PhD Program
Earn Your Doctorate from a Globally-Ranked Program
Earning a PhD takes courage. There will be obstacles, uncertainty and ambiguity. But it’s the vision of a better world that sustains you, drives you. That’s what drives us, too.
Comprehensive Mentorship & Support
Mentoring begins, really, before Day One. We invite competitive applicants to meet our faculty and see their labs before a formal offer is made.
A discussion begins about your aspirations and interests. We begin the process of matching you with research advisors. This emphasis on strong mentorship improves the student experience and keeps the average time to Ph.D. at 4.5 to 5 years.
You have more than an advisor—you benefit from a team of expert collaborators, all working with you toward your goals. Your team will include your research advisor, a departmental advisor, the director of graduate studies, a five-member dissertation committee and the department chair.
Additional High-Value Resources
- Conference and travel support
- Grant-supported traineeship programs
- Graduate certificate programs
- PhD Plus, Duke’s own professional development program
- Representation in SAGE, our graduate student association
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- 30 course credits (15 credits from core courses as required by the CEE
Graduate Study Track and 15 course credits related to the student’s area of research) - Participation in the department’s Graduate Colloquium and Seminar Series
- Preliminary Exam during Year 2
- Research Proposal Defense Exam in Year 3-4
- Complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training
- Complete two semesters of Teaching Assistantship experience
- Complete and defend doctoral dissertation
- 30 course credits (15 credits from core courses as required by the CEE
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Milestone Year of Study Preliminary Exam Years 2–3 Fourth-Year Progress Report Meeting Year 4 Thesis Defense Years 5-6 -
PhD coursework is guided by the CEE Study Tracks mapped to our signature research enterprises:
- Theoretical, Computational, & Applied Mechanics, advancing mathematics and computing for applications in geomechanics, materials, hydrology, and fluid dynamics
- Environmental Health Engineering, motivated by needs to protect human health through monitoring, predicting and managing our natural resources and the built environment
- Systems, Risk & Decision, deepening fundamental engineering expertise required for risk assessment, hazard mitigation, and the design of resilient systems
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In addition to the course credits described above, each graduate student is encouraged to participate in the departmental Graduate Colloquium and Seminar Series CEE701 (Fall) and CEE702 (Spring). This series involves weekly lecture seminars by distinguished researchers and professionals visiting from other institutions.
Workshops focused on helping PhD students prepare for CEE milestone exams are also part of the colloquium.
All graduate students are strongly encouraged to attend as many Graduate Colloquium seminars as possible. The seminars are opportunities to learn about innovations in topic areas within and complementary to the CEE discipline and to be exposed to diverse modes of effective technical communication.
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The purpose of the Preliminary Exam is to determine if the student is ready to advance to candidacy for the PhD degree. As part of the exam, students are evaluated for: 1) Strong knowledge proficiency in fundamentals within the student’s domain of study; 2) Demonstrated research skills, specifically in developing relevant research questions and a hypothesis-driven research approach informed by scientific background and context; and 3) Effective communication of these skills and proficiencies to an audience with expertise within and complementary to the student’s major area of study.
The preliminary exam comprises two components:
- A five-page research proposal written by the student on a topic of their choice
- An oral defense of the research proposal to the student’s Preliminary Exam Committee
The oral exam should be held after the student completes course requirements for their CEE study track and before the end of the student’s second academic spring term.
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The Research Proposal Defense (RPD) exam is the opportunity for the student to propose their dissertation research to their doctoral committee and to demonstrate that they are well positioned to complete their research. The exam comprises two components:
- A written proposal for the student’s doctoral research, to include a description of the research objectives, relevant background and rationale, technical approach, expected outcomes, milestones, and timeline.
- An oral defense of the research proposal to the student’s dissertation committee
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All PhD students complete two semesters of Teaching Assistantship (TA) prior to graduation. The Pratt School of Engineering provides training before the start of the first TA experience.
PhD students are expected to complete the TA experiences during Years 2-4 in their graduate studies. TA assignments are based on academic background and interests of the prospective TA and availability within CEE department courses.
Teaching Assistantship experiences typically involve 10 hours per week , and may include organizing and leading discussion sections, grading homework and quizzes, assisting in the development of course materials and supervising laboratory sessions.
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The final examination is administered by the same dissertation committee as the Research Proposal Defense Exam.
Students should follow guidelines established by the Duke Graduate School for important dates and deadlines for each semester, the format of the dissertation document, declaration of intention to graduate, and completion deadlines for the dissertation before the defense exam.
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Students entering the PhD program with a Master of Science (MS) degree in CEE or relevant field and granted by another institution can transfer up to 12 relevant course credits earned towards this MS degree. Approval is required from the student’s Preliminary Exam Committee and the Director of Graduate Studies.
PhD Contacts
