Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering
The Ph.D. degree provides an opportunity for students to pursue a program of research in a specialized area and to develop a dissertation that embodies the results of original research and gives evidence of high scholarship.
Areas of Study
The Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering (CSEE) offers the following five areas of specialization:
Computational Engineering Mechanics Environmental and Hydrosystems Engineering Geomechanics, Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Structural and Earthquake Engineering
Degree Requirements
While all Ph.D. programs in civil engineering are highly individualized, they all consist of these three basic elements:
a program of graduate coursework qualifying examinations (written and oral) defense and approval of a doctoral dissertation
More specifically, a Ph.D. program must consist of a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. A maximum of 30 credit hours from the M.S. degree can be credited towards the Ph.D. degree. At least 42 credit hours beyond the M.S. degree are normally required for the Ph.D. degree, which will include from 12 to 24 credit hours for dissertation and at least 18 hours of coursework. However, no matter how many credit hours are allocated for the dissertation on a student's transcript, the quality of a dissertation is the crucial consideration. The dissertation must represent a significant contribution to the field of study.
The program of coursework is formulated by the student and his/her advisor in the first or second semester after admission to the Ph.D. program. Core course requirements, as specified below, must be satisfied either through courses taken within the doctoral program or previously as part of an M.S. program. Individual program areas may require a minor concentration or specific grouping of courses.
Please note that proposed Ph.D. programs in pure science or mathematics devoid of applied elements are not generally acceptable within CSEE, nor are programs in technology that are deficient in scientific or mathematical background.
Additional detail concerning the Ph.D. program requirements can be found in the Graduate Studies Manual.
Core Curriculum
CSEE maintains a basic core requirement for civil engineering M.S. and Ph.D. degree candidates consisting of one course in mathematics and one of two courses in mechanics, either fluids or solids.
The courses comprising the core are selected to ensure that advanced degree recipients from the department have knowledge in the basic mechanics and mathematics that are the "fundamental language" of civil engineering.
The only exception to this rule is when a student can demonstrate that he/she has already taken an equivalent course before coming to UB. In this case the student should take an alternative course, as specified by the Graduate Studies Committee.
While high performance in all graduate work is important, excellent grades in core courses are particularly significant in the faculty's assessment of a student's potential to pursue a Ph.D.
The current core program is as follows:
Mechanics:
CIE 511 Advanced Mechanics of Solids
or
CIE 546 Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Mathematics:
CIE 516 Advanced Mathematics for Civil Engineers
Doctoral Research and Coursework
As indicated above, Ph.D. programs are tailored for the needs of each doctoral student. Research topics are highly dependent upon the research interests of the faculty advisor. Please explore CSEE Research for more information on our current research.
For more detail on the coursework component of the program, please see CSEE Graduate Courses for descriptions of individual courses available within the department. Note, however, that doctoral students are also encouraged to enroll in courses offered outside CSEE.
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