Civil Engineering (Ph.D.)
Ph.D. Civil Engineering
Program Overview
The Ph.D. in civil engineering prioritizes leadership, innovation, communication, and entrepreneurship in infrastructure. Environmental & water resources engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural & materials engineering, and transportation engineering are four sibling concentrations in the civil engineering doctoral program. The exclusive Ph.D. program aims to equip students with the skills necessary to thrive in diverse career landscapes. Notably, it will be the inaugural program in Texas to integrate the practical application of civil engineering principles with entrepreneurial acumen and expertise in technology-enhanced infrastructure (TEI). This forward-thinking initiative underscores the pressing need for infrastructure innovation and advances the university's commitment to fostering cutting-edge research and development in the field.
Course Work
The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 54 semester credit hours (SCH) for students entering with the qualifications of a master’s degree in civil engineering or a related area. An additional 24 credit hours of master’s level courses are required for students entering with the qualifications of a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a related area. In addition to the 15 credit hours of required and prescribed elective courses, a student should take 15 credit hours of general elective courses. The culminating research activity is a dissertation of 24 credit hours. Students admitted with a bachelor's degree must take 54 credit hours of the above 7000-level courses plus 24 credit hours of 5000-level courses.
| DEGREE | CONCENTRATION | COURSE WORK | DISSERTATION | TOTAL HOURS | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DEGREE Ph.D. | CONCENTRATION Environmental & Water Resources Engineering | COURSE WORK 30 hours | DISSERTATION 24 hours | TOTAL HOURS 54 hours | Location San Marcos |
DEGREE Ph.D. | CONCENTRATION Geotechnical Engineering | COURSE WORK 30 hours | DISSERTATION 24 hours | TOTAL HOURS 54 hours | Location San Marcos |
DEGREE Ph.D. | CONCENTRATION Structural & Materials Engineering | COURSE WORK 30 hours | DISSERTATION 24 hours | TOTAL HOURS 54 hours | Location San Marcos |
DEGREE Ph.D. | CONCENTRATION Transportation Engineering | COURSE WORK 30 hours | DISSERTATION 24 hours | TOTAL HOURS 54 hours | Location San Marcos |
DEGREE Ph.D. | CONCENTRATION Environmental & Water Resources Engineering (for applicants with a bachelor's degree only) | COURSE WORK 54 hours | DISSERTATION 24 hours | TOTAL HOURS 78 hours | Location San Marcos |
DEGREE Ph.D. | CONCENTRATION Geotechnical Engineering (for applicants with a bachelor's degree only) | COURSE WORK 54 hours | DISSERTATION 24 hours | TOTAL HOURS 78 hours | Location San Marcos |
DEGREE Ph.D. | CONCENTRATION Structural & Materials Engineering (for applicants with a bachelor's degree only) | COURSE WORK 54 hours | DISSERTATION 24 hours | TOTAL HOURS 78 hours | Location San Marcos |
DEGREE Ph.D. | CONCENTRATION Transportation Engineering (for applicants with a bachelor's degree only) | COURSE WORK 54 hours | DISSERTATION 24 hours | TOTAL HOURS 78 hours | Location San Marcos |
Program Details
The Ph.D. program aims to foster the development of independent intellectual leaders by offering rigorous coursework and novel research opportunities in civil engineering and technology-enhanced infrastructure abilities. The program will train and cultivate interests and skills in adopting and applying innovative technologies for civil engineering problems while retaining the main functions of a traditional civil engineering program in that it tackles the same set of civil engineering problems as other peer programs. In addition, the doctoral program emphasizes promoting students’ applied skills, research capabilities, commercialization initiatives, and communication and leadership skills.
Program Mission
The Ph.D. in civil engineering program prioritizes research, innovation, leadership, teamwork, communication, commercialization, and entrepreneurship in technology-enhanced infrastructure (TEI). The educational objectives of this program are designed to equip program graduates with:
- applied technical knowledge in corresponding areas of civil engineering
- skills for conducting cutting-edge research in TEI that advances the state-of-the-art in civil engineering
- leadership, innovation, communication, and entrepreneurial skills that prepare students to take on challenges in multi-disciplinary and diverse teams of academic and industrial organizations
Career Options
Although students will be competitive for academic and research positions with the rigorous and intensive training in research and coursework preparation from the Ph.D. program, emphases on leadership, innovation, communication, and entrepreneurship in infrastructure will also prepare students for taking leadership roles in start-ups, established industries, governments, and other non-academic sectors.
Program Faculty
The civil engineering faculty research areas include:
- AI and machine learning
- hydrology and remote sensing
- infrastructure durability
- multifunctional materials and structures
- nature-inspired civil engineering
- sustainable and high-performance materials
- transportation geotechnics
- transportation safety and operations, and asset management
- water and waste-water treatment
The members of the civil engineering faculty notably publish in top civil and environmental engineering journals.
Contact us for general questions about your application, funding opportunities, and more. If you have specific questions after reviewing the program details, contact the program's graduate advisor.
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Application Deadlines
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For Entry Prior to Summer 2026
DEADLINES U.S. CITIZEN INTERNATIONAL Fall - Priority January 15 January 15 Fall - Standard June 15 June 1 Spring - Priority August 1 August 1 Spring - Standard October 15 October 1 -
Effective for Summer 2026 Entry and Beyond
DEADLINES U.S. CITIZEN INTERNATIONAL Fall - Priority February 1 February 1 Fall - Standard August 1 June 1 Spring - Priority September 1 September 1 Spring - Standard November 1 October 1
For important information regarding deadlines and decision timelines, review the Application Policy Information page.
Admission Requirements
The items required for admission consideration are listed below. Additional information for applicants with international credentials can be found on our international webpages.
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Application
- completed online application
Review important information about the online application.
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Application Fee
- $55 nonrefundable application fee, OR
- $90 nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials
Review important information about application fees.
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Transcripts & GPA
Applicants with a bachelor's and a master's degree:
- Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university. (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)
- Master's degree in Civil Engineering, or a closely related discipline from a regionally accredited university. (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a U.S. Master’s degree. Master’s degrees following a three-year Bachelor’s degrees may not be equivalent; please contact Graduate Admissions if you are unsure.)
- A copy of an official transcript from each institution where course credit was granted.
- A competitive GPA in all completed graduate course work.
Applicants with a bachelor's degree only:
- Baccalaureate degree in Civil Engineering, or a closely related discipline from a regionally accredited university. (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.) The applicant will be required to complete an additional 24 semester credit hours of master’s level courses when admitted.
- A copy of an official transcript from each institution where course credit was granted.
- A competitive GPA in all completed graduate course work.
Review important information about transcripts. Official transcripts, sent directly from your institution, will be required if admission is granted.
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Test Scores
GRE
- the applicant must have an official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test result report submitted to The Graduate College
- the preferred score is 146 or higher for verbal and 160 or higher for quantitative
Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores
Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our exempt countries list.
- official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall
- official PTE scores required with a 52 overall
- official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and minimum individual module scores of 6.0
- official Duolingo scores required with a 110 overall
- official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall
This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.
Review important information about official test scores. - the applicant must have an official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test result report submitted to The Graduate College
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Documents & Other Requirements
- resume/CV outlining education, work experience, scholarships/grants, publications/presentations, other accomplishments
- statement of purpose outlining the applicant’s personal history and goals that are relevant obtaining this doctoral degree, explaining why the applicant wants to purse this degree at TXST
- three letters of recommendation evaluating applicant’s skill and potential in this degree program, preferably from academic sources
- top-ranked applicants who meet the minimum preferred credentials will be interviewed by the Ph.D. program director and other committee members via online tools such as Zooms or MS Teams
Review important information about documents.