The Department offers doctoral programs in all the major areas listed as core specializations under the Master of Science degree: environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, structures, transportation, and construction management.

To gain admission to the Ph.D. program in civil engineering, students should have a Bachelor of Science (or Bachelor of Engineering) degree from an ABET accredited institution (or from a comparable foreign institution) with an overall GPA of 3.3 or greater. Students who do not satisfy these minimum requirements must earn a Master of Science (or Master of Engineering) in civil or environmental engineering, or in a closely related field, with a GPA in graduate courses no less that 3.5 (or equivalent). Only regular admission may be granted to the Ph.D. program. After completing a B.S. degree, if a student in the Ph.D. program fails to meet all subsequent requirements thereof, they may elect to transfer appropriate credits towards the M.S. Civil Engineering (MSCIV) or M.S. Environmental and Sustainability Engineering (MSESE) degree program.

Candidates for the doctoral degree must complete ninety credits beyond the baccalaureate, including thirty credits of dissertation direction, and sixty credits of course work and directed study. The thirty credit dissertation registration requirement is fulfilled by registering for the courses CE 9991, CE 9992, CE 9993, and CE 9994 (Doctoral Dissertation Research and Direction I, II, III, and IV, respectively), in consecutive academic year semesters. All doctoral students are required to submit a Plan of Work indicating their course work (with major/minor designation), and developed in consultation with an advisor. Additionally, students should consult the Graduate School's regulations governing doctoral study.