Department of Civil Engineering
Brian Randolph, Chairperson
Jiwan D. Gupta, Graduate Director
The Department of Civil Engineering offers graduate degree programs and conducts research in four focus areas: environmental, geotechnical, structural and transportation engineering. Environmental engineering includes advanced study in areas such as air pollution, industrial hygiene, groundwater contamination, hazardous waste management, water and wastewater treatment, and water resources analysis. Geotechnical engineering includes advanced study in areas such as shallow and deep foundations, groundwater and seepage, experimental and theoretical soil mechanics, and a specialization in environmental geotechnology. Structural engineering includes advanced study in areas such as earthquake engineering, structural optimization, experimental stress analysis, and bridge analysis, design, rehabilitation and management. Transportation engineering includes advanced study in areas such as traffic and facility design, urban transportation planning, pavement materials' properties and design, pavement management, intelligent transportation systems and infrastructures, and transportation system management and economics.
The department offers two graduate degrees: Master of Science in Civil Engineering (M.S.C.E.) and Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Science (Ph.D.E.S.).
Master of Science in Civil Engineering Degree Requirements
For the Master of Science in Civil Engineering (M.S.C.E.) degree, a minimum of 30 semester credits is required: 21 credits for graduate course work (a minimum of 9 credit hours should be at the 6000 level or above) and 9 credits for thesis research (CIVE 6960) performed under the supervision of a full-time faculty member of the Department of Civil Engineering. The department also offers a M.S.C.E. degree with a project or course work option. In a project option, a minimum of 30 semester credits is required: 24 credits for graduate course work ( a minimum of 12 credit hours should be 6000 level or above) and six credits for the project report. In a course work option, a minimum of 30 semester credits in graduate course work is required, a minimum of 18 credit hours should be at the 6000 level or above. Additional requirements include: · A maximum of six credits of Independent Study are allowed toward the degree · Courses taken on an audit basis do not count toward the degree · Every full-time student must include in their registration the Departmental Seminar for one credit hour. The seminar credit may be counted toward the thesis or project credit hours. · Full-time and part-time students must prepare a Plan of Study in conjunction with the adviser (Graduate Program Director for the first semester) with a concentration of required and elective courses in one of the department's research programs or group areas of graduate study and receive approval from the Graduate Program Director. Required core courses in each area will be determined by the faculty comprising that group in conjunction with the Graduate Program Director. · No more than nine (9) credits towards the M.S.C.E. may be earned at another university, and in no case may the thesis or project be satisfied by work completed at another institution.
Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering Degree Requirements
The Doctoral degree requires a total of 90 credit hours split equally between course work and dissertation research. However, to be formally admitted to candidacy for the degree, doctoral students must first pass preliminary and qualification examinations. All Ph.D. students should note that admission to the doctoral program does not constitute admission to candidacy. The doctoral program is normally a full-time program throughout all of the course work and the dissertation. The Department of Civil Engineering does not encourage part-time studies in the Ph.D. program.
For the Ph.D. degree, a minimum of 60 graduate semester credits beyond the M.S.C.E. degree (90 semester credits beyond the B.S. degree) are required, of which 12 credits are for graduate course work (largely departmental), an additional 3 credits for graduate level mathematics course work, and 45 credits for dissertation research under the supervision of a full-time faculty member of the Department of Civil Engineering. A minimum of 45 credits, exclusive of research, must be completed at The University of Toledo. No more than three credits of Independent Study and no more than six credits of Doctoral Dissertation Proposal, may be counted toward fulfilling the Ph.D. coursework (12 credits) requirement. The six credits may be applied only to research related to the preparation of the dissertation proposal as discussed below.
Tobe awarded the Ph.D. degree, the student must have at least a B average (GPA of 3.0) for all credits in the program of study. The distribution of grades must be such that at least two-thirds of the credits for which the grades are earned carry either an A or B grade (half A's and half C's is not satisfactory). In addition, the student must be admitted into doctoral candidacy and pursue an original research problem. The research must be completed and the dissertation written and successfully defended in public before the Ph.D. degree is conferred.
Admission to Candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree
Tobe formally admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree, students must first pass the preliminary and qualification examinations. The purpose of the preliminary exam is to determine whether a student possesses the necessary background to complete doctoral degree requirements. The exam is given at the end of the Fall Semester and consists of two parts: written and oral. The four-hour written exam is a closed-book exam covering core areas. Specific questions are tailored to match a student's background in his/her focus group. The exam tests material covered at the undergraduate level as well as material from the Fall Semester graduate classes. The hour-long oral exam covers the same material as the written exam; however, the questions are more open-ended and student responses are discussed in-depth. The faculty will evaluate student's oral communication skills and the student's ability to analyze problems qualitatively.
The qualifying exam consists of an oral defense of the proposed dissertation research before a committee of five faculty members. Prior to the defense, students submit a written proposal to the committee. The defense consists of a brief presentation of the written proposal followed by a question and answer session. During the exam, the committee will assess the appropriateness of the proposed research for a doctoral dissertation and the student's ability to successfully complete it. Students must take the qualifying exam within one calendar year of passage of the preliminary exam. Upon passing the qualifying exam, students may apply for admission to candidacy.
After completion of 45 credit hours of course work beyond the Bachelor's degree, and 45 credit hours of dissertation research, doctoral candidates must prepare a written dissertation documenting their research efforts. Final approval for graduation is contingent upon a successful oral defense of the dissertation before the dissertation committee in a public forum.
Students applying for admission are expected to have completed a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Those with degrees in other areas of engineering or science will have to take certain undergraduate courses to prepare for graduate courses.