HELP 2009-2010 University Catalog Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, PhD (pending SCHEV approval) Print-Friendly Page

Banner Code: VS-PHD-CEIE

School: The Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering 

Department: Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering 

The doctoral program offered by the CEIE Department is unique in Virginia, incorporating the varied areas of civil engineering with a focus on infrastructure operation and management. The program is structured to prepare students for advanced leadership positions in research and development in the public or private sector, academics, and government. Students may elect to study in the areas of IT and computing in civil engineering, environmental engineering, water and waste water engineering, construction engineering and management, infrastructure security and engineering, structural engineering, or transportation engineering. Requirements include course work, qualifying exams, a teaching requirement, dissertation proposal defense, and dissertation research and defense.

Admission Requirements

All general Mason and specific Volgenau School admission requirements apply. In addition, all applicants, including Mason undergraduates, must submit the following:

• Official transcript of undergraduate and graduate course work
• For applicants whose native language is not English, official TOEFL results showing a minimum score of 575 for the paper-based exam or 230 for the computer-based exam. A minimum score of 600 for the paper-based exam or 250 for the computer-based exam is required for students who wish to be considered for a graduate teaching assistantship.
• Three letters of recommendation, with at least two from individuals with doctorates
• Recent résumé
• Substantial statement of interest that includes a description of specific area of proposed dissertation research, contacts they have made with potential faculty advisors, and an explanation of career and research goals
• Official results of the GRE general test are recommended for students with BS or MS degrees obtained outside the United States

Applicants will be encouraged to schedule an interview with the graduate coordinator or faculty member in their proposed area of research. Admission decisions will be based on the student’s qualifications and the availability of a faculty advisor. The application material will be reviewed by the department doctoral committee and decisions made with input from appropriate faculty members.

The application material will be reviewed by the graduate admissions officer for the department and decisions made with input from appropriate faculty members and/or the department chair.

Degree Requirements

With the completion of a BS degree, 72 additional credits are required to complete a PhD in civil and infrastructure engineering. Of these 72 credits, 24 are required for dissertation research. Students may apply up to 24 credits from their MS degree toward their required 72 credits beyond the BS subject to the approval of the dissertation committee and the CEIE Department chair. Students with degrees earned outside the United States may use some course credit toward the required 72 credits but not more than 24 credits.

Of the 72 credits beyond the BS, 48 credits of course work are required. Of these 48 hours, a maximum of 18 credits (normally part of the MS or equivalent program) may be at the 500 level, and a minimum of 9 credits at the 700 level or higher must be completed. For courses taken elsewhere, the PhD director must determine equivalent levels and obtain approval from the CEIE Department chair to apply these courses to the required 48 credits of course work. Individualized reading courses at any level cannot exceed 6 credits. A minimum GPA of 3.50 is required and no C grades are allowed for the 24 credits earned beyond the MS.

Students are also required to take a minimum of 3 credits of statistics at the 500 level or above outside the CEIE Department. Substitution of quantitative or scientific course work in some other discipline that is more relevant to the intended doctoral research may be approved by the dissertation committee and the department chair.

Research work in the PhD program is to be completed in courses CEIE 998 and CEIE 999. A minimum of 12 credits of CEIE 998 (Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Preparation) and 12 credits of CEIE 999 (Doctoral Dissertation) are to be completed. Students cannot enroll in CEIE 999 before the research proposal is presented and approved by the  dissertation committee.

Qualifying Exam

Qualifying exams will be offered twice a year prior to the start of the fall and spring semesters. The qualifying exam is intended to test the student’s familiarity with concepts presented at the MS level or post-BS level and serve as guidance for the dissertation director to help shape the student’s course work needs at the PhD level.

Students entering with an MS degree must take the qualifying exam on completion of 18 credits of study. Students entering without an MS degree must take the qualifying exam on completion of 24 credits. The qualifying exam consists of a written exam taken in an eight-hour period and an oral interview attended by an examining committee of at least five members of the CEIE faculty. The qualifying exam may be repeated once. A student failing the qualifying exam twice will be removed from the program.

The qualifying exam includes information from the following focus areas:

• Area A: Water and Environmental Engineering
• Area B: Information Technology and Computing in Civil Engineering
• Area C: Construction Engineering and Management
• Area D: Land Development Engineering
• Area E: Transportation Engineering
• Area F: Infrastructure and Security Engineering
• Area G: Structural Engineering

Prior to the exam, students are required to select two focus areas for examination. Candidates for the PhD in information technology and engineer degree in information technology who wish to transfer to the PHD-CEIE program who have successfully completed two qualifying exams based on CEIE courses are not required to take the CEIE qualifying exam.

Dissertation Committee

A dissertation committee is recommended to be formed within the first semester following successful completion of the qualifying exams. The dissertation committee is to consist of the CEIE Department dissertation director, two or more CEIE Department faculty members, and at least one committee member from outside the department. At least three members of the committee are to be members of the Mason graduate faculty. The composition of the dissertation committee must be approved by the CEIE Department chair.

Research Competency Exam, Dissertation Proposal Defense

Students may not schedule their dissertation proposal defense (research competency exam) before successful completion of the qualifying exam. On completing all course work and successfully passing the qualifying exam, students are to present their written dissertation proposal to their dissertation committee. The dissertation proposal defense includes a written proposal and presentation of the intended direction of the dissertation research. The dissertation proposal defense is not to include completed research because the dissertation committee is to use the dissertation proposal defense to provide input and guidance to the student prior to beginning dissertation research. The dissertation proposal defense is also an opportunity for dissertation committee members to examine the student’s knowledge in higher-level course work and familiarity with existing and emerging research related to the student’s research area. The exam is administered by the student’s dissertation committee and must be attended by all dissertation committee members and the department chair.

In preparation for the dissertation proposal defense, the student shall prepare a written dissertation proposal outlining the intended direction of the research and the review of existing research previously published on the topic. The dissertation proposal shall be submitted to the dissertation committee for review at least two weeks prior to the dissertation proposal defense date. The dissertation proposal is then presented by the student as part of the research competency exam. If a student fails the competency exam, the student may request to take the exam again through a formal written request to the doctoral dissertation director within 60 days of receiving notice of the exam result. If the student fails the competency exam and does not request to take the exam again within 60 days of the original date, the student will be dismissed from the PhD program. After successful completion of this requirement, the student is formally admitted as a PhD candidate.

Teaching Requirement

Because one of the characteristics of a good researcher and scholar is the ability to express ideas and concepts to a broader audience in a clear manner, each doctoral candidate will be required to organize and deliver a series of lectures and recitations in the CEIE Department to undergraduate students. Working with his or her doctoral dissertation advisor, the candidate will gain experience in the classroom that will benefit the student should he or she decide to pursue an academic or an advanced research career.

Dissertation Research and Defense

On successful completion of the dissertation proposal, students are to conduct research under the guidance of their dissertation director and dissertation committee members. Students are not to schedule their dissertation defense sooner than two semesters after a successful proposal defense. During the dissertation research period, students must present their research at least once in the form of a department seminar. The dissertation must represent achievement in research, must be a significant contribution to the field of civil engineering, and should be deemed publishable in refereed journals. When the majority of the research has been completed, the candidate is to submit a written draft dissertation to the doctoral dissertation committee and schedule an oral predefense with the doctoral dissertation committee. The predefense is to be attended by the doctoral dissertation committee and the department chair.

A final public oral defense may be scheduled no sooner than one month after the conclusion of the predefense, which will allow for a minimum of two weeks to advertise the defense. The final defense is to be attended by the doctoral dissertation committee and the department chair. On successful completion of the oral defense, students must submit a final publishable dissertation that meets the guidelines specified by the Guide for Preparing Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Projects. If the student fails to defend the dissertation successfully, the student may request a second defense following the same procedures as the initial defense. This request has no time limit, other than the general time limits for the doctoral degree as per Mason policy. An additional predefense is not required; however, the student is strongly advised to consult with the committee before scheduling the second defense. If the student fails on the second attempt to defend the dissertation, the student will be dismissed from the PhD program. Following a successful public defense and completion of the final form of the dissertation, the dissertation committee recommends the candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy.