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Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog
Civil Engineering, PhD
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Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering
Chairperson: Rigoberto Burgueño, 2430 Old Computer Science Bldg., 631-632-8315
Graduate Program Director: Ruwen Qin, 2427Old Computer Science Bldg., 631-632-9341
Gradute Program Coordinator: Malina Salman, 2441 Old Computer Science Bldg., 631-632-8911
Department Website
The Department of Civil Engineering, in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, offers graduate work leading to the MS and PhD degrees, and a graduate certificate. The overarching mission of the graduate programs is to train the next generation of civil engineers to make important discoveries, develop new technologies, and apply novel approaches to ensure the safety, resilience, and sustainability of our infrastructure systems. Our programs in Civil Engineering offer students a broad curriculum with the opportunity to pursue advanced studies in the major areas of civil engineering. The programs emphasize interdisciplinary approaches in solving society’s most pressing problems, with an emphasis on restoring and improving urban infrastructure. The faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering is actively involved in state-of-the-art research and work collaboratively with graduate students on projects that are both applied and fundamental in nature. The PhD program aims to prepare students for a research career in academia, government or private laboratories, R&D in industry, or elsewhere.
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Admission Requirements
Application Website Application Deadlines Students may begin an on-line application at any time. However, to be considered for admission, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their complete applications, including all required materials, by the following priority deadlines: -
October 1 for Spring -
January 15 for Fall For admission to the PhD program in the Department of Civil Engineering, requirements are*: -
A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, or a related field such as another engineering discipline, physical science, or mathematics. -
An overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 or equivalent and a GPA of at least 3.0 in engineering, mathematics, and science courses. -
A statement of purpose -
A resume -
Three (3) letters of recommendation, including at least two letters from supervisory sources such as academic advisors, course instructors, among others. -
For non-native speakers of English, submission of the TOEFL or IELTS test. -
Acceptance by both the Civil Engineering Graduate Program and the Graduate School. *At this time, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test is optional. If submitting the GRE General Test, Stony Brook University’s test code is 2548, and for Civil Engineering it is 1102. General Requirements
The PhD degree requirements consist of prescribed coursework, a preliminary examination, a qualifying examination, a dissertation, and a final oral examination. Academic Advisor Each PhD student should select and confirm an academic advisor in the area of interest before the initial enrollment. The academic advisor will guide the student in course selection, research, and other aspects of academic importance. Annual Review of Progress The student’s advisor must submit a written report to the Graduate Program Director (GPD) on the student’s progress once per year documenting their progress, plans and expectations for the coming year. The advisor should also document the student’s accomplishments (e.g., published papers or proceedings, presentations at conferences, fellowships, grants, awards or other honors). Credits Required
A minimum of 24 graduate course credits beyond the MS degree is required for the PhD degree. A maximum of six (6) graduate credits from other programs, including those of other institutions, may be transferred toward the PhD degree. Credits used to obtain any prior degrees are not eligible for transfer. Requests for transfer of credits must be approved by the student’s advisor and the GPD. PhD Program Plan
Students must submit a Program Plan that outlines the path to meet the degree requirements, including coursework, for approval by their academic advisor and the GPD no later than the end of the student’s second semester in the program. Removal or addition of courses to the graduate program plan must be approved by their academic advisor and the GPD by submitting a revised program plan before a grade is received for the course(s). Required Courses
- 24 approved graduate course credits beyond the M.S. degree requirement. A minimum of 9 of these credits, excluding CIV 595 , CIV 596 , CIV 599 , CIV 695 , CIV 698 , CIV 699 and CIV 700 , must be taken in the Civil Engineering Program
- All full-time graduate students are required to register for CIV 691 each fall semester and obtain a satisfactory grade.
- All PhD students are required to take CIV 697 - Practicum in Teaching I and three (3) credits of CIV 698 - Practicum in Teaching II , or obtain approval of equivalent teaching experience from the GPD, as part of the degree requirement.
- All courses taken outside the department for application to the graduate degree requirements are subject to approval of the student’s advisor and the graduate program director. The graduate program may impose additional course requirements.
Preliminary Examination
Students will be required to pass a Preliminary Examination. The intent of the examination is to assess the student’s potential for successfully completing doctoral-level studies and research. The exam consists of written and oral parts, and it is to be taken in the first year of residency in the program. SBU Master’s students transferring to the PhD program should take the preliminary examination prior to starting the PhD program. The exam is administered by at least three faculty members in the civil engineering department. The GPD must approve the examination committee and the exam subjects prior to its administration. The exam will be offered twice a year: (a) during the last two weeks of January, and (b) during the last week of May and first week of June. Repetition of the examination, upon failure, may be scheduled at the discretion of the examination committee. A student may take the preliminary examination two times before being dismissed from the PhD program. Dissertation Examining Committee
The dissertation examining committee should be established after the student passes the Preliminary Examination and before scheduling the Qualifying Examination. The committee must include at least three faculty members from the Department of Civil Engineering, including the dissertation advisor, and at least one member from another SBU program or from outside the University. The dissertation advisor cannot serve as chairperson of the examining committee nor as the external member. The chairperson must be a faculty member in the Civil Engineering Department. The committee must be approved by the GPD upon recommendation by the dissertation advisor. Qualifying Examination
The Qualifying Examination is designed to test the student’s ability to utilize their background to carry out research in a chosen field of study. The examination consists of written and oral components. The written exam (dissertation proposal) must be distributed to the dissertation examining committee members at least two weeks before the oral examination. The Qualifying Examination assesses the PhD student’s research ability and examines the progress, direction and methodology of the dissertation research. The student will be evaluated on the dissertation topic and its objective, the problem formulation, research approach, and knowledge in related areas. A majority of the dissertation examining committee must approve the student’s proposal. Advancement to Candidacy
A student will be advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree at the start of the semester following the completion of all formal coursework and other requirements, except for the dissertation. Advancement to candidacy must be at least one academic year before the intended dissertation defense. Teaching Requirement
Ph.D. students are required to take CIV 697 - Practicum in Teaching I and 3 credits of CIV 698 - Practicum in Teaching II , or obtain approval of equivalent teaching experience from the Graduate Program Director as part of the degree requirement. Practicum in Teaching I provides students with a background in learning theory, course design, learning styles, content delivery formats, teaching technology, advising, rubrics and assessment. All Teaching Assistants (TAs) are required to take the course prior to or concurrent with their TA assignment. Practicum in Teaching II is an experiential course for PhD students to apply the teaching methods and skills learned in Practicum in Teaching I. Under faculty supervision, students gain hands-on teaching experience in a course setting. Dissertation
The student chooses a dissertation topic in consultation with the academic advisor as soon as possible. Dissertation research is an apprenticeship for the candidate, who, under the supervision of the dissertation advisor, independently carries out original work of significance. The dissertation is a single-author publication that clearly and convincingly presents the results of an original and significant scholarly investigation. Dissertation Defense
Once the dissertation is complete, approval of the dissertation requires a formal oral defense. Students are eligible to defend their dissertation starting at the end of their second semester of G5 status. The defense is open to all interested members of the University community. The student’s dissertation examining committee must be approved by the Graduate School before scheduling the defense. A candidate must submit the Doctoral Defense Announcement, available on the Graduate School website, providing a dissertation abstract and other relevant details. The form must be submitted to the GPD at least four weeks before the oral defense. The form is forwarded by the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) to the Graduate School. Copies of the dissertation are to be distributed to the committee members at least two weeks before the dissertation defense. One copy is to be provided to the GPC to keep in the candidate’s file for review by the faculty. The final approval of the dissertation must be by a majority vote of the dissertation examining committee. Time Limit
The time limit for a doctoral degree is seven years for a student who has a previous graduate degree or 24 credits of graduate study in such a degree program. For all other students, the time limit for a doctoral degree is seven years after completion of 24 graduate level credits at Stony Brook University. |
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