Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering

PhDDoctoralEngineering

About This Programme

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering introduced the Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhDCE) Program to allow qualified engineers to advance their career through knowledge and discovery skills in modern civil engineering specializations.

Course Highlights

54 credit hours
Taught in English
College of Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Study system: Courses and Theses
Full-time study
AED 6,400 per credit hour

What You'll Study

The PhDCE Program requires the completion of 54 credit hours distributed between taught courses (eight courses for a total of 24 CHs) and compulsory requirements (another 30 CHs), distributed as follows: • General Elective Courses: Courses that provide general knowledge shared by all students in the program. • Technical Elective Courses: courses that provide advanced knowledge in the student specialization. • Major Elective Courses: courses that students can choose based on their interests or the recommendation of the dissertation supervisor. • Major Compulsory Requirements: other requirements that all students must complete. Except for the Major Compulsory Requirements, all taught courses are elective courses where the student can select courses from a specified list based on his/her specialization and interest. The distribution of the total credit hours for the different types of requirements is as follows: Program Components (credit hours) General Elective Courses (three): 9 Technical Elective Courses (three): 9 Major Elective Courses (two): 6 Major Compulsory Requirements: PhD Seminar: 0 Major Compulsory Requirements: Directed Studies in CE: 3 Major Compulsory Requirements: PhD Qualifying Exam: 0 Major Compulsory Requirements: PhD Dissertation: 27 Total Credit Hours: 54 The programme page also sets out the 46-credit-hour requirements that apply to students who joined before Spring 2023-2024.

General Elective Courses (9 Credit Hours)

The student should take any three out of the following four courses:

0401702Probability & Reliability in CE3 credits (3-0)
Prerequisite: 1440281 Introduction to Probability and Statistics or Equivalent
The course covers the role of probability and reliability in civil engineering. Topics include: common probabilistic models, Reliability Methods, Concept of Reliability Index, First Order Reliability Method (FORM), Second Order Reliability Method (SORM), Transformations, System Reliability, Computer-Based Simulations, Code Calibration, Time-Varying Reliability Analysis, Reliability-Based Design and Optimization, Case Studies, Software Applications.
0401703Life Cycle Assessment3 credits (3-0)
This course provides the student with effective tools to conduct environmental and financial feasibility studies for civil engineering systems and/or products. The course presents the fundamentals and advanced methodology pertinent to life-cycle assessment based on ISO guidelines. These include the main stages, namely goal and scope, life-cycle inventory, life-cycle impact assessment, and interpretation. The course covers life-cycle costing and gives hands-on experience on life-cycle assessment and costing software.
0401704Soft Computing Applications in CE3 credits (3-0)
The course aims at introducing a new computing paradigm for solving complex civil engineering problems. It equips students with the concepts of soft computing and computational intelligence techniques, such as fuzzy logic, artificial neural network, genetic algorithm, decision trees, and hybrid systems. Emphasis will be given on the application of these techniques in various civil engineering problems, including but not limited to prediction, optimization, decision under uncertainty, and multi-attributed decision support methods.
0401705Design and Analysis of Experiments3 credits (3-0)
Prerequisite: 1440281 Introduction to Probability and Statistics or Equivalent
A study of the design and analysis of experiments. A model-based approach examines both theoretical and practical issues associated with experimentation. Topics include ANOVA, blocked designs, partially balanced incomplete designs, factorial designs, fractional factorial designs, nested designs, response surface methods, and others.

Technical Elective Courses (9 Credit Hours): Structural and Materials Engineering Courses

The student should take any three courses from the following list, preferably from the same domain. Subject to the approval of the Program Coordinator, a student can be allowed to replace one course from this list by taking that course from the above list of General Elective Courses.

0401711Bridge Engineering3 credits
0401712Sustainable Construction Materials3 credits
0401713Fracture Mechanics of Materials & Structures3 credits
0401714Advanced Behavior of Reinforced Concrete3 credits
0401715Selected Topics in Structural and Material Engineering3 credits

Technical Elective Courses: Geotechnical Engineering Courses

0401751Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering3 credits
0401752Theoretical & Computational Soil Mechanics3 credits
0401753Unsaturated Soil Mechanics3 credits
0401754Advanced Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory3 credits
0401755Advanced Foundation Engineering3 credits

Technical Elective Courses: Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Courses

0401741Coastal Processes and Management3 credits
0401742Climate Change Science and Impacts on Water Management3 credits
0401743Groundwater Hydrology3 credits
0401744Integrated Water Resources Management3 credits
0401761Experimental Research in Environmental Engineering3 credits
0401762Membrane and Desalination Technologies3 credits
0401763Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring3 credits
0401764Air Quality Engineering3 credits
0401765Nanomaterials in water and wastewater treatment3 credits

Technical Elective Courses: Transportation and Pavement Engineering Courses

0401721Traffic Flow Theory3 credits
0401722Transportation Systems Analysis3 credits
0401723Transportation Data Analysis3 credits
0401771Advanced Airport Pavement Design3 credits
0401772Pavement Performance and Management Systems3 credits
0401773Modeling of Asphalt Materials3 credits

Technical Elective Courses: Construction Engineering and Management Courses

0401731Advanced Construction Law and Contracts3 credits
0401732Infrastructure Maintenance and Management3 credits
0401733Computer Integrated Construction Engineering Systems3 credits
0401734Lean Construction Principles and Management3 credits

Major Elective Courses (6 Credit Hours)

The student should take any two courses with a total of six credit hours. The student should select appropriate courses to extend his/her knowledge of a particular civil engineering area or acquire additional knowledge necessary for the chosen research topic. Typically, the student would refer to his/her dissertation supervisor (or the Graduate Coordinator if a dissertation supervisor is yet to be selected) to assist in selecting the appropriate elective courses. The elective courses are selected from anyone (or combination) of the following: • PhD Graduate level courses offered by the CEE Department from the above lists. • PhD Graduate level courses from outside the CEE Department, subject to department approval and following the recommendation of the dissertation supervisor (or the Graduate Coordinator if a dissertation supervisor is yet to be selected).

Major Compulsory Requirements (30 Credit Hours)

The student must successfully complete the following requirements:

0401700PhD Seminar0 credits (0-0)
Prerequisite: 0401701 Directed Studies in CE
The PhD Seminar is intended to help students get exposed to various research topics and methodologies. PhD students are required to attend a minimum of 8 seminars that can expand over two terms. The typical seminar frequency is at least once a month. Students are required to present at least one seminar on their proposed research topic in addition to attending seminars delivered by faculty members, visitors, and other graduate students. Students must submit a term report on the seminars they attended.
0401706Directed Studies in CE3 credits
0401800PhD Qualifying Examination0 credits
0401803PhD Dissertation27 credits

Year 1, Fall Semester

9 credit hours

General Elective Course 13 credits
General Elective Course 23 credits
Technical Elective Course 13 credits

Year 1, Spring Semester

9 credit hours

General Elective Course 33 credits
Technical Elective Course 23 credits
Major Elective Course 13 credits

Year 2, Fall Semester

6 credit hours

Technical Elective Course 33 credits
Major Elective Course 23 credits
PhD Qualifying Exam0 credits

Year 2, Spring Semester

6 credit hours

PhD Seminar0 credits
Directed Studies in CE3 credits
PhD Dissertation3 credits

Year 3, Fall Semester

6 credit hours

PhD Dissertation6 credits

Year 3, Spring Semester

6 credit hours

PhD Dissertation6 credits

Year 4, Fall Semester

6 credit hours

PhD Dissertation6 credits

Year 4, Spring Semester

6 credit hours

PhD Dissertation6 credits

Also described on the programme page

The programme page describes this course but does not list it among the current degree requirements.

0401701Directed Studies in Civil Engineering1 credit (1-0)
This course will provide the student an opportunity to pursue in-depth independent study related to his/her field of interest. The course intends to strengthen theoretical knowledge of the student while allowing him/her to develop research skills including research planning, reviewing literature, critical thinking, synthesis and analysis of the literature relevant to the selected topic. The study must not duplicate courses that exist as regular PhD course offerings. Registration in this course and selection of the topic should be approved in advance by the student's potential dissertation supervisor and/or the PhD Program Coordinator. The student will have to defend the findings in front of a specialized committee consisting of faculty members in the Department approved by the PhD Program Coordinator.

What You'll Learn

The PhDCE Program is designed to equip students with the advanced theoretical knowledge and design skills necessary for higher professional competency levels. It also aims to foster the development of quality, applied research across various civil engineering disciplines, including structural, geotechnical, environmental, water resources, transportation, pavement, and construction management. By doing so, the program seeks to meet the growing demand for highly educated, specialized engineers capable of leading scientific and technological advancements in the UAE and the region.

Entry Requirements

Academic: Admission requirements for Ph.D. programs: • The student must hold a master’s degree with a minimum grade of “Very Good” (3.0 out of 4.0) and a bachelor’s degree with a minimum grade of “Good” (2.5 out of 4.0) or equivalent from a university, college, or institute recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education. • The student must meet the English language proficiency requirement • Passing the personal interview. • Submission of a ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the authorities responsible for national service for male Emirati students. • Submission of a letter of study approval from the Kuwaiti Embassy Cultural Office (for Kuwaiti students only). • Submission of a People of Determination card (if applicable). • If the student is employed, a letter from the employer stating that the student is currently working for this agency must be attached. • Individuals with foreign qualifications must provide a Certificate of Equivalency.

English: For programs taught in English, a score of 550 in TOEFL (ITP) (or its equivalent), or 6 in IELTS English exam must be obtained. Exemptions: • Students whose native language is English and studied a bachelor’s or master’s program in a country where English is the official language are exempt from the English language proficiency requirement. • Students who graduated from a university where English is the language of instruction are also exempt from the English language proficiency requirement provided that they obtained a minimum score of 500 in TOEFL (ITP) (or its equivalent) or 5.0 in IELTS upon enrolling in the bachelor’s program, and 550 in TOEFL (ITP) (or its equivalent), or 6 in IELTS upon joining the master’s program. Equivalent scores (EmSAT / paper-based TOEFL ITP / IELTS academic): 950-1075 / 450 / 4.5; 1100-1225 / 500 / 5.0; 1250-1375 / 530 / 5.5; 1400-1525 / 550 / 6.0. The paper-based TOEFL ITP is offered only by the University of Sharjah, AMIDEAST Dubai, and the Abu Dhabi head offices. The University of Sharjah reserves the right to require students to attend an interview at the Language Institute. Students may also be required to take an additional in-house test to ensure their scores align with their English language proficiency.

Careers

Graduates with a PhD in Civil Engineering have diverse career opportunities. These include academic positions in teaching and research at universities, research and development roles in government or private sector labs, and consulting engineering jobs providing expertise on projects. Additionally, graduates may find employment in the public sector, focusing on infrastructure development, urban planning, or environmental protection. Other potential roles include construction management, overseeing large projects, infrastructure planning with municipalities or transportation agencies, and project management, where they lead engineering projects from inception to completion. Graduates can also pursue specialized fields such as earthquake engineering, transportation systems, smart cities, water quality, waste management, or sustainable construction practices, and some may even choose to start their own firms or consultancies to address niche markets within civil engineering.