Civil Engineering, Ph.D

Requirements

PhD Candidates in Civil Engineering are required to successfully complete the equivalent of at least two half-courses at the 700 level beyond the master’s degree. For students who have not completed a master’s degree, the minimum course requirements are four half-courses, at the 700 level, beyond the requirements of the bachelor’s degree. At least half of the required courses must be listed or cross-listed in the calendar under the degree program. The PhD thesis supervisor and/or the supervisory committee can require the student to take additional course(s) if necessary for the student’s research or to address an identified gap in the student’s background. In addition to the above course requirements, all full-time Ph. D. candidates must attend and participate in the Department of Civil Engineering Graduate Student Seminar Day each year, for the first 12 terms (48 months) of study.

Candidate Evaluation

The Ph.D. candidate will be evaluated by the Ph.D. Supervisory Committee after two academic terms in the Ph.D. program. This will be based on an evaluation of the candidate’s ability to think, intellectual background, and general caliber as a doctoral student. The candidate must also pass a Comprehensive Examination which is normally taken in the second year of the doctoral program. The purpose of this examination is to test the candidate’s acquisition of knowledge and maturity of approach to problems in the major field of study, as well as in appropriately chosen cognate subject areas. The detailed regulations governing these examinations may be obtained from the Department.

Comprehensive Examination

The Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination will consist of only one exam. It will test the candidate’s acquisition of knowledge and maturity of approach to problems in the major field of study, as well as in appropriately chosen cognate subject areas. The examination will normally take place at around 10 months, but can be extended to 15 months, of the admission date to the doctoral program. The comprehensive examination includes a written and oral portion. For further details, please see the Department of Civil Engineering Graduate Student Handbook.

Additional Information

Part-time doctoral studies are permissible. Graduate students will also be required to present seminars related to their research topics.

Industrial Ph.D. Option

The general Regulations for the degree Doctor of Philosophy appear earlier in the Calendar. This program option offers the candidate the potential to conduct all or a portion of their research at their company or research institute of employment. To be enrolled under the option, the candidate must be a full-time student in the degree program, have previously completed a Masters of Applied Science or its equivalence, and be employed by a company or research institute outside of McMaster continuously till degree completion. A candidate is required to complete the normal course requirements of their enrolled department as well as any milestones, but is exempt from seminar requirements. As a doctoral candidate they must take the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination that is designed to test the breadth of knowledge and the ability to synthesize and integrate ideas from within and peripheral to the candidate’s research area. The Comprehensive Examination will normally take place between 6 and 18 months after the candidate initially registers in the Ph.D. program. A supervisory committee monitors the progress of a Ph.D. candidate and determines when the candidate is ready to write the thesis. The student is required to defend the thesis at a Final Oral Examination.