The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Civil Engineering prepares graduates for successful careers in academia, industry, and government by providing specialized training in disciplines relevant to the design, construction, and enhancement of society’s infrastructure. The PhD in Civil Engineering is a research-oriented degree intended for students with formal training in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline. The program requires specialized course work combined with intensive research. Students must choose a specialization for their research and studies from Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Systems Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Smart Cities, or Construction Engineering and Management.
The Accelerated MS-to-PhD Track requires completion of 42 credit hours, of which 15 credit hours minimum must be formal coursework, exclusive of directed research (XXX 6918), thesis (XXX 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919), and independent study (XXX 6908), and 15 credit hours minimum of dissertation research (XXX 7980). No more than 12 credit hours of doctoral research (XXX 7919) may be taken toward fulfilling the degree program of study coursework requirements. Applicants to this track must have already earned an MS degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline and are seeking higher level graduate education and research training. Students are expected to pass the qualifying examination(s) in the first year.
Total Credit Hours Required: 42 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree
Track Prerequisites
Master's degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline.
Degree Requirements
0 Total Credits
- Track Details The Doctor of Philosophy degree track in this field requires successful completion of a minimum of 42 credit hours at the graduate level beyond MS and the successful defense of a PhD dissertation. Specifically, the accelerated MS-to-PhD track requires: (1) 15 credit hours minimum must be formal coursework, exclusive of directed research (XXX 6918), thesis (XXX 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919), and independent study (XXX 6908). All 15 hours must be taken at UCF. (2) 15 credit hours minimum must be dissertation research (XXX 7980). (3) No more than 12 credit hours doctoral research (XXX 7919) may be taken toward fulfilling the degree program of study coursework requirements. (4) Successful completion of the PhD Qualifying Examination. (5) Successful completion of the Candidacy Examination. (6) Successful completion of defense of the Doctoral Dissertation.
Required Courses
6 Total Credits
- Complete 1 of the following
- Based upon the student’s chosen specialization, complete 6 credit hours from one of the following options:
Geotechnical Engineering- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- CEG6065 - Soil Dynamics (3)
- CEG6115 - Foundation Engineering (3)
- CEG6317 - Advanced Geotechnical Engineering (3)
- CEG6515 - Retaining Structures and Slope Stability (3)
- CEG6610 - Smart Underground Structures: Tunnels and Shafts (3)
- CEG5405 - Seepage in Soils (3)
- CGN5506 - Advanced Pavement and Civil Engineering Materials (3)
- TTE5835 - Pavement Engineering (3)
Structural Engineering- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- CES6010 - Structural Reliability (3)
- CES6116 - Finite Element Structural Analysis (3)
- CES6209 - Dynamics of Structures (3)
- CES6220 - Wind and Earthquake Engineering (3)
- CES6230 - Advanced Structural Mechanics (3)
- CES6527 - Nonlinear Structural Analysis (3)
- CES6715 - Prestressed Concrete Structures (3)
- CES6876 - Smart City Built Infrastructure (3)
- CES5144 - Matrix Methods for Structural Analysis (3)
- CES5325 - Bridge Engineering (3)
- CES5606 - Advanced Steel Structures (3)
- CES5706 - Advanced Reinforced Concrete (3)
- CES5821 - Masonry and Timber Design (3)
Transportation Systems Engineering- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- CGN6655 - Regional Planning, Design, and Development (3)
- TTE6205 - Highway Capacity (3)
- TTE6256 - Traffic Operations (3)
- TTE6270 - Intelligent Transportation Systems (3)
- TTE6275 - Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (3)
- TTE6315 - Traffic Safety Analysis (3)
- TTE6526 - Planning and Design of Airports (3)
- TTE6625 - Mass Transportation Systems (3)
- TTE6667 - Discrete Choice Modeling in Transportation (3)
- TTE6668 - Transportation Networks (3)
- CGN5617 - Infrastructure Systems Optimization and Identification (3)
- CGN6342 - Modeling Human Behavior with Emerging Data (3)
- ESI5219 - Engineering Statistics (3)
- STA5206 - Statistical Analysis (3)
- TTE5204 - Traffic Engineering (3)
- TTE5805 - Geometric Design of Transportation Systems (3)
- TTE5532 - Policy Aspects of Smart City Transportation (3)
- TTE6608 - Algorithms and Models for Smart Cities (3)
- CGN5340 - Internet of Things: Applications in Smart Cities (3)
- CGN6343 - Cyber-Physical Systems and Smart Cities (3)
- TTE5835 - Pavement Engineering (3)
Water Resources Engineering- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- CWR6007 - Ecohydraulics (3)
- CWR6102 - Advanced Hydrology (3)
- CWR6126 - Groundwater Modeling (3)
- CWR6235 - Open Channel Hydraulics (3)
- CWR6236 - River Engineering and Sediment Transport (3)
- CWR6606 - Stochastic River Network Hydro-Geomorphology (3)
- CWR6660 - Water Policy, Planning and Governance (3)
- CWR5125 - Groundwater Hydrology (3)
- CWR5205 - Hydraulic Engineering (3)
- CWR5634 - Water Resources in a Changing Environment (3)
- CWR5999 - Coastal Systems Analysis (3)
Construction Engineering Management- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- CCE6036 - Advanced Construction Planning and Control (3)
- CCE6045 - Cost Analysis of Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (3)
- CCE6211 - Design and Monitoring of Construction Processes (3)
- CCE6817 - Dynamics of Sustainable Systems (3)
- CCE5006 - Infrastructure Systems Management (3)
- CCE5205 - Decision Support for Infrastructure Projects (3)
- CCE5220 - Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (3)
Smart Cities- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- CGN6342 - Modeling Human Behavior with Emerging Data (3)
- CGN6343 - Cyber-Physical Systems and Smart Cities (3)
- TTE6533 - Mobility in Smart Cities: Technologies and Application Areas (3)
- TTE6275 - Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (3)
- TTE6608 - Algorithms and Models for Smart Cities (3)
- CGN5340 - Internet of Things: Applications in Smart Cities (3)
- CGN5617 - Infrastructure Systems Optimization and Identification (3)
- STA5703 - Data Mining Methodology I (3)
- TTE5531 - Active Mobility and Technologies: Synergy and Challenges (3)
- TTE5532 - Policy Aspects of Smart City Transportation (3)
- CES6876 - Smart City Built Infrastructure (3)
- ENV6533 - Smart Water and Wastewater Management (3)
- CCE5220 - Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (3)
- ENV6128 - Smart Air Quality Monitoring and Air Pollution Control (3)
Elective Courses
9 Total Credits
- Earn at least 9 credits from the following types of courses: XXX 5000- or XXX 6000-level elective courses approved by the student's adviser. The electives can be from Engineering and Computer Science courses, where XXX is EAS, EEE, EEL, COP, CEN, CIS, COT, CDA, CNT, CAP, EGM, ESI, BME, EML, EIN, CGN, CWR, TTE, CEG, CES, CCE, ENV, EES, EMA, or OSE; or from course prefixes outside the College, where XXX can be CHM, CHS, PHY, PHZ, GIS, ANG, POS, SYA, CCJ, BCH, BSC, HMG, HSC, MAA, MAD, MAP, MAS, MAT, MCB, MTG, PAD, PCB, STA, or ZOO.
Doctoral Research/Independent Study Hours
12 Total Credits
- Earn at least 12 credits from the following types of courses: Doctoral Research (XXX 7919) - 12 credit hours maximum (more than 12 research credit hours can be taken, but only a maximum of 12 credit hours will be counted toward the program of study).
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: XXX 7980 (where XXX can be CGN, CCE, CEG, CES, CWR, or TTE; 15 credit hours)
Examinations
0 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- The student must pass three examinations.
Qualifying Examination- The first is the PhD Qualifying Examination in one of the departmental disciplines. This written examination must be taken within the first year of admission into the PhD program. It may be attempted no more than twice.
Candidacy Examination- The student must pass a Candidacy Examination, normally taken near the end of the course work. It consists of a written and oral presentation of a research proposal, and may include additional written or oral questioning by the committee. A copy of the written examination will be kept as part of the student's official record.
Admission to Candidacy- The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours. Evidence that items have been completed must be received by the College of Graduate Studies on the Friday before the first day of classes for those who wish to enroll in dissertation hours in that semester: o Completion of all but 6 hours or less of course work, except for dissertation hours. o Successful completion of the candidacy examination. o The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars. o Submittal of an approved program of study.
Dissertation Defense Examination- The Dissertation Defense Examination is an oral examination taken as defense of the written dissertation. The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that all dissertation defense announcements be approved by the student's adviser and posted on the college's website and on the College of Graduate Studies Events Calendar at least two weeks before the defense date.
Grand Total Credits: 42
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
- Elective courses must be approved by the student’s faculty adviser and the graduate coordinator.
- Doctoral Research (XXX 7919) - 12 credit hours maximum (more than 12 research credit hours can be taken, but only a maximum of 12 credit hours will be counted toward the program of study).
- Directed Research (XXX 6918) and Independent Study (XXX 6908) are not permitted in the accelerated MS-to-PhD track.
Equipment Fee
Students in the Civil Engineering PhD program pay a $16 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled. Part-time students pay $8 per semester.
Independent Learning
The Independent Learning Requirement is met by successful completion of the student's candidacy and dissertation defense examinations.
