Steps to obtain the Ph.D. Degree:
1 Ph.D. Qualifying Examination 2 Ph.D. Candidacy 3 Reading Committee 4 Coursework 5 Dissertation Proposal Presentation 6 University Oral Examination 7 Dissertation Preparation and Sumbission« Back to Ph.D. Degree Progress Overview
The University Oral Exam
Passing a University Oral Examination is a requirement of a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering. It will be a dissertation defense, presented either upon completion of a substantial portion of the dissertation work or upon completion of a pre-final draft of all dissertation work. The candidate and the advisor prepare for the examination by identifying a committee chairman (faculty from another department) and four examiners. In most instances, all five members are on the Academic Council (at minimum four of five). The participation of a single non-academic council member as an examiner may be approved by the department chairman (Petition for Doctoral Committee Member) if that person contributes an important area of expertise not readily available from the department faculty.
Minimum CEE Faculty Participation
If the primary advisor is a CEE faculty member, then only two of the four examiners must be CEE faculty members. If the primary advisor is outside the CEE department or not regular faculty, then three of the four examiners on the committee are required to be from the CEE faculty. Including more than a total of 4 examiners will require proportional representation of the CEE faculty.
Other Conditions
Candidacy must be valid and the student must be registered in the quarter in which the University Oral Examination is taken. At least two weeks prior to the exam date the candidate should submit a University Oral Examination Schedule to the department office, Yang &Yamazaki Environment & Energy Bldg. Room 316. The department will provide the exam chairman with a folder which includes the exam schedule, ballots, and department and university guidelines for the exam. The student must provide draft copies of the dissertation to members of the examination committee at least one week before the exam.
NOTE: Students must be registered during the quarter in which the oral exam is taken.