PhD Program

PhD Program

The PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering program offers advanced courses in the areas of structural analysis and design, water resources and environmental engineering, transportation engineering, and geotechnical engineering. This program aims to educate technical experts to meet challenges related to enhancing infrastructure and the environment.  Students learn about conducting research and solving technical problems that have an impact both regionally and globally. The PhD program culminates in a written dissertation representing an original contribution to knowledge in the field, significantly enlarging, modifying, or reinterpreting what was previously known. Students work closely with their adviser, but PhD research is an original, independent investigation of the chosen research topic.

• PhD Degree Requirements
  • Departmental Requirements
  • Graduate School Requirements
  • Policy Regarding Grades of C+ or Below
  • Pass/No Pass Grading Policy
• Steps to the PhD Degree
  • Coursework and Comprehensive Examination
  • Dissertation Prospectus Defense
  • Final Dissertation Defense
  • Additional Degree Requirements
  • Time Limitations for Doctoral Students
• Satisfactory Progress Policy for PhD Students
  • Prior to the Comprehensive Exam
  • Prior to the Dissertation Prospectus Defense
  • Prior to Final Dissertation Defense
  • PhD Timeline
• Annual Review of Satisfactory Progress for PhD Students
  • Policy for Appeals
  • Communication to Student

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PhD Degree Requirements

Departmental Requirements

A PhD student must complete the following departmental requirements:

1. Complete a minimum of 51 credits (including coursework and dissertation credits) beyond the M.S. degree
2. Complete an approved program of study, which includes a minimum of 24 hours of coursework. Coursework may include up to 8 hours of CE 601 Research, CE 604 Internship, CE 605 Reading and Conference, or CE 606 Projects¹
3. Meet the University's residency requirement
4. Pass the comprehensive examination
5. Present and pass a proposal defense for advancement to candidacy
6. Complete 27 credit hours of dissertation credit (CE 603) leading to the completion of a doctoral dissertation¹
7. Present and pass the final oral dissertation defense
8. Submit the written dissertation in compliance with University guidelines and deadlines

¹CE 601, CE 603, CE 604, CE 605, CE 606 require advisor approval and must be registered through the e-By Arrangement Request before the start of term.

Graduate School Requirements

All other degree requirements for the PhD program are established by PSU’s Graduate School. Students should thoroughly read the Doctoral Degree requirements in the PSU Bulletin as well as the “Summary of Procedures for Doctoral Degrees”, the “Thesis and Dissertation Information”, and the “Graduate Candidate Deadlines” on the Graduate School website.

Policy Regarding Grades of C+ or Below

Graduate courses for which the student receives a grade of "C+" or lower will not be counted toward fulfilling the degree requirements. Grades of C+, C, or C- may sometimes be counted toward the degree with the approval of the student’s adviser and the Graduate Program Chair. A Departmental Petition to Allow Grade of C+, C, or C- is required if a graduate student wants to count a course with a grade of C+, C, or C- towards graduation credit.

Pass/No Pass Grading Policy

All courses taken in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering by degree candidates must be taken for a letter grade, unless a course is only offered with a pass/no pass option. Courses outside the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering may be taken pass/no pass only with the consent of the student’s adviser. Non-degree seeking students may take Civil and Environmental Engineering courses pass/no pass with the consent of the instructor. Exceptions to the policy include Spring 2020 through Spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Steps to the PhD Degree

Coursework and Comprehensive Examination

1. The newly admitted Ph.D. student will meet with his/her department adviser within the first quarter of his/her enrollment. The adviser and the student will develop a draft program of study and will discuss the potential scope and nature of the comprehensive examination. The student should work with his/her adviser to modify the program of study as needed using the Department's Ph.D. The Program of Study form.

2. The comprehensive examination will generally be taken at the end of coursework and may include both written and oral sessions. At least 6 months before the comprehensive exam, a CEE examination committee will be formed to set a date for the comprehensive exam. The CEE examination committee will include at least three PSU faculty, with a minimum of two from CEE; committee members will be chosen by the student’s adviser in consultation with the student and must be approved by the Department Chair.

3. The CEE examination committee will define the scope and nature of the comprehensive examination. The examination committee will agree to the subject areas of the comprehensive examination, determine the details of examination administration, and provide questions for the examination. The committee will communicate the necessary details to the student at least three months before the examination. The student will then complete the Comprehensive Exam Prospectus in consultation with his/her adviser, and submit it for approval by the committee using the Department's Comprehensive Exam Prospectus Approval form. The Comprehensive Examination Prospectus will include the student's program of study, resume, and the major and minor areas for the examination. A template can be found on the CEE website. Copies of the approved prospectus should be given to the student, adviser, Graduate Program Chair, and CEE Office.

4. The examination committee may pass the student, pass him/her with qualifications, fail him/her with the option of retaking the exam, or fail him/her without the option of retaking the exam. The committee will provide the examination results in the form of a memo to the student and submit to Graduate School the GO-22 Report on Passing Comprehensive Examinations. 

Per PSU policy: If the student fails the entire comprehensive exam or any section thereof, the doctoral program may dismiss the student from the degree program or permit the student to repeat the entire examination, or the section that was failed, after a minimum of three months. The results of the second examination are final. In accordance with this policy, if a student is given the option of repeating the entire examination or the section that was failed, he/she must coordinate with his/her adviser to schedule a new examination date. The committee will provide feedback to the student on the first examination in the memo providing the examination results.

Dissertation Prospectus Defense

1. After the comprehensive exams have been passed, and after identification of the dissertation proposal, the student will work with his/her adviser to choose the dissertation committee. The adviser will submit the “Appointment of Final Oral Examination Committee” form (GO-16D) to the Graduate School. Formation of the committee must follow Graduate School rules. The committee must be approved by Graduate School before the dissertation proposal defense is scheduled. The committee should communicate with the student about the expectations and format for the written dissertation proposal.

2. The student will submit the written dissertation proposal to the dissertation committee for discussion, evaluation, modification, and final approval.

3. An oral defense of the dissertation proposal will be scheduled with the student and dissertation committee. All members of the student’s dissertation committee must be present at the defense.

4. The dissertation committee may pass the candidate, pass the candidate with qualifications, or fail the candidate. If the dissertation committee passes the candidate, it will recommend the student to Graduate School for advancement to candidacy, using the "Request for Advancement to Candidacy" form (GO-23).

5. When the student has been advanced to candidacy by Graduate School, he/she can proceed with his/her PhD research (a minimum four-month to maximum five-year timeline before the dissertation defense).

Final Dissertation Defense

1. At the conclusion of his/her research, and under the guidance of the dissertation committee, the candidate will prepare a preliminary draft of his/her written dissertation in acceptable form setting forth the results of his/her original investigation. The draft is revised and corrected until it meets the approval of the research adviser.

2. The candidate files an “Application for the Degree” during the first week of the anticipated term of graduation.

3. At least two weeks prior to the final oral dissertation defense, the chair of the dissertation committee submits copies of the final draft to each committee member.

4. The final dissertation defense is scheduled and may be open to the public.

5. The dissertation committee may pass, pass with qualifications, or fail the candidate.

6. If the candidate passes, the Department will complete a “Recommendation for the Degree” form (GO-17D) and forward it to Graduate School by the required deadline.

Additional Degree Requirements

1. The final, approved dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than three weeks prior to the close of the term of application for graduation. See the Graduate Candidate Deadlines for specific dates. For details about thesis formatting and submission, see the Thesis and Dissertation Information available from the Graduate School.

2. Candidates must be continuously enrolled after advancement to candidacy.

3. The final oral exam must be passed, degree requirements met, and the student graduated no later than five calendar years after advancement to candidacy.

4. The National Research Council Survey of Earned Doctorates must be completed by students. See the Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation Information page for further details.

Time Limitations for Doctoral Students

The Graduate Sschool sets maximum time limitations between admission and the completion of the comprehensive exam, between the completion of the comprehensive exam and advancement to candidacy, and between advancement to candidacy and graduation. The CEE doctoral program follows these standard time limitations. The full policy can be found in the PSU Bulletin.

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Satisfactory Progress Policy for PhD Students

CEE defines progress based on the student’s position in the “Steps to the Degree” section of this handbook. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that he or she is making adequate progress towards the PhD degree. The following subsections define the criteria for evaluating satisfactory progress.

Prior to the Comprehensive Examination

In this degree step, students must demonstrate progress towards completing coursework and setting up an examination committee. Evidence of satisfactory progress includes, but is not limited to:

• Developing a program of study;
• Completing courses identified on the program of study;
• Meeting regularly with the adviser;
• Gaining familiarity with the published literature in the area of interest;
• Working with the adviser to appoint an examining committee, developing a comprehensive exam prospectus, submitting  the Comprehensive Exam Prospectus Approval form, and scheduling the exam; and
• Passing the comprehensive exams.

Prior to the Dissertation Prospectus Defense

In this degree step, students must demonstrate progress towards the development of a dissertation topic. Evidence of satisfactory progress includes, but is not limited to:

• Working with the adviser to appoint a dissertation committee;
• Meeting regularly with the adviser or committee;
• Collecting preliminary data for exploratory analysis;
• Attending conferences and/or making conference presentations related to the dissertation topic area;
• Developing peer-reviewed papers in the dissertation topic area;
• Writing drafts of chapters for the prospectus (e.g. a literature review in the dissertation topic area);
• Scheduling the prospectus defense; and
• Passing the prospectus defense and advancing to candidacy.

Prior to Final Dissertation Defense

In this final degree step, students must demonstrate progress towards completion of the dissertation. Evidence of satisfactory progress includes, but is not limited to:

• Meeting regularly with the adviser or committee;
• Collecting data for analysis as identified in the prospectus;
• Developing peer-reviewed papers in the dissertation topic area;
• Attending conferences and/or making conference presentations related to the dissertation topic area;
• Developing drafts of dissertation sections or chapters for review by adviser or committee;
• Scheduling the dissertation defense; and
• Passing the dissertation defense and submitting the dissertation.

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Annual Review of Satisfactory Progress for PhD Students

Every admitted (current) PhD student must complete and submit annually a brief narrative demonstrating evidence of satisfactory progress. The criteria for progress are based on the student’s position in the “Steps to the Degree”.  The annual process will be conducted as follows:

1. The student completes the appropriate sections on the PhD Progress Review Form and submits to the CEE Graduate Program Administrator by the first Friday of the spring term.
2. The CEE Academic Program Administrator reviews the form and then sends it to the PhD adviser.
3. The adviser will assess the student’s progress. The assessment will be either a) satisfactory progress or b) unsatisfactory progress. If the assessment is b) unsatisfactory progress, the adviser will identify the corrective actions required of the student and specify a completion date for this action.  The adviser will submit the completed form to the CEE Graduate Program Administrator by the fourth Friday of the spring term.
4. The Graduate Program Chair will review and approve the assessment of progress.
5. The CEE Academic Program Administrator will send the student a copy of the approved PhD Progress Review Form to the student by the last day of the spring term.

Students failing to complete the corrective actions by the deadline will be sent a notice of the Department’s intent to cancel their admission to the PhD program at the end of the current quarter. A student will have 10 working days to respond to this notice. Any response by the student will be reviewed and considered by the adviser and Graduate Program Chair. Following this review, the Graduate Program Chair will either send a final notice canceling admission at the end of current quarter or communicate a revised corrective action and a new deadline.

Policy for Appeals

If a student’s admission is canceled as a result of the process outlined above, the student may appeal this decision with a written request to the Department Chair. The Department Chair will convene an ad-hoc Department committee that does not include the Graduate Program Chair or the student’s adviser.  The ad-hoc committee may contain the Department Chair. The ad-hoc committee will review the student’s appeal and communicate a decision to the CEE Academic Program Administrator, who will then send a written decision to the student. Students may appeal the decision of this committee in writing to the MCECS Dean. Students also have a right to a final appeal in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies, who will seek input from the Graduate Council before rendering a decision.

Communication to Student

All communications to the student in the “Annual Review of Satisfactory Progress for PhD Students” is to their official pdx.edu email account.

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