PhD Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University

Programme overview

The PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering offers advanced coursework tailored to students' interests, hands-on research with faculty mentors and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students may specialise in intelligent engineered systems and society, climate resilient environmental systems and technologies, sustainable energy and transportation systems, or mechanics, chemistry and materials.

Faculty: College of Engineering | Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering | Duration: At least four years of graduate study after a BS, or three years after an MS | Intake: Fall (deadline December 15) and Spring (August 31) | Study mode: full-time | Location: Pittsburgh, PA, United States

What you will study

There are no formal course requirements; students usually take courses in their focus area to prepare for the qualifying comprehensive exam, then assemble a doctoral committee that guides them from thesis proposal to defense.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Direct entry requires an undergraduate degree in engineering or a related technical field from an accredited institution; advanced entry requires a master's degree in a related field. Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate applicants (MS and PhD): GRE scores are not accepted for review. Three letters of recommendation, a CV/resume, an unofficial transcript and the application essay questions are required, with a $75 application fee (waivers for CMU students and alumni, GEM applicants, McNair Scholars and hardship cases). International and US permanent resident applicants submit Duolingo English Test, TOEFL or IELTS scores unless they hold a previous US degree, are CMU students or alumni, or are UK or Canadian citizens. Deadlines: MS fall priority December 15, final January 31; PhD fall December 15; spring entry August 31 for both.

Requirements published at faculty level.

Intake: Fall (deadline December 15) and Spring (August 31)

Duration: At least four years of graduate study after a BS, or three years after an MS

Apply through the official page: https://www.cmu.edu/graduate/prospective/index.html

Explore more study programmes

Engineering