Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, PhD

Required Courses (6 credits)

 The following must be completed while in residence in the program.

• CEIE 800 - Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering Colloquium Credits: 1 (must be taken at least twice)
• CEIE 990 - Civil and Infrastructure Dissertation Topic Presentation Credits: 1

• And one of the following three courses:

• CS 504 - Principles of Data Management and Mining Credits: 3
• OR 640 - Global Optimization and Computational Intelligence Credits: 3
• CSI 690 - Numerical Methods Credits: 3

Courses chosen with Advisor (18 credits)

Remaining courses, especially in the student’s technical interest area, will be chosen in consultation with his or her advisor.

• No more than three courses used for credit toward the PhD may be cross-listed as undergraduate courses.  None may repeat material completed as part of the student’s previous studies.

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 at least three full-time CEIE Department faculty members, and at least one committee member from outside of the CEIE 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. Additional committee members from outside Mason (e.g., from industry, other institutions, etc.,) may be appointed if approved by the majority of the CEIE faculty.  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 cannot 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.

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. 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 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.