2011-2012 University Catalog 
  
2011-2012 University Catalog

Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, PhD


Banner Code: VS-PHD-CEIE

School: Volgenau School of Engineering 

Department: Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering 

 

The Doctor of Philosophy in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering (CIE) was created to prepare students for advanced leadership positions in research and development in the public or private sector, academics, or government. Students may elect to study in the areas of IT and computing in civil engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, water and waste water engineering, construction engineering and management, infrastructure security and engineering, structural engineering, or transportation engineering. Admitted students will complete both required and applicable course work in their technical interest area based on a plan of study prepared with a doctoral advisor.  They will take qualifying exams that assess student’s breadth of knowledge at the graduate level and competency to conduct research.  They will gain experience through required teaching at the undergraduate level. They will form a doctoral committee, prepare, then defend a dissertation proposal leading to PhD candidacy.  Finally, they will conduct original scholarly research and prepare then defend a doctoral dissertation.  Both part-time and full-time study is available.

Admission Requirements 

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

  • Official transcript of undergraduate and graduate course work
  •  For applicants whos official language is not English, official TOEFL scores which meet the minimum requirements set by the Volgenau School
  • Three letters of recommendation from individuals knowledgeable about the applicant’s professional or academic work  (at least two of the letters should be from individuals with doctorates)
  • Recent professional 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 

Admission decisions will be based on the student’s qualifications and the availability of a faculty advisor in their proposed area of research. The application materials will be reviewed by the department doctoral committee and decisions made with input from appropriate faculty members.

Financial support for outstanding applicants is available in the form of fellowships as well as research and teaching assistantships.  For best consideration, applicants are encouraged to apply early and to contact potential faculty advisors to express interest in support. 

Degree Requirements 

The PhD in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering requires 72 graduate credits for students with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering or equivalent. This includes 48 credits of coursework and 24 credits of research.  For students who apply to the program with an earned Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering or a related field, 24 course credits may be waived.  The doctoral committee in consultation with the student’s advisor will make this determination.  Students without a related Master’s degree or those admitted provisionally will be required to take additional graduate-level articulation courses prescribed by the doctoral committee which will not count towards the PhD degree.  A detailed plan of study will be prepared for each student upon acceptance into the program and in consultation with the faculty advisor, which outlines all course requirements.

There are specific requirements for the coursework applicable to the PhD degree.  A maximum of 18 credits (or a maximum of 42 without a MS degree) may be at the 500-level, and a minimum of 9 credits at the 700-level or higher must be completed. Directed reading courses at any level (e.g., CEIE 796, CEIE 896) may not exceed 6 credits. Students are required to take a minimum of 3 credits of statistics at the 500-level or above outside the CEIE Department. Finally, a core of 6 credits is required of all PhD students which will include:

All courses, especially those in the student’s technical interest area should be chosen in consultation with his or her advisor.  The required courses must be completed while in residence in the program.  A minimum GPA of 3.50 is required and no C grades are allowed for the 24 credits earned beyond the MS.

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 become eligible for CEIE 998 upon passing the qualifying exam (described in the next section).  Upon admission to candidacy, which requires satisfactory preparation and defense of a dissertation proposal, students may register for CEIE 999. 

Qualifying Exam 

Based on demand, 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 breadth of knowledge in concepts presented at the post-BS level.  Students entering with a MS degree must take the qualifying exam upon completion of 18 credits of study. Students entering without a MS degree must take the qualifying exam upon completion of 24 credits.   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
  •        Area H: Geotechnical Engineering

At least 30 days before the scheduled exam, students are required to select two focus areas from the above list for examination. A written exam for each area will be administered to the candidate, typically on the same day. The specific requirements for each exam (reading list, allowed references, etc.) will be announced prior to the exam date.  On a second date, students are required to attend an oral interview with an examining committee of at least four members of the CEIE faculty.  The interview will consist of discussion of the student’s written exam results as well as questions to determine preparedness to conduct independent research.  Students will receive separate pass/fail grades for each focus area exam and an overall pass/fail grade for the qualifying exam.

Students who receive an overall pass grade are allowed to form a dissertation committee and to register for CEIE 998 Dissertation Proposal Preparation.  Unsuccessful students who receive an overall fail grade are allowed to repeat the exam once.  If the student receives a fail grade on one focus area exam, he or she must repeat that exam on the second attempt.  If the student receives a fail grade on both focus area exams, he or she must repeat both exams on the second attempt.  The second attempt at passing the qualifying exams must be within one calendar year or the next scheduled examination date, whichever is greater. Students who do not receive an overall pass grade on the second attempt are excused from the program. 

Dissertation Committee

A dissertation committee (separate from the examination committee) is formed upon successful completion of the qualifying exams.  The student, in consultation with their advisor, shall select three or more full-time 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. All committee members must hold earned doctorates and possess applicable knowledge and experience in the student’s chosen topic.  The CEIE Department chair must approve the composition of the dissertation committee.  The committee must be formed and approved before admission to candidacy (described in the next section) and before registering for CEIE 999 Dissertation Preparation.  Substitutions to the dissertation committee are allowed with the approval of the CEIE Department chair.

Dissertation Proposal Preparation and Advancement to Candidacy 

After successfully passing the qualifying exams and forming of a dissertation committee, the student may register for CEIE 998 research credits and begin preparation of the dissertation research proposal.  At least 12 credits of CEIE 998 are required during which the student will consult with his or her advisor on the selection of an original scholarly topic and preparation of a formal research proposal.  Students are also encouraged to register for the required CEIE 990 Civil and Infrastructure Dissertation Topic Presentation course during this time.  Students must schedule a formal proposal defense (also known as the research competency exam) with all members of their chosen committee present. This may not be done before successful completion of the qualifying exams.  Committee members should receive printed copies for the final proposal not less than two weeks prior to the scheduled defense date.

The research competency exam (proposal defense) includes the written proposal and a presentation of the planned dissertation research. The dissertation proposal defense shall not include already completed research. The dissertation proposal defense is the main opportunity for the committee to provide input and for the 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. After the student’s presentation, and after private deliberation, the committee makes a pass/fail determination that is given to the student by his or her advisor.

Students who pass the research competency exam are admitted to candidacy and become PhD Candidates.  Students who do not pass the exam may, in consultation with their advisor, schedule a second exam within 120 days of receiving notice of the first exam result. Students who do not re-schedule and successfully pass the research competency within this period are dismissed from the program. 

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 or recitations in the CEIE Department to undergraduate students. Arrangements for the teaching requirement are made between the student and his or her advisor and will include a minimum of 21 hours of classroom contact time between the time the student passes the qualifying exams and defends the dissertation proposal.

Dissertation Research and Defense 

On successful completion of the dissertation proposal, students are to conduct original 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 of the dissertation to the doctoral dissertation committee and schedule an oral pre-defense with the doctoral dissertation committee. The pre-defense 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 pre-defense, which will allow for a minimum of two weeks to advertise it broadly. 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 pre-defense 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.

Total: 72 credits