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Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Cornell Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. program is interdisciplinary by design, addressing complex challenges at the intersection of infrastructure, sustainability, and public service. Our research advances the public good through pioneering technological and scientific innovations that shape the future of built and natural environments.

Format

In-Person

Page Contents

Note: This page provides a general overview. For complete and accurate information, please consult with your advisor. For current course offerings and information, refer to the Cornell University Registrar: Courses of Study.

Degree Requirements

Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. students must meet a combination of Graduate School milestones and field specific requirements to be positioned to earn the Ph.D. degree. As the Ph.D. degree is a research degree that culminates in a dissertation, the student’s program will be greatly informed by the dissertation research project as well as by the committee chair, special committee, and the concentration.

Per the Graduate School’s Code of Legislation, Ph.D. students must complete a minimum of six enrolled semesters. Three of those semesters must be in residence on the Ithaca New York Campus. Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. students must complete a minimum of 18 graded graduate level courses related to their dissertation project. Our Ph.D. students are required to take the Qualifying Exam (Q-Exam), Admission to Candidacy Exam (A-Exam) and Final Defense of the Dissertation (B-Exam).

Courses

Civil and Environmental Engineering research degree students must take CEE 5025 Civil and Environmental Engineering Seminar for First-Year Research Students. Specific core coursework is outlined by the student’s concentration and their special committee. Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. students must complete a minimum of 18 graded graduate level courses related to their dissertation project.

For the purpose of sitting for the Q-Exam: Ph.D. students sitting for the Q-Exam in their second semester must have a minimum of 9 graded course credits complete/underway. Ph.D. students sitting for the Q-Exam in their third semester must have a minimum of 12 graded course credits complete/underway.

Visit the Concentrations section for more information.

Concentrations

  • Complex Systems Engineering

    Complex Systems Engineering investigates how systems-level behavior emerges from interactions among components in both engineered and natural systems. This interdisciplinary field combines mathematical modeling, nonlinear dynamics, data science, numerical simulation, optimization, and stochastic processes with domain-specific knowledge grounded in physical, chemical, and biological principles.

    Research in this area spans a wide range of applications, including cyber-physical systems, microbial communities, renewable energy, synthetic biology, transportation systems, infrastructure, and power networks.

  • Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology

    Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology involves the study of fluid mechanics of the environment and the associated application to hydraulics, hydrology, coastal oceanography, and meteorology as related to the wet earth and atmosphere.

    Research in this area includes: air-sea interaction; hydrodynamics and sediment transport; wave-structure interactions; numerical modeling of tsunami generation; remote sensing techniques for sea states; water properties and seafloor characterization.

  • Environmental Processes

    Environmental Processes is concerned with the protection and management of the quality of the environment for the benefit of society.

    The field emphasizes biological, chemical, and physical phenomena and engineering principles; laboratory and computational skills; and their application to the analysis of relevant problems.

    The field focuses on advancing fundamental knowledge and developing sustainable technologies that can contribute to the paradigm shifts needed to face the most urgent environmental challenges facing human societies.

  • Environmental and Water Resource Engineering

    Environmental and Water Resources Systems Engineering addresses the development and application of scientific principles, economic theory, and mathematical techniques to the management and planning of public infrastructure and environmental and water resource systems.

    Research in this field include evaluation of engineering projects, contaminant modeling and remediation optimization, statistical analysis of hydrologic processes, water supply systems management, risk analysis, ecological systems management, sustainable development and computer graphics-oriented decision support systems.

  • Structural Engineering

    Structural Engineering concentrates its considerable expertise in materials, computational and probabilistic mechanics, structural health monitoring, and high performance computing to model, analyze, simulate, and design complex systems that are characterized by multi-physics processes that transcend several time and length scales.

    The group also seeks to establish a reciprocal relationship between experimentation and computing by utilizing physical experiments to observe behavior phenomena, to measure properties and mechanisms, and to validate computational models.

  • Transportation Systems Engineering

    Transportation Systems Engineering embraces policy, planning, design, and evaluation of transport systems and the relationships among transport supply and demand, land use, and regional development. The approach is multimodal and systems oriented; it emphasizes the use of quantitative and analytical techniques of operations research and economics.

    Research in the field consists of automated traveler information systems, freight transportation and security concerns, transportation of hazardous materials, and air quality issues in urban transportation.

Examinations

Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. students need to take three exams the Qualifying Exam (Q-Exam), the Admission to Candidacy (A-Exam) and Dissertation Defense (B-Exam).

The Qualifying exam (Q-Exam) is required by the field of civil and environmental engineering and must be taken by the end of a student’s second or third semester in the Ph.D. program. Students are required to meet the following course requirement: if taken in the second semester a minimum of 9 graded course credits (in progress or complete), if taken in the third semester a minimum of 12 graded course credits (in progress or complete). These credits are not restricted to concentration specific course requirements, but they should be at or above the 5XXX level. See the Q-Exam section for more information.

The Admission to Candidacy (A-Exam) is required by the Graduate School. Per the Graduate School’s Code of Legislation, the A Exam can be completed after two semesters and must be completed before the start of the 7th semester. The purpose of the A-exam is to assess the critical thinking skills of Ph.D. students and potential to conduct dissertation work. Some concentrations award a non-thesis M.S. degree to Ph.D. candidates that have passed the A exam. Please check with your major advisor and committee prior to taking your exam. See the A-Exam section for more information.

The Defense of the Dissertation (B- Exam) is required of all doctoral students and is an oral defense of the dissertation. The exam should be taken upon completion of all requirements for the degree, but no earlier than one month before completion of the minimum registration requirement.

Special Committee

Per the Graduate School’s Code of Legislation, Ph.D. students must designate a Special Committee Chair no later than the third week of  their first semester (via Student Center). Ph.D. students must designate the full Special Committee (a minimum of three members) no later than the end of the third semester.

Ph.D. students must select three Special Committee members (1 committee chair, 2 minor members). Civil and Environmental Engineering Special Committees ordinarily consist of one minor member from outside of the Field of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a minor member either representing a concentration different from the one represented by the Committee Chair or from a field external to that of Civil and Environmental Engineering. More than the minimum number of members may serve on Special Committees.

Ph.D. students are normally admitted into the program connected to an advisor and funding support. Changing an advisor may disrupt funding plans, please discuss plans for changing an advisor with the Assistant Director for Graduate Programs or the Director of Graduate Studies.

Candidates may change or add Special Committee members with the approval of all continuing and new committee members. Changes for valid reasons may be made at any time except after the Ph.D. Admission to Candidacy Examination, in which case approval of the General Committee of the Graduate School is required. Candidates should be cautioned that a reconstituted Special Committee is not obliged to accept prior commitments made to a candidate by its predecessor committee.

Concentration: Complex Systems Engineering

Complex Systems Engineering students should take at least two of the three core courses listed in the Core Courses section below.Students with a strong theoretical background may petition to opt out of one or more of the core courses. Petitions are approved by the advisor and by the ad hoc Q exam committee. In addition to the core courses, students will be required to satisfy the CEE graduate program course requirements. The CSE recommendation is to complement the core courses with foundational modeling and data science courses, as well as domain-specific courses in the student’s research area. A non-exhaustive list of examples is provided below.

Core Courses

(choose two)

  • CEE 6215

    Stochastic Modeling of Complex Systems

  • CEE 6736

    Mathematical Modeling of Natural & Engineered Systems

  • CEE 6745

    Inverse Problems: Theory and Applications

Other Foundational Modeling and Data Science Courses

  • CEE 6000

    Numerical Methods for Engineers

  • CHEME 6110

    Mathematical Methods of Chemical Engineering Analysis

  • CHEME 6800

    Computational Optimization

  • CS 5780

    Introduction to Machine Learning

  • CS 5786

    Machine Learning for Data Science

  • CS 6241

    Numerical Methods for Data Science

  • CEE 6640

    Microeconometrics of Discrete Choice

  • CS 6820

    Algorithms

  • ECE 5210

    Theory of Linear Systems

  • ECE 5412

    Bayesian Estimation and Stochastic Optimization

  • ECE 5640

    Statistical Inference and Decision

  • MAE 5790

    Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos

  • MAE 6780

    Multivariable Control Theory

  • MATH 5200

    Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems

  • MATH 5220

    Applied Complex Analysis

  • MATH 6230

    Differential Games and Optimal Control

  • MATH 6260

    Dynamical Systems

  • ORIE 6300

    Mathematical Programming I

  • ORIE 6500

    Applied Stochastic Processes

  • PHYS 6562

    Statistical Physics I

  • PHYS 7653

    Statistical Physics II

  • SYSEN 5420

    Network Systems and Games

Examples of Domain-Specific Courses

Biological Systems (example courses)

  • BEE 5280

    Systems and Synthetic Biology for Sustainable Energy

  • BEE 5600

    Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering

  • BME 6130

    Advanced Microbiome Engineering

  • PLBIO 6000

    Concepts and Techniques in Computational Biology

Energy (example courses)

  • CEE 5200

    Economics of the Energy Transition

  • CEE 6420

    Energy Technologies and Subsurface Resources

  • CEE 6880

    Applied Modeling and Simulation for Renewable Energy Systems

Engineered Systems (example courses)

  • CEE 5795

    Sensors for the Built and Natural Environments

  • CEE 6200

    Water-Resources Systems Engineering

  • CEE 6790

    Time Series Data Analysis for Civil, Mechanical and Geophysical Applications

  • CEE 6800

    Engineering Smart Cities

Environment (example courses)

  • CEE 6330

    Physical Hydrology in the Built and Natural Environments

  • CEE 6550

    Transport, Mixing, and Transformation in the Environment

  • CEE 6585

    Biogeochemical Reaction Modeling

Fluid and Solid Mechanics (example courses)

  • CEE 6726

    Intermediate Solid Mechanics

  • CEE 7780

    Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamics

  • CHEME 6240

    Advanced Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer

  • MAE 6010

    Foundations of Fluid Mechanics I

Transportation (example courses)

  • CEE 6620

    Analysis and Control of Transportation Systems and Networks

  • CEE 6648

    Sustainable Transportation Systems Design

Concentration: Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology

Course requirements are selected and approved by each student’s advisor and special committee. A list of recommended core courses is provided to all incoming students. Typical advisor approved electives will depend on availability in each given semester.

Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology Core Courses (recommended)

  • MAE 6010

    Fluid Mechanics

  • MAE 6310

    Turbulence

  • CEE 6550

    Transport and Mixing in the Environment

  • CEE 6000

    Advanced Numerical Methods for Engineers

  • CEE 6330

    Physical hydrology in the Built and Natural Environments

  • CEE 6370

    Experimental Fluid Mechanics

Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology Electives

  • CEE 6300

    Spectral Methods for Incompressible Environmental Flows

  • CEE 6305

    Special Topics in Hydraulics and Hydrology: Boundary Layer Meteorology and Urban Climates

  • CEE 6360

    Environmental Fluid Mechanics

  • CEE 7360

    Turbulence and Mixing in Environmental Stratified Flows

Concentration: Environmental Processes

The Environmental Processes faculty recommends that students select a majority of courses from among the following core courses and elective courses. The core courses are typically offered every academic year and the elective courses are offered less frequently.

Environmental Processes Core Courses

  • CEE 6420

    Energy Technologies and Subsurface Resources

  • CEE 6560

    Physical/Chemical Processes

  • CEE 6530

    Water Chemistry

  • CEE 6565

    Waste Water Processes and Resources Recovery

  • CEE 6570

    Biological Processes

  • CEE 5510

    Microbiology for Environmental Engineering

Environmental Processes Electives

  • CEE 6005-105

    Noise in Biology & Environmental Sciences

  • CEE 6XXX

    Stochastic Modeling of Complex Systems

  • CEE 6580

    Biodegradation and Biocatalysis

  • CEE 6585

    Biogeochemical Reaction Modeling

  • CEE 6590

    Environmental Organic Chemistry

Environmental Processes Other Relevant Courses

  • BEE 6310

    Multivariate Statistics for Environmental Applications

  • CEE 6320

    Hydrology

  • CEE 6970

    Risk Analysis and Management

Concentration: Environmental and Water Resource Engineering

Research and courses within the Environmental and Water Resources Systems group are concerned with the development and application of quantitative methods for the evaluation, planning and operation of water resource and environmental systems. Efforts address the integration and analysis of engineering and economic-policy issues posed by the need to manage water, land, air and human resources, as well as environmental remediation efforts. The fundamental sciences upon which such analyses are based include hydrology, hydraulics, environmental sciences, biology, and environmental engineering.

Environmental and Water Resource Engineering Electives

  • CEE 5200

    Economics of the Energy Transition

  • CEE 5240

    Model Based Systems Engineering

  • CEE 5252

    Systems Analysis Behavior and Optimization

  • CEE 5735 / 6736

    Mathematical Modeling of Natural and Engineered Systems

  • CEE 5745

    Inverse Problems: Theory and Applications

  • CEE 5795

    Sensors for the Built and Natural Environments

  • CEE 5820

    Global Food, Energy, and Water Nexus

  • CEE 5930

    Data Analytics

  • CEE 5970

    Risk Analysis and Management

  • CEE 5980

    Decision Framing and Analytics

  • CEE 6000

    Advanced Numerical Methods for Engineers

  • CEE 6100

    Remote Sensing Fundamentals

  • CEE 6XXX

    Stochastic Modeling of Complex Systems

  • CEE 6200

    Water-Resources Systems Engineering

  • CEE 6330

    Physical Hydrology in the Built and Natural Environment

  • CEE 6550

    Transport and Mixing in the Environment

  • CEE 6665

    Modeling and Optimization for Smart Infrastructure Systems

  • CEE 6660

    Multiobjective Systems Engineering Under Uncertainty

  • CEE 6770

    Natural Hazards, Reliability, and Insurance

  • CEE 6790

    Time Series Data Analysis for Civil, Mechanical and Geophysical Applications

  • CEE 6800

    Engineering Smart Cities

  • CEE 6880

    Applied Modeling and Simulation for Renewable Systems

  • CEE 6930

    Public Systems Modeling

  • BEE 6110

    Hydrologic Engineering in a Changing Climate

  • BEE 6310

    Multivariate Statistics for Environmental Applications

  • SYSEN 6000

    Foundations of Complex Systems

  • SYSEN 5888

    Deep Learning

  • ORIE 5300

    Optimization I

  • ORIE 5310

    Optimization II

  • ORIE 5510

    Introduction to Stochastic Processes

  • CS 5780

    Introduction to Machine Learning

  • CS 5786

    Machine Learning for Data Science

  • CS 5789

    Introduction to Reinforcement Learning

Note: This list is not meant to preclude additional electives that can be approved by a student’s graduate advisor or committee member in Environmental and Water Resource Engineering.

Concentration: Structural Engineering

Course requirements are selected and approved by each student’s advisor and special committee. Typical advisor approved electives will depend on availability in each given semester

Structural Engineering Electives (Fall)

  • CEE 5735 / CEE 6736

    Mathematical Modeling of Natural & Engineered Systems

  • CEE 5950

    Construction Planning and Operations

  • CEE 6000

    Numerical Methods for Engineers

  • CEE 6720

    Introduction to Finite Element Method

  • CEE 6730

    Design of Concrete Structures

  • CEE 6770

    Natural Hazards, Reliability, and Insurance

  • CEE 6790

    Time Series Data Analysis

  • CEE 7710

    Stochastic Problems Engineering and Science

  • MAE 5700

    Finite Element Analysis for Mechanical and Aerospace Design

  • MAE 6110

    Foundations of Solid Mechanics

  • MAE 6010

    Foundations of Fluid Mechanics

  • MAE 6130

    Mechanics of Composite Structures

  • MAE 6730

    Intermediate Dynamics and Vibrations

  • MAE 5010

    Future Energy Systems

  • MAE 6810

    Methods of Applied Mathematics

  • ICS 6210

    Numerical Analysis and Differential Equations

Structural Engineering Electives (Spring)

  • BME 5810

    Soft Tissue Biomechanics

  • CEE 5745 / CEE 6745

    Inverse Problems: Theory and Applications

  • CEE 5795

    Sensors for the Built and Natural Environments

  • CEE 6725

    3D Printing Parts that Don’t Break

  • CEE 6750

    Concrete Materials and Construction

  • CEE 6780

    Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering

  • CEE 7740

    Advanced Structural Concrete

  • CS 6220

    Introduction to Scientific Computation

  • MAE 5130

    Mechanical Properties of Thin Films

  • MAE 5790

    Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos

  • MAE 6120

    Foundations of Solid Mechanics II

  • MAE 6160

    Advanced Composite Materials

  • MAE 6640

    Mechanics of Bone

  • MAE 6780

    Methods of Applied Mathematics

  • IIMSE 6020

    Elasticity, Plasticity, and Fracture

  • TAM 6680

    Elastic Waves in Solids with Applications

Concentration: Transportation Systems Engineering

Transportation Systems Engineering Core Courses (required)

  • CEE 6620

    Analysis and Control of Transportation Systems and Networks

  • CEE 6640

    Microeconometrics of Discrete Choice

Transportation Systems Engineering Core Courses (recommended)

  • CEE 6648

    Sustainable Transportation Systems Design

  • CEE 5930

    Data Analytics

Transportation Systems Engineering Elective Courses

  • CRP 5040

    Urban Economics

  • CRP 5080

    Intro to Geographic Information Systems

  • CRP 5170

    Economic Development

  • CRP 5190

    Urban Theory and Spatial Development

  • CRP 5520

    Land Use Planning

  • CRP 5840

    Green Cities

  • CRP 6090

    Urban and Regional Theory

  • CRP 6860

    Planning for Sustainable Transportation

  • CEE 5290

    Heuristic Methods for Optimization

  • CEE 5900

    Project Management

  • CEE 5970

    Risk Analysis and Management

  • CEE 6620

    Analysis and Control of Transportation Systems and Networks

  • CEE 6640

    Microeconometrics of Discrete Choice

  • CEE 6665

    Modeling and Optimization for Smart Infrastructure Systems

  • CEE 6930

    Public Systems Modeling

  • ECON 5540

    Economics of Regulation

  • ECON 6090

    Microeconomic Theory

  • AEM 6170

    Decision Models for Small & Large Businesses

  • AEM 6320

    Public Private Sector Economics Linkages

  • AEM 6330

    Devolution, Privatization, & the New Public Management

  • ORIE 5300

    Optimization I

  • ORIE 5310

    Optimization II

  • ORIE 5510

    Introduction to Stochastic Processes

  • ORIE 6580

    Simulation Modeling & Analysis

  • NBA 6410

    Supply Chain Management

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