Doctoral Programs​

Reach to the end of the world

Doctoral Programs

The emphasis in the Ph.D. systems-focused degree is upon a sound foundation in the fundamentals in a given area with considerable flexibility in course selection determined by the interests and background of each graduate student. The Department of Civil and Systems Engineering offers opportunities for a broad application of systems thinking and modeling in many areas like Energy, Public Health, Disaster Planning, Medicine, and Infrastructure. Systems is an inherently cross-disciplinary subject and students are encouraged to take courses from outside their home department. These courses are supplemented by systems seminars, generally delivered by visiting experts in the field.

Students with a primary interest in Operations Research, and those who wish to apply systems thinking and modeling to improve the design of public policies and environmental control systems can also enroll in the programs offered by Applied Math and Statistics and the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. There is considerable overlap and collaboration between these departments. To find out more about the research interests of individual faculty, please see the Faculty page or contact Prof. Lauren Gardner.

Our doctoral students take the equivalent of about two full academic years of formal course work. Roughly half of this is done in the principal subject area and the rest is chosen from allied fields. Although systems is a subject that crosses traditional departmental boundaries, doctoral students still take the Departmental Qualifying Exam (DQE) for their home department, and are also encouraged to take the appropriate core departmental classes to successfully pass the exam.

“A truly future discipline.”

PhD Requirements

Matriculation
After 2019
8 Courses*
Department Qualifying Examination (DQE)
Responsible Conduct of Research short course (AS.360.625)
Academic Ethics short course (EN.500.603)
Final PhD Thesis Defense and Graduate Board Oral Examination (GBO)
Matriculation
2017-2019
8 Courses*
Department Qualifying Examination (DQE)
Responsible Conduct of Research short course (AS.360.625)
Academic Ethics short course (EN.500.603)
Final PhD Thesis Defense and Graduate Board Oral Examination (GBO)
Matriculation
Before 2017
8 Courses*
Department Qualifying Examination (DQE)
Graduate Board Oral Examination (GBO)
Responsible Conduct of Research short course (AS.360.625)
Academic Ethics short course (EN.500.603)
Final Ph.D. Thesis Defense

PhD Timeline (Matriculation 2020 and Later)

Year 1
Year 1 - Fall
  • Arrival prior to start of classes
  • Selection of first semester courses (typically 4) with Director of Graduate Studies or research advisor
  • Language/communication testing and placement for International Students
  • Responsible Conduct of Research short course (AS.360.625)
  • Academic Ethics short course (EN.500.603)
  • First semester coursework and research
Year 1
Year 1
Year 1 - Intersession
  • Intersession research
  • Annual review completed by January 31
Year 1
Year 1
Year 1 - Spring
  • Department Qualifying Exam (DQE) (completed in early May)
  • Second semester coursework and research
Year 1
Year 2
Year 2 - Fall
  • Research
  • Coursework (typically finishing up this semester)
  • PhD Thesis Committee Meeting encouraged
Year 2
Year 2
Year 2 - Intersession
  • Research
  • Annual review completed by January 31
Year 2
Year 2
Year 2 - Spring
  • Research
  • Coursework (if necessary)
Year 2
Year 3
Year 3
  • Research (year-round)
  • PhD Thesis Committee Meeting encouraged
  • Annual review completed by January 31
Year 3
Year 4 and Beyond
Year 4 and Beyond
  • Research (year-round)
  • PhD Thesis Committee Meeting encouraged every year
  • Annual review completed by January 31
Year 4 and Beyond
Final Semester
Final Semester
  • Thesis Defense and Graduate Board Oral Examination (GBO)
Final Semester