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PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering program aims to produce graduates with the disciplinary preparation and ability to synthesize scientific and technical civil and environmental engineering knowledge to identify, formulate, and solve research challenges.

Objectives

The program objectives are to:

• Synthesize scientific and technical civil and environmental engineering knowledge to identify, formulate, and solve research challenges, and effectively disseminate the results to a variety of audiences.
• Work across multiple disciplines and develop their individual academic, professional, and career focus.
• Keep abreast of the latest advances in civil and environmental science and engineering that contribute to the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of society.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering will have the ability to:

• Demonstrate appropriate breadth and depth of knowledge that is at the frontier of the civil and environmental engineering discipline and their areas of specialization.
• Conduct and defend original independent research that results in significant contributions to knowledge in the civil and environmental engineering field and leads to publishable quality scholarly articles.
• Understand and value diverse methodologies and techniques for solving critical problems in research.
• Verify, justify, and evaluate the various aspects of the solution to a complex civil and environmental engineering problem.
• Communicate effectively and professionally, in written and oral forms, the major tenets of their field and their work to a variety of audiences.
• Demonstrate a commitment to ethical behavior in research and professional activities.
• Contribute effectively in multidisciplinary collaborative environments.

Completion Requirements

Students admitted to the PhD program with a Master's Degree must satisfy the following requirements:

• Complete a minimum of 24 credits of coursework (8 courses of 3 credit hours each).
• Pass all courses with a minimum passing grade of C in every course.
• Achieve an overall CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of at least 3.0 out of 4.
• Pass the Written Qualifying Exam (WQE), which assesses the technical background of the student.
• Pass the Research Proposal Examination (RPE), typically before the end of the 4th semester for full-time students and before the end of the 6th semester for part-time students.
• Have at least one full paper accepted for publication in a quartile one ranked journal, per Scopus, in the research field of the dissertation before submitting the request of intent to defend the dissertation.
• Complete a Dissertation on original research and defend it successfully in a viva voce Dissertation Defense examination.

Students admitted to the PhD program with only a Bachelor's Degree must satisfy the following requirements:

• Complete a minimum of 36 credits of coursework (12 courses of 3 credit hours each).
• Pass all courses with a minimum passing grade of C in every course.
• Achieve an overall CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of at least 3.0 out of 4.
• Pass the Written Qualifying Exam (WQE), which assesses the technical background of the student.
• Pass the Research Proposal Examination (RPE), typically before the end of the 6th semester of full-time study.
• Have at least one full paper accepted for publication in a quartile one ranked journal, per Scopus, in the research field of the dissertation before submitting the request of intent to defend the dissertation.
• Complete a Dissertation on original research and defend it successfully in a viva voce Dissertation Defense examination.

Structure and Requirements

The Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CIVE) program for candidates with a Master's Degree consists of a minimum of 60 credit hours. The required program credits are distributed as follows: 3 credits of Program Core courses, 21 credits of Program Elective courses, 36 credits for a PhD Research Dissertation, and two zero-credit PhD Research Seminar courses.

The Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CIVE) program for candidates with only a Bachelor's Degree consists of a minimum of 72 credit hours. The required program credits are distributed as follows: 12 credits of Program Core courses, 24 credits of Program Elective courses, 36 credits for a PhD Research Dissertation, and two zero-credit PhD Research Seminar courses.

Criteria for Admission

Applicants for the Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering must satisfy Khalifa University (KU) general graduate admission requirements as well as program-specific requirements.

Study Plan

Typical study plans for full-time and part-time students enrolled in the PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering program admitted with MSc qualification are provided. Each student must select the technical elective courses in consultation with her/his advisor.

Written Qualifying Examination (WQE)

The WQE for Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering consists of written examinations in three topical areas that have been approved by the department. The topical areas are selected by the student with the approval of her/his advisor. The topical areas for Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering are:

• Atmospheric pollution
• Behavior & Analysis of Structures
• Building Design
• Construction Project Management
• Environmental Engineering
• Fluid Mechanics
• Geotechnical & Foundation Engineering
• Hydrology
• Pavement Engineering
• Transportation Engineering
• Water & Wastewater Treatment Technologies

Failing any of the above topical areas will result in the student failing the entire WQE. However, a failed WQE can be retaken only once and passed upon the next offering of the examination pending a written request from the student and the approval of the relevant department chair, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, and the Dean of Graduate Studies. He/she will be required only to retake the exams in the topical areas that he/she failed during the WQE at the first attempt.