PhD in Civil Engineering Lakehead University - Thunder Bay Campus, Canada

The PhD in Civil Engineering program is designed for highly qualified personnel interested in a rewarding career in fundamental or applied research. The Doctor of Philosophy program involves advanced courses and an intensive research program culminating in a thesis. The development of applied research skills will also prepare PhD graduates for a career either in or outside of academia in new and traditional fields of Civil Engineering including but not limited to structural, fire safety, geotechnical, water resources, construction, environmental and transportation engineering.

The PhD program in Civil Engineering is designed to train independent researchers. Our students are called upon to perform highly specialized and original research that makes a distinct contribution of knowledge to one of the major focus areas of our program: Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Construction Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Rock Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, and Transportation Engineering.

Under the direct supervision of one of our faculty members, our PhD candidates learn to review the state of current technical knowledge in an engineering research area, to identify strengths and weaknesses in this research and to devise a new research initiative to contribute to the area. Students must carry out this research project with objectivity and care, and they are expected to document and publish their results in internationally recognized journals and conferences.

The program consists of 8 full Course Equivalents (FCE) over four years (full-time): 1.5 FCE elective courses, 1 FCE Comprehensive Examination, 0.5 FCE PhD Seminar, and 5 FCE PhD dissertation. Students can follow a full-time or flexible full-time model. Upon successful completion of this program, graduates will be able to: 

• Conduct independent research and show competence within specific area(s) of Civil Engineering through the formulation and execution of engineering research plan(s) using advanced mathematical, scientific, and engineering concepts.
• Design and execute experiments and/or analytical/numerical analyses, depending on the nature and scope of the research.
• Develop novel solutions and demonstrate originality in the solution to Civil Engineering problems.
• Analyze complex issues based on established principles and techniques within the discipline of Civil Engineering.