defense.