Return to: School of Graduate Engineering and Applied Science: Degree Programs
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY: Civil Engineering
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY: CIVIL ENGINEERING
Overview
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Civil Engineering is a mentored opportunity to become an expert on a specific research topic and train for a career involving independent research. The Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering requires satisfactory completion of required coursework, successful completion of the three Ph.D. degree milestones: Qualifying Exam, Dissertation Proposal, Final Examination (Defense). Additional requirements are described below.
Program Requirements
A candidate for the Ph.D. in Civil Engineering must fulfill the School of Engineering requirements for a Ph.D. degree, along with the requirements described below. The School of Engineering academic requirements for Ph.D. students and steps to graduation can be found on the Office of Graduate Programs website.
Coursework: A minimum of 24 credits of graduate engineering beyond the bachelor’s degree is required for all the Ph.D. students in Engineering School at UVA. Students with graduate study at other institutions may apply engineering credits from that study towards their 24 hours, but all CEE Ph.D. students must complete at least six credits of coursework from CEE at UVA. Students who earn an M.E or M.S degree at UVA en-route to a Ph.D in CEE may use CEE credits from their master’s degree to meet this requirement.
It is recommended that a plan of study be prepared under the guidance of the student’s faculty advisor by the end of the first semester of study. The plan of study may be revised, if necessary, at any time
Seminar: As an essential component of the graduate program in CEE, Ph.D. students are required to enroll in CE 7001 (with zero credit hours) and attend the CEE seminars during the 2024–2025 academic year.
Conference/Seminar Presentation: Ph.D. students are required to present their research at least once at a conference, CEE Seminar Series or other public venue approved by the Ph.D. Committee.
Publication: Ph.D. students are expected to generate peer-reviewed publications from each technical chapter of their dissertation. Publications must be peer-reviewed, co-authored with advisor and with the student as first author. Typically, one or more first-authored peer-reviewed publications will have already been accepted by the time of the Ph.D. defense. Sufficiency of the publication record is determined by your Ph.D. Committee.
Ph.D. Qualifying Exam: The Ph.D. Qualifying Exam (also referred to as the comprehensive exam or Ph.D. exam) is required by the Engineering School for all doctoral engineering students. The Ph.D. Qualifying Exam in CEE consists of two parts, written and oral in front of the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Committee.
Students may elect to take the Qualifying Exam as early as completion of the required coursework. All students should take the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam no later than the end of their second year in the program. Delayed examination is subject to the approval of the student’s Ph.D. advisor and the Graduate Program Director.
The committee for Ph.D. Qualifying Exam will include at least four members, including at least three CEE faculty members. Note that a faculty with a CEE courtesy appointment may be a part of the committee but do not count toward the CEE requirement above, and that the Committee Chair (who may not be the student’s faculty advisor) must hold 50% or more of their primary appointment in the CEE Department.
Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal: This milestone allows the student’s committee to evaluate whether or not the proposed work, if completed, would constitute an acceptable basis for a doctoral dissertation.
All students are required to successfully complete the Dissertation Proposal at least three semesters (counting summer semester or unenrolled semester) prior to the Dissertation Defense (Final Exam). For example, if a student successfully defends their proposal in Fall 2024 semester, the earliest they can do their Dissertation Defense will be in the Fall 2025 semester. However, students are highly encouraged to complete this milestone by the end of year 3 of their program.
The requirements for the composition of the committee for the Dissertation Proposal are as follows: a minimum of five total members; a minimum of four UVA faculty; a minimum of three CEE faculty members; and one of the UVA members (the “external member”) must be from outside CEE. Note that faculty with CEE courtesy appointments should be considered as external members.
Ph.D. Final Examination (Defense): The Final Examination (Defense) is the culminating step of the Ph.D. process.
Ph.D. students are eligible to defend their dissertation once they have completed all other requirements of the PhD program.
The requirements for the composition of the committee for the Ph.D. Ph.D. Final Examination (Defense) Committee are as follows: a minimum of five total members; a minimum of four UVA faculty; a minimum of three CEE faculty members; and one of the UVA members (the “external member”) must be from outside CEE. Note that faculty with CEE courtesy appointments should be considered as external members.
After successful completion of the final defense, the candidate must submit the dissertation via Libra. Paper-bound copies are no longer required. Students should discuss any copyright/embargo issues with their mentors and chairs prior to the upload.
Exit Survey: Following the successful completion of a PhD Dissertation Defense, students are asked to complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates.
Information about the dissertation, committee composition, milestones, and administrative forms can be found on the Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering webpage.
Students should consult “Transfer Credit” and “Time Limit” in the School of Engineering and Applied Science—Academic Rules section of the Record for policies that govern transferring credits and limits on the time that may be taken to earn a degree.
