Civil Engineering, PHD

About the Program

Civil Engineering encompasses a wide array of disciplines and Purdue’s faculty has considered the future needs of the ever-changing field. The Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Graduate Program in Civil Engineering has approximately 400 active students. It has been consistently ranked in the top 10 of U.S. News and World Reports and is currently ranked 6th. Residential students can get a specialization in one of nine technical concentration areas: Architectural, Construction, Environmental, Geomatics, Geotechnical, Hydraulics and Hydrology, Materials, Structural, Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, as well as a Professional (non-thesis) Master’s Concentration. Interdisciplinary programs in Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) and Ecological Sciences and Engineering (ESE) are also available for on-campus students.

Program Website

Program Requirements

90 Credits Required

(30 credits from a Master’s may be applied.)

Concentrations

• Computational Engineering Concentration (GR)  
• Interdisciplinary Ecological Sciences and Engineering Concentration (GR)  
• Purdue University Interdisciplinary Life Science (PULSe), MS or PHD  
  • Microbiology
• Transformational Innovation and Design Concentration for Civil Engineering, PHD 
   

GPA Requirements

Students must complete all courses on their Plan of Study with a grade of no less than a C. An advisory committee may require higher performance than C in certain courses. Pass/not-pass grades are not acceptable.

The POS will generally be composed of 500/600-level courses or their equivalent from other universities. In general, most Civil Engineering courses below the 500-level are considered prerequisites for the graduate degree and should not be included on the Plan of Study unless the student is from a discipline other than Civil Engineering. Permission to use a 300/400-level course may be granted on a case by case basis. No more than 3 credit hours of 300/400-level coursework will be permitted on a student’s POS. A 300/400-level course requires a grade of B or better to appear on a plan of study. Furthermore, it must not have been used for a prior BS degree.

Graduate Programs Disclaimer

• The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Students should consult with their advisor/department for more information.
• Not all graduate programs may be actively recruiting students and course modality availability may vary. 
• Please refer to the Explore Graduate Programs website for a list of currently available graduate programs.
• Transfer credit policy: Credits earned for graduate study at other universities (both domestic and international) may be applied toward an advanced degree. Only credit hours associated with graduate courses for which grades of B- or better were obtained will be eligible for transfer. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made are determined by the various departments.
• Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.