Begin Your Journey
Become a Subject-Matter Expert
Our highly individualized PhD program prepares you to discover new knowledge, innovate new techniques, and advance the field of engineering. Working with your faculty advisor, you will pursue coursework and research in your area of interest resulting in your final dissertation. Additionally, you will contribute to the state of knowledge in your field by publishing in refereed journals of international prominence. You will graduate equipped for high specialized careers in academia, industry, government, and consulting.
Coursework for the PhD degree is intended to provide depth of study in a particular academic subdiscipline. Students should work closely with their faculty advisor in selecting appropriate courses for the chosen subdiscipline, as some require specific courses to be completed.
Completing Your PhD:
Timeline and Key Steps
While the average length for most students to complete our PhD program is four to five years, the timeline will depend largely on your research.
Entering a PhD program directly from an undergraduate program without a master’s degree typically adds one to two years to the PhD completion timeline due to the additional coursework required.
After being accepted into the program and beginning your coursework, here are the key steps of the journey to an earned PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Coursework Requirements
A total of 72 credits of approved graduate coursework beyond a bachelor’s degree is required to complete our PhD program. An earned master’s degree can be used to satisfy up to 30 credits of the 72 credit total.
- At least 42 credits of approved graduate coursework beyond a master’s degree is required, meeting the following requirements:
- At least 24 credits must be earned at Colorado State University after acceptance into the doctoral program (see transfer requirements)
- At least 21 credits must be regular graduate-level courses (500-level and above)
- Of which, at least 18 credits must be regular graduate-level civil and environmental engineering courses (courses with a CIVE prefix and are 500-level and above with the last two digits 00-82, e.g. CIVE 655)
- Of which, at most 6 credits of independent study are allowed (CIVE 695A-L) and at most 2 credits of seminar courses are allowed
- Of which, at least 18 credits must be regular graduate-level civil and environmental engineering courses (courses with a CIVE prefix and are 500-level and above with the last two digits 00-82, e.g. CIVE 655)
- 12 to 18 credits of dissertation research (CIVE 799A-L) are required
- A total of 72 credits of approved graduate coursework beyond a bachelor’s degree is required, meeting the following requirements:
- At least 24 credits must be earned at Colorado State University after acceptance into the doctoral program (see transfer requirements)
- At least 37 credits must be regular graduate-level courses (500-level and above)
- Of which, at least 18 credits must be regular graduate-level civil and environmental engineering courses (courses with a CIVE prefix and are 500-level and above with the last two digits 00-82, e.g. CIVE 655)
- Of which, at most 9 credits of independent study are allowed (CIVE 695A-L) and at most 2 credits of seminar courses are allowed
- Of which, at least 18 credits must be regular graduate-level civil and environmental engineering courses (courses with a CIVE prefix and are 500-level and above with the last two digits 00-82, e.g. CIVE 655)
- 18 to 24 credits of dissertation research (CIVE 799A-L) are required
Qualifying Examination (QE)
This exam determines a student’s preparation and qualifications to continue in the PhD degree.
The QE comprises both written and oral components. The written component typically lasts four to eight hours, and the oral component typically lasts two to four hours. Both the written and the oral components must be completed within the three week examination period.
The QE covers material in a minimum of four subject areas within each student’s program of interest. The subject areas must be chosen by the student’s PhD advisor and the QE Committee. The student’s advisor will request written examination questions/problems from the other QE Committee members in the four subject areas. Prior to the oral component of the QE, the student’s advisor will compile the written examination questions/problems, give these compiled questions/problems to the student in the form of the written examination component, and distribute the completed written examination component to the QE Committee members.
A qualifying examination that has been successfully passed at another academic institution prior to the student’s matriculation in the CEE Department’s PhD degree program at Colorado State University must be reviewed and approved by the student’s QE Committee at CSU in order to meet the CEE Department’s QE requirement.
- A PhD student must successfully pass the QE before the beginning of the third week of the third academic semester of their matriculation as a doctoral student in the PhD program.
- The QE shall be administered twice per year during the three-week period ranging from one week prior to the beginning of a semester until two weeks after the beginning of the same semester. Each student has two opportunities to take and pass the examination as long as the student’s second opportunity occurs before the beginning of the third week of the third academic semester of their PhD program.
- For PhD students who do not have an engineering degree, the Department’s QE policy will be extended by two semesters to allow the student sufficient time to take the required engineering background courses prior to taking the QE.
- For PhD students who do not have a prior master’s degree requiring the need to complete 72 credit hours, the Department’s QE policy will be extended by two semesters to allow students to take additional coursework prior to the exam.
| 42 credits (have prior master’s degree) | 72 credits (no prior master’s degree) | Student requiring background coursework | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD Start Term | Exam must be completed by two weeks after the start of: | ||
| Fall 2022 | Fall 2023 | Fall 2024 | Fall 2024 |
| Spring 2023 | Spring 2024 | Spring 2025 | Spring 2025 |
| Fall 2023 | Fall 2024 | Fall 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| Spring 2024 | Spring 2025 | Spring 2026 | Spring 2026 |
| Fall 2024 | Fall 2025 | Fall 2026 | Fall 2026 |
- The QE Committee will have at least three tenured/tenure track CEE faculty, typically in the student’s graduate program of study.
- For students in the joint PhD program in Construction Engineering and Management, the Committee will have at least four faculty members of which at least two will be full-time tenured/tenure track CEE faculty (i.e., they cannot be joint appointments).
- The QE is a CEE Department requirement and not a Graduate School requirement. As a result, there is no need for a Committee member who is from another department. At the discretion of the student’s PhD advisor, an additional member of the QE Committee from another department is allowed.
- The QE Committee is selected by the student’s PhD advisor, but the advisor shall not serve as the Chair of the QE Committee. The QE Committee does not need to be the same as the student’s PhD Committee, although members of the QE Committee also may serve on the student’s PhD Committee
Based on a majority vote, the QE Committee will indicate the outcome of the exam as either:
- passed
- passed subject to conditions
- failed
The outcome of the QE, including recommendations and/or requirements for the student’s PhD program, will be recorded using the Department’s official QE outcome form and submitted by the Chair of the QE Committee to the CEE Department’s Graduate Student Coordinator. Subsequently, the result will be reported to the CEE Department Head and placed in the student’s file maintained by the CEE Department. A student who passes the QE becomes a PhD Candidate.
Appointment of PhD Committee
Students work with their PhD Advisor to determine a PhD Committee comprising at least four faculty. At least two PhD Committee members must be tenured or tenure-track faculty within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The PhD Committee shall include the student’s PhD Advisor, who serves as Chair of the Committee, one or two members in the field of specialization, and at least one member from another department. The outside PhD Committee member is nominated by the PhD Advisor but represents the Graduate School and is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Individuals who have special expertise but are not members of the CEE Department’s regular faculty may serve as non-voting PhD Committee members and are appointed as additional PhD Committee members.
The PhD Committee will advise the student, assist in preparing the program of study, generally supervise the research and thesis, and administer all required examinations.
Preliminary Examination
This exam determines the PhD candidate’s ability to conduct original and independent research, prior to completion of the dissertation. The student presents a proposal for doctoral research to their PhD Committee for consideration and approval.
The Preliminary Examination is taken by students who have successfully completed the QE.
The student will present a written research proposal to each PhD Committee member at least two weeks prior to the date of the Preliminary Examination. The research proposal will be written in a scholarly manner and include a history of the problem, the proposed scope of the investigation, and a statement as to the original contribution(s) to be made.
The Preliminary Examination comprises a formal presentation by the PhD Candidate followed by questions from the PhD Committee. The PhD Committee determines if the Candidate:
- has sufficient ability and comprehensive knowledge to conduct the research
- has sufficiently reviewed the literature
- has proposed research that has a reasonable scope and represents an original and acceptable research contribution
The student must schedule the Preliminary Examination no earlier than one term after the term in which the QE is successfully passed and no later than two terms prior to the expected date of the final dissertation defense.
All members of the student’s PhD Committee participate in the Preliminary Examination.
The PhD Committee will either:
- unconditionally approve the proposed research
- approve the proposed research with revisions
- reject the proposed research based on specified reasons
- terminate the student from the PhD program
Outcomes 1 and 2 constitute passage, whereas outcomes 3 and 4 constitute failure. Following outcome 3, a reexamination may be held in accordance with Graduate School policy and provisions.
The outcome of the Preliminary Examination is documented via the Report of Preliminary Examination (GS 16 form) that must be submitted to the Graduate School within 48 business hours after completion of the exam.
Dissertation
The dissertation defense is the process in which a PhD candidate formally presents the results of their dissertation research in a forum open to members of the University community and the public at large, and defends their research and conclusions against any challenge.
The PhD advisor introduces the PhD candidate and outlines the Preliminary Examination procedures. The candidate presents the results of their dissertation research to those in attendance. After the presentation, questions will be invited from all who are present.
As with the Preliminary Examination, all PhD Committee members must be in attendance.
Students provide each PhD committee member with a copy of the complete dissertation at least four weeks prior to the date desired for the final defense. The PhD committee then convenes formally with the candidate for the dissertation defense or final examination. Upon majority approval of the PhD committee, the candidate via their PhD advisor may schedule the meeting for the defense. Members of the PhD committee may submit suggested or required editorial and technical changes to the submitted dissertation for consideration of the candidate and PhD advisor.
Students are responsible for working with their PhD Committee to find a mutually agreeable date and time. Since dissertation defenses are open to all members of the CSU community and the public at large, PhD candidates are required to notify the CEE Office Manager and Graduate Advisor of their defense date at least one week prior to the date of the Final Examination. Students must provide the CEE Office Manager with details of the defense, including location and time, and an abstract.
The PhD advisor will inform the PhD candidate on the specific procedures for the final defense and procure any PhD Committee input before the date of the Preliminary Examination.
After the open question-and-answer period, all of the attendees except the PhD candidate and the PhD committee members are asked to leave, and the examination continues in confidence between the PhD candidate and the members of the PhD committee.
Upon completion of this phase of the Preliminary Examination, the PhD candidate is asked to leave the meeting room temporarily while the PhD committee members discuss their viewpoints on the dissertation and defense and vote whether or not to pass the PhD candidate.
Upon completion of the vote, the PhD candidate reconvenes with the PhD committee and is informed of the committee’s vote and recommendation.
The PhD committee may recommend acceptance of the dissertation research and passage of the defense examination, rejection of the research, further examination, or any other course of action. In the event of failure, a second examination may be permitted. A second failure results in dismissal.
The final major steps before completion of all graduation requirements include completion of the revised version of the edited dissertation, approval of the dissertation by the student’s PhD Committee in accordance with Graduate School requirements, submission of the final dissertation to the PhD Advisor and to the Graduate School, and submission of the Department’s publication requirement form signed by the PhD Advisor.
The outcome for the Final Examination in the form of the Report of Final Examination Results (GS 24 form) must be submitted to the Graduate School within 48 business hours upon completion of the Final Examination.
Successful PhD students work with the Graduate School to submit their dissertation in ProQuest. The dissertation is submitted with the Thesis/Dissertation Submission form (GS 30 form) to the Graduate School.
Candidates for the PhD degree must have had the results of their dissertation research submitted for publication to at least one refereed journal of international prominence. The paper(s) may be co-authored, but the PhD candidate must be the first (principal or senior) author of at least one paper.
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