PhD in Civil Engineering

Overview

The PhD degree is offered in the major areas of Civil Infrastructure Systems, Coastal Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation Engineering, and Water Resources Engineering. Look at our concentrations page here. We also offer interdisciplinary PhDs in Public Policy and Engineering and Ocean Engineering.

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PhD in Civil Engineering

A student’s doctoral program, comprising 72 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree (including doctoral dissertation), is planned around a central objective in applied science and mathematics. If a student who already holds a master’s degree in the specific field of study is accepted directly into the Ph.D. program, the coursework from the master’s degree will be taken into account in the design of the doctoral program. All courses in the program are selected with the approval of the student’s dissertation advisor. The Ph.D. coursework typically include at least 3 credits at the 800 level.

  • Graduate Program Courses: 36 credits
  • Ph.D. Dissertation: 9 credits
  • Research (minimum): 9 credits
  • Additional research and/or courses: 18 credits

Admissions Requirements

The minimum requirements for admission to a doctoral program in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering are:

  • Undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.5 (out of a possible 4.0) for Ph.D. applicants
  • TOEFL score (for international students) of at least 550 -or- TOEFL IBT: Minimum score 79. The minimum IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score is a 6.5 overall with no individual subscore below 6.0.
  • Although it is possible for students to study toward a Ph.D. directly upon entering graduate school, most students choose to obtain the MCE or MAS first. Students considering doctoral study typically must have completed any previous graduate study with at least a 3.5 grade point average and have clearly demonstrated a capacity for independent work. If an M.S. thesis or other comprehensive work was written at another institution, a copy must be provided to the advisor soon after the student enrolls at the University of Delaware.

Application Availability and Admission Deadlines

The online application is found at Graduate Application.

Note the following important deadlines.

February 1 : Deadline for fall admissions and consideration for graduate assistantship/fellowship.
July 1 : Final deadline for fall admissions
October 1 : Deadline for spring admission only

Recruitment Coordinators

Jacquee Lukawski
E: jacquee@udel.edu
P: 302-831-6570

Jovan Tatar
E: jtatar@udel.edu

UD Graduate Admissions Office
E: gradadmissions@udel.edu
P: 302-831-6056

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