How Long Does It Take To Get A PhD In Civil Engineering

Last Updated on December 28, 2022

Getting a PhD in Civil Engineering is a high-level educational endeavor that requires a great number of years to complete. It takes at least four years of full-time study to get your Bachelor’s degree and a further 4 to 6 years to complete your Master’s. Then you need a year or two of research to get your doctorate if you do not already have an advanced degree. Studying for these qualifications can take 16 years or more, depending on many variables,

Students entering a PhD program often wonder how much time they will spend on their studies and how long it will take to earn that coveted PhD. It’s a question that is difficult to answer unless you talk to your advisor. How Long Will it Take? A typical civil engineering PhD program takes five to six years to complete. In the first two years, full-time students take a rigorous course load to satisfy required and elective requirements.

When you decide to go in search of a PhD degree in civil engineering, one thing that is certain about the academic world is that you will be surrounded by a number of myths and facts. You already know what facts are and how they can be used to give credence to any subject. But when it comes to myths, these can often startle students who are considering joining the higher academia.

With a PhD Civil Engineering degree, candidates are allowed a specialization area. Examples include geotechnical, structures, construction and management, transportation, and environmental. Most PhD Civil Engineering programs consist of coursework, examinations and research toward a dissertation.

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In the United States, getting a PhD in Civil Engineering typically takes about 3 to 4 years after you graduate with your Master’s degree. The coursework is the same during your first two years as any other PhD student, but the final years are reserved largely for completing your research and dissertation.

Civil Engineering. Graduate study in civil engineering is divided into two large fields consisting of structural and geotechnical engineering, with additional specializations in A student is expected to complete the requirements for a PhD degree in four years after entering the aforementioned program.

How Long Does It Take To Get A PhD In Civil Engineering

Between didactic coursework, dissertation research and examinations, the PhD can take four or five years, depending on your trajectory and project interests. You have up to seven years to complete your degree.

is phd in civil engineering worth it

Many jobs in civil engineering only require a bachelor’s or master’s degree, so a PhD won’t necessarily increase one’s income or chance of earning a position, but it can set you up for leadership opportunities.

PhD in Civil Engineering Degree

How Long Does it Take to Get a PhD? [2021 Ultimate Guide]

Civil Engineering is one of the oldest engineering disciplines and refers to the design, construction, and maintenance of structures integral to the public, such as roads, dams, bridges, canals, and buildings. PhD Civil Engineering programs require candidates to be innovative, critical thinkers who can apply theory to practice.

With a PhD Civil Engineering degree, candidates are allowed a specialization area. Examples include geotechnical, structures, construction and management, transportation, and environmental. Most PhD Civil Engineering programs consist of coursework, examinations and research toward a dissertation. Graduates holding a PhD Civil Engineering degree are qualified to go onto careers as educators in universities, research institutions, private or public sectors of the industry, or government.

There are many options for PhD Civil Engineering programs. Scroll down to the options below and you may find the PhD Civil Engineering degree that you have been searching for!

Course work for an engineering doctorate generally includes quantitative research methods and highly specialized classes in the student’s engineering specialty. In addition, students working toward a PhD in engineering can expect to complete a written dissertation based on original research. Graduates of PhD in Engineering programs can work as professors at research universities, dedicate their expertise to industrial or government research labs, or create a business around their own innovation. Consider building your career as the developer of a green energy trend, discovering a life-saving biomedical process, or taking the world to the next global communication platform.

PhD Civil Engineering is usually a 4 to 5 years long doctorate level degree. It is a course of study that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of structures that are integral to the general public, like roads, dams, bridges, canals, and additionally railways, sewage systems, etc.

Admission and PhD Program Information

Students who wish to obtain a PhD in civil engineering will be given the opportunity to select the technical concentration of their degree from computational engineering mechanics, structural and earthquake engineering, transportation systems, geomechanics, geotechnical, and geoenvironmental engineering, as well as, environmental and water resources. In order to gain entry, students are typically required to take a qualification exam and also pass an oral presentation exam. A GRE exam with a score on average of 320 and above is also required by some schools along with a 3.0 GPA or better in master’s classes in civil engineering, or a closely related field of study.

Typically, students will have to spend four or five years within their graduate program before receiving their degree. During this time, students can expect to spend their first two years doing coursework, with their final two to three years being concentrated toward thesis research and defense. As with other doctorate degree programs, those who seek a PhD in civil engineering can have their tuition cost covered by many graduate programs through things like fellowships and teaching/research assistantships.

How Long Does It Take To Get A PhD In Civil Engineering?

Between didactic coursework, dissertation research and examinations, the PhD can take four or five years, depending on your trajectory and project interests. You have up to seven years to complete your degree.

There are three major pieces of culminating work for the PhD.

  • Preliminary examination: This exam evaluates your communication, information-synthesis and research skills.
  • Dissertation proposal: Research and write your proposal, and present it at an open college seminar.
  • Dissertation writing and defense: Present and defend your dissertation in front of a dissertation committee.

Civil Engineering Careers for Those with a PhD

Many jobs in civil engineering only require a bachelor’s or master’s degree, so a PhD won’t necessarily increase one’s income or chance of earning a position, but it can set you up for leadership opportunities. It can also provide a wider range of career choices and the ability to go into research or teaching right away. It’s important to note that many of those who obtain a PhD in civil engineering will go into the field of academia or research once they’ve completed their degree. Below you will find the job growth and median salary statistics for academia and research positions as well as some other jobs that those with a PhD could fulfill.

Job TitleMedian Salary (2019)*Job Growth (2019-2029)*
Hydrologists$81,2705%
Industrial Designers$68,890 (commercial and industrial designers)-4%
Environmental Scientists and Specialists$71,3608%
Research Engineers$83,083 (2020)**15% (computer and information research scientists)
Postsecondary Engineering Teachers$101,0109%

Civil Engineering Career Descriptions

Hydrologists

Hydrologists use mathematic principles and scientific knowledge to find solutions to water-related problems such as availability, quantity, and quality. Individuals within this field work to control flooding situations and soil erosion, and they work with government agencies and the public to ensure the safe removal of hazardous waste in an effort to prevent pollution. Those with a PhD in engineering will be able to do on-site inspections as well as office work and have the knowledge of mathematics, statistics, and physics to excel in their profession. Within the office environment, they will look at data collected and figure out areas where water supplies can be collected.

Industrial Designers

Industrial designers work with prospective clients to determine needs and requirements for product design. They collect data on potential products and their use, and then they take that information into account when they go about creating prototype designs. In addition, they collect information related to various materials and their cost, as well as determine the production cost for various products. They meet with manufacturers, mechanical engineers, and specialists to better determine if the current product design meets all project goals in terms of efficiency and cost. Those with a PhD will have the experience needed to effectively lead teams on projects.

Environmental Scientists and Specialists

Environmental scientists and specialists use their background knowledge to actively look for problems within the environment and quickly find solutions to minimize the impact to human health and the environment. They oftentimes work in conjunction with government agencies to ensure that public and private businesses are following laws and regulations put forth by the government as they relate to health, safety, and the environment. Once a problem has occurred, individuals who work within this field attempt to come up with ways in which human behavior can be changed so that a similar event can be prevented from occurring in the future.

Research Engineers

Research engineers use their PhD to work on a wide variety of projects in research and development. They conduct independent research and collect data to determine additional uses for the products that they develop. They also work with others on their team to ensure that quality and safety standards are being followed. These same individuals spend their time writing grant and research proposals to their prospective employers. They help to determine material properties and create prototypes, which they then test to ensure that they meet the pre-assigned goals of the project.

Postsecondary Engineering Teachers

Postsecondary engineering teachers typically must have a PhD and educate students on the principles of engineering and application of physical laws. They help students to understand how to create machines, instruments, processes, services, and materials. Apart from creating assignments and labs for undergraduate and graduate students, engineering teachers also supervise research work and internships. Additionally, they remain up to date on the latest engineering breakthroughs and update their course information and syllabi to reflect this.

Though students who pursue a doctorate in civil engineering won’t see an immediate improvement in terms of earning potential, they will have the knowledge and skills necessary to go into jobs outside of the engineering field. Furthermore, for those who seek to teach at the college level, or for those who wish to do cutting-edge research in the field of engineering, securing a PhD allows them to meet the requirements for those jobs.

PhD Civil Engineering Admission Process

To get admitted to a university offering PhD Civil Engineering, students should achieve the minimum eligibility criteria given by the university, and clear the entrance exams. The entrance exam will be followed by a personal interview. The admission process may vary from university to university

Given below are the basic steps regarding the admission process followed by the top colleges offering PhD Civil Engineering below:

  • Applications: Candidates can start with filling up the application form of the particular institute, followed by submitting documents and paying the application fees.
  • Entrance Exams: Institutes may accept the scores of national level exams like GATE/ NET or will conduct their own entrance examination at the university level.
  • Merit-list: Students will be evaluated based on the marks scored in the entrance test. The candidates clearing the cut-off will be shortlisted.
  • Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be called for a personal interview.
  • Enrollment: The students clearing the interview can get enrolled after document verification and payment of the 1st installment.

phd in civil engineering requirements

Admission Process PhD Civil Engineering

In order to apply for a PhD in Civil Engineering, there are certain prerequisites you need to keep in mind to be eligible for this course. The actual course requirements are bound to differ as per the program and university so below is a rundown of the common eligibility criteria you must know about:

  • While applying for a PhD degree in Civil Engineering at a particular university, the student needs to provide details pertaining to their research project as well as the professor or scholar you wish to work with.
  • The candidate must have completed a master’s degree in Civil Engineering or any of its specialisations with the minimum marks specified by their chosen university.
  • In India, many universities require students to appear for entrance exams like GATE, UGC NET, AISECT, UEE, etc. to apply for PhD courses in Engineering.
  • If you are planning to study this doctoral program, you need to provide GRE scores along with language proficiency scores of IELTS/TOEFL/PTE, etc.

phd in civil engineering salary

According to our 100% employer reported salary sources the median salary for a Civil Engineer V with a JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent is $144,858 – $155,002.

Civil Engineer V with the following degreeWill likely fall in this salary range
Bachelor’s Degree$141,769 – $151,575
Master’s Degree or MBA$143,056 – $153,003
JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent$144,858 – $155,002

phd in civil engineering in canada with scholarship

SCHOLARSHIPUNIVERSITYFACULTYDEPARTMENTMAJOR
A.H. Atkinson PrizeMcMaster UniversityFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil Engineering
ACI (Ontario Chapter) ScholarshipMcMaster UniversityFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil Engineering
Adjeleian Award in the Aesthetics of StructuresDalhousie UniversityFaculty of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of EngineeringSchool of Architecture, Department of Civil and Resource EngineeringMaster of Architecture, Civil Engineering
AGRA Foundation Limited Undergraduate Course Prize in Construction EngineeringUniversity of AlbertaFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil Engineering
Al Insley Graduate ScholarshipUniversity of British ColumbiaFaculty of Applied ScienceDepartment of Civil EngineeringGeotechnical Engineering, Geoenvironmental Engineering
Alberta Chapter ACI PrizeUniversity of CalgarySchulich School of EngineeringCivil Engineering
Alberta Chapter of the American Concrete Institute Prize in Civil EngineeringUniversity of AlbertaFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringCivil Engineering
Alberta Public Works Association BursaryUniversity of CalgarySchulich School of EngineeringCivil Engineering
Alberta Public Works Association ScholarshipUniversity of AlbertaFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringCivil Engineering
Alice Pierce Waddington ScholarshipQueen’s UniversityFaculty of Applied ScienceDepartment of Civil Engineering
Allan G. Goodbrand Memorial Entrance AwardBritish Columbia Institute of TechnologyCivil Engineering
Allan W Peterson Memorial Scholarship in Civil EngineeringUniversity of AlbertaFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringCivil Engineering
Allen Cook Prize in Civil EngineeringMcGill UniversityFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics
AMEC Scholarships in EngineeringUniversity of SaskatchewanCollege of EngineeringElectrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
American Concrete Institute – Ontario Chapter ScholarshipRyerson UniversityFaculty of Engineering, Architecture and ScienceDepartment of Civil Engineering
Antenbring Graduate Scholarship in EngineeringUniversity of ManitobaFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil EngineeringStructural Engineering
Antje Graupe Pryor International Awards in EngineeringMcGill UniversityFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics
Art Sparling BursaryUniversity of ManitobaFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil EngineeringMaster of Science: Environmental Engineering
Arthur A Voice Memorial AwardUniversity of AlbertaFaculty of EngineeringDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringCivil Engineering
Associated Engineering AwardUniversity of CalgarySchulich School of EngineeringChemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering

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