Program Overview

Doctor of Philosophy - Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering & Construction (CEEC) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Civil and Environmental Engineering. This program provides students with the opportunity to pursue advanced research in various areas of civil and environmental engineering.

About

The Ph.D. program in Civil and Environmental Engineering is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in the field, including a strong foundation in research methods and techniques. The program is tailored to meet the needs of students with diverse backgrounds and interests, and it is intended to prepare students for careers in academia, research, and industry.

Learning Outcomes

The student learning outcomes for the Ph.D. program in Civil and Environmental Engineering include:

• Demonstrating knowledge in the chosen area of expertise (construction, geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources/environmental).
• Acquiring and applying appropriate research methodology to solve contemporary engineering problems related to the area of expertise.
• Demonstrating an ability to generate, collect, compile, and interpret research data.
• Demonstrating that the dissertation contributes new and significant knowledge towards the area of expertise.
• Demonstrating technical communication skills.

Career Possibilities

The Ph.D. in Civil Engineering prepares students to become university professors, Ph.D. level researchers in public or private research institutions, or advanced design engineers in the areas of construction, geotechnical, structural, transportation, or water resource/environmental engineering.

Requirements

The Ph.D. program in Civil and Environmental Engineering has two subplans: Post-Master's and Post-Bachelor's.

Post-Master's Subplan

• Total Credits Required: 42
• Course Requirements:
  • Elective Courses: 24 credits
  • Dissertation Proposal Preparation: 6 credits
  • Dissertation: 12 credits
• Degree Requirements:
  • Complete 24 credits of advisor-approved elective graduate-level coursework.
  • A Doctoral Advisory Committee composed of at least five members of the UNLV graduate faculty is to be formed for the student.
  • In addition to the coursework requirements, a dissertation research proposal preparation and a dissertation research are required.
  • At least 50% of the courses within the total coursework must be from the College of Engineering.
  • At least 50% of the courses within the total coursework must be 700 level.
  • Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00.

Post-Bachelor's Subplan

• Total Credits Required: 60
• Course Requirements:
  • Required Course: CEE 700 - Research Methods in Civil and Environmental Engineering (3 credits)
  • Elective Courses: 39 credits
  • Dissertation Proposal Preparation: 6 credits
  • Dissertation: 12 credits
• Degree Requirements:
  • Complete CEE 700 and 39 credits of advisor-approved elective graduate-level coursework.
  • A Doctoral Advisory Committee composed of at least five members of the UNLV graduate faculty is to be formed for the student.
  • In addition to the coursework requirements, a dissertation research proposal preparation and a dissertation research are required.
  • At least 50% of the courses within the total coursework must be from the College of Engineering.
  • At least 50% of the courses within the total coursework must be 700 level.
  • Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00.

Graduation Requirements

The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found on the Graduate College website. Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway.