Civil Engineering, Ph.D.
Admissions
Students should have the equivalent of an M.E. or M.S. degree in civil engineering or closely related engineering field. Exceptional students may be eligible to enter directly the Ph.D. degree program with a B.S. degree in civil engineering or closely related engineering field. Applicants must generally exceed the minimum grade point average and test score requirements listed for the M.S. degree program. Outstanding students with non-engineering baccalaureate degrees may qualify for admission to the Ph.D. degree program, with the understanding that they must complete specified deficiency/prerequisite courses.
Degree Requirements (60 Post-Baccalaureate Hours)
Completion of the doctoral degree requires a minimum of 60 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, of which 12 must be ECIV 899. Students holding an M.E. or M.S. degree must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours beyond the master’s degree. At least half of the course work must be completed at the 700 level or higher. At least 12 hours of core course work are required for each area of specialization (see “Core Courses” below).
For students pursuing a Ph.D. degree in the same area of specialization as their M.E. or M.S. degree, a minimum of 18 credit hours of course work is required. Core courses may be satisfied during the M.E. or M.S. degree. For students pursuing a Ph.D. degree in a different area of specialization from their M.E. or M.S. degree, a minimum of 24 credit hours of course work in the new area is required. “Area of specialization” refers to environmental, geotechnical, railway, structural, transportation or water resources engineering.
Credits earned in ECIV 798 do not count toward a student’s program of study.
The residency requirement for the Ph.D. degree ensures that students benefit from and contribute to the complete spectrum of educational and professional opportunities provided by the graduate faculty of a comprehensive university. The granting of a doctoral degree presupposes a minimum of three full years of graduate study following admission to the doctoral program. As such, the residency requirement may be fulfilled by enrollment in at least 18 graduate credit hours within a span of three consecutive semesters (excluding summers). Enrollment in a summer term is not required to maintain continuity, but credits earned during summer terms may be used to count toward residency. Enrollment through the APOGEE program does not satisfy the residency requirement for the Ph.D. degree.
Core Courses
Each area of specialization has specific graduate core course requirements that are presented in the tables below. These requirements are designed to provide opportunities for cross-disciplinary programs of study that require breadth and flexibility beyond classical courses offered for a given area of specialization, and that may better reflect the student’s personal research and career interests. This can be achieved by allowing to substitute one additional core course with any USC graduate (500-level or higher) course, subject to the approval of the student’s advisor and ECIV graduate director through the program of study (DPOS) form.
Environmental Engineering (12 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECIV 750 | Principles of Environmental Engineering Process | 3 |
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Life Cycle Assessment of Engineered Systems | ||
| Principles of Municipal Solid Waste Engineering | ||
| Air Pollution Control Engineering | ||
| Environmental Engineering Process Modeling | ||
| Intermediate Special Topics * | ||
| Water and Wastewater Treatment Theory I | ||
| Water and Wastewater Treatment Theory II | ||
| Unit Operations Laboratory for Water and Wastewater Treatment | ||
| Industrial Wastewater Treatment | ||
| Selected Topics in Civil Engineering * | ||
Select one USC graduate (500-level or higher) course * | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
- *
To be approved by student's advisor and ECIV graduate director through program of study (DPOS) form.
Geotechnical Engineering (12 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECIV 730 | Advanced Soil Mechanics | 3 |
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Intermediate Special Topics * | ||
| Slope Stabilty, Retaining Systems and Lateral Earth Pressure | ||
| Theoretical and Numerical Methods in Geomechanics | ||
| Physico-chemical Properties of Soils | ||
| Soil Dynamics and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering | ||
| Ground Improvement Techniques | ||
| Advanced Foundation Design | ||
| Selected Topics in Civil Engineering * | ||
Select one USC graduate (500-level or higher) course * | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
- *
To be approved by student's advisor and ECIV graduate director through a program of study (DPOS) form.
Railway Engineering (12 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select two of the following "Fundamental" core courses: | 6 | |
| Railway Engineering I | ||
| Operation and Logistics of Railway Systems | ||
| Design of Railway Bridges and Structures | ||
| Intermediate Special Topics * | ||
| Select one "Advanced" core course ** | ||
| Select one "Advanced or "Cross-Disciplinary" core course ** | ||
| Select one of the following "Advanced" core courses: | 3 | |
| Management of Engineering Projects | ||
| Dynamics of Structures | ||
| Soil Dynamics and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering | ||
| Dynamic Analysis of Railway Systems | ||
| Design Project in Railway Engineering | ||
| Selected Topics in Civil Engineering * | ||
| Select one of the following "Cross-Disciplinary" core courses: | 3 | |
Select one Environmental Engineering core course | ||
Select one Geotechnical Engineering core course | ||
Select one Structural Engineering core course | ||
Select one Transportation Engineering core course | ||
Select one Water Resources Engineering core course | ||
Select one USC graduate (500-level or higher) courses * | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
- *
To be approved by student's advisor and ECIV graduate director through program of study (DPOS) form.
- **
Applies to PhD students with MS/ME degree only. May be taken for either "Fundamental" core course credit, or "Advanced" or "Cross-Disciplinary" core course credit, not both.
Structural Engineering (12 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECIV 720 | Advanced Structural Mechanics and Analysis | 3 |
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Intermediate Special Topics * | ||
| Theory and Design of Plates and Shells | ||
| Dynamics of Structures | ||
| Advanced Analysis and Design in Structural Metals | ||
| Repair and Retrofit of Structures | ||
| Advanced Analysis and Design of Reinforced Concrete | ||
| Prestressed Concrete Analysis and Design | ||
| Advanced Foundation Design | ||
| Selected Topics in Civil Engineering * | ||
Select one USC graduate (500-level or higher) course * | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
- *
To be approved by student's advisor and ECIV graduate director through program of study (DPOS) form.
Transportation Engineering (12 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Geotechnical Engineering in Transportation | ||
| Transportation Systems Planning | ||
| Highway Design | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Traffic Engineering | ||
| Traffic Flow Theory | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Deterministic Civil and Environmental Systems Engineering | ||
| Probabilistic Civil and Environmental Systems Engineering | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Intermediate Special Topics * | ||
| Selected Topics in Civil Engineering * | ||
Select one USC graduate (500-level or higher) course * | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
- *
To be approved by student's advisor and ECIV graduate director through program of study (DPOS) form.
Water Resources Engineering (12 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select up to one of the following: | 0-3 | |
| Open Channel Hydraulics | ||
| Engineering Hydrology | ||
| Subsurface Hydrology | ||
| Intermediate Special Topics * | ||
| Select at least two of the following: | 6-12 | |
| Computational Hydraulics | ||
| Numerical Methods in Subsurface Hydrology | ||
| Advanced Hydrology | ||
| Unsaturated Flow Theory | ||
| Contaminant Transport | ||
| Erosion and Sediment Control | ||
| Fluid Transients | ||
| Sediment Transport and River Mechanics | ||
| Selected Topics in Civil Engineering * | ||
| Select up to one of the following: | 0-3 | |
Select ne USC graduate (500-level or higher) course * | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
- *
To be approved by student's advisor and ECIV graduate director through program of study (DPOS) form.