Civil engineering

Applicants for the Ph.D. in civil engineering must meet the following degree-specific admission requirements:

• Education level: Bachelor's or Master’s degree
• GPA: 3.0
• GRE: No
• TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo: 79/6.5/115 (for applicants whose education was completed in countries where English is not an official language)
• Number of references: Three
• Other requirements: Applicants not holding a B.S. degree in civil engineering are required to show evidence of completing the following undergraduate coursework:
  • Mathematics through differential equations
  • One semester of chemistry
  • One semester of calculus-based physics
  • One semester of engineering statics
• Once admitted, additional preparatory coursework will be determined by the student’s advisory committee and/or as prerequisites to courses listed in the student's study plan.

Program availability

• Semester intake: Fall, Spring, Summer
  • Eligible for international admission
• Deadlines: General application deadlines

Visit Graduate Admissions to learn more and start your application. 

Civil and Environmental Engineering contact:  Andrew Tranmer; andyt@uidaho.edu

Graduate Admissions contact: graduateadmissions@uidaho.edu; 208-885-4001

Find Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty advisor contacts.

Financial assistance in the form of teaching or research assistantships are available on a competitive basis. All students who are admitted to the program are considered for an assistantship, but not all admitted students will receive such support. An offer of financial support is separate from the admissions decision.

Graduate student funding opportunities in the department are primarily funded through externally funded projects. If you are interested in obtaining a research assistantship during your graduate studies, it is important to contact a faculty member you want to work with as major advisor to discuss the funding options. If no project funding is available, you may be able to self-fund your graduate studies if your advisor allows this.

To learn how you can fund your graduate degree, check out the Graduate Funding resources.

Visit Financial Aid to find detailed information about the cost of attendance.

This program will be a good fit if you:

• Hold an undergraduate degree in a STEM-related field and have taken the necessary engineering coursework (see other requirements section above).
• Hold a B.S. and/or M.S. in civil and environmental engineering or closely related field
• Have a professional background in engineering
• Want to specialize in an area of civil engineering
• Like to solve complex problems
• Want to pursue a career in teaching STEM fields
• Are interested in conducting research or becoming a university faculty member

Areas of emphasis:

• Building and structures
• Transportation engineering
• Engineered materials and sustainability
• Environmental engineering
• Water resources engineering
• Ecohydraulics and river restoration

Degree roadmap

• This degree requires a minimum of 78 semester credits beyond the bachelor's degree.
• Students are required to conduct original research and publicly defend a dissertation.
• Depending on your career goals and academic interests, your academic adviser and graduate committee will help you develop a focused plan of study for the Ph.D. in civil engineering degree.

Professional licensing

Completion of the program will count towards eligibility for the Professional Engineer's License (PE) to practice Engineering, which requires a four-year degree from an ABET-accredited school, four years of experience under a PE, and passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and Principles of Practice in Engineering (PE) Exams.

Clubs

Our college offers 20+ clubs and organizations tied to international and national engineering organizations, including national competition teams.

Learn about clubs related to your major:

• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• Graduate & Professional Student Association (GPSA)
• Humanitarian Engineering Corps (HEC)
• Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE)