Civil and Systems Engineering, PhD

• 8 Courses at the 600- or 700-level, completed with a grade of B or better
• Two years/four semesters of graduate seminar courses (Fall semester – EN.560.691 CaSE Graduate Seminar, Spring semester – EN.560.692 Civil Engineering and Systems Engineering Graduate Seminar)
• Department Qualifying Examination (DQE)
• AS.360.625 Responsible Conduct of Research short course
• EN.500.603 Graduate Academic Ethics short course
• Final Ph.D. Thesis Defense and Graduate Board Oral Examination (GBO)

There are a number of Whiting School of Engineering policies related to Ph.D. students.

Typical Timeline for Ph.D. Students

First Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer Term	Credits
Selection of first semester courses (typically 3 or 4) with Director of Graduate Studies or research advisor	9-12	Second semester coursework and research	20	Research	9
AS.360.625	0.5	Department Qualifying Exam (DQE) (completed in May or June)
EN.500.603	0
First semester coursework and research	11-8
Annual Review completed by January 31
	20.5		20		9
Second Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer Term	Credits
Research	17	Research	20	Research	9
Coursework (typically finishing up this semester)	3	Coursework (if necessary)
Annual Review completed by January 31
	20		20		9
Third Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer Term	Credits
Research (Year-round)	20	Research (Year-round)	20	Research	9
Ph.D. Thesis Committee Formation		Research
Annual Review completed by January 31
	20		20		9
Fourth Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer Term	Credits
Year 4 and Beyond:		Final semester:		Research	9
Research (Year-round)	20	Thesis Defense and Graduate Board Oral Examination (GBO)
Ph.D. Thesis Committee Meeting		Research	20
Annual review completed by January 31
	20		20		9
Total Credits 196.5

Note: Teaching experience is regarded as an important part of the graduate educational program, and graduate students may be required to teach during their program.

Determination of Permanent Advisor

Students are admitted to work with a specific advisor, the faculty member, listed in the offer letter. If several faculty in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering expressed a strong desire to work with the student, a nominal advisor will be assigned before the first semester to aid in course selection and provide general advice on Ph.D. degree requirements. In this case, a permanent research advisor, from the faculty who expressed interest, will be selected by the end of the first semester.

A Ph.D. student conducting research and/or in the writing phase of their degree program will not be able to remain in good standing with their academic and research progress if they do not have a research/dissertation advisor and may be placed on probation or terminated from the Ph.D. program due to a lack of faculty-advised progress (please refer to the Ph.D. Advisor/Good Standing Policy).

Intersession and Summers

Intersession (the period between Fall and Spring terms) and Summer term are an important time for research. Intersession and Summer terms are not a vacation period. Ph.D. students must request time off in writing/email to their direct supervisor(s) and receive written approval (please refer to Requesting Time Off in the FAQs).

Department Qualifying Examination (DQE)

The DQE is a comprehensive oral exam to determine whether or not the student is properly prepared to continue in the Ph.D. program. All first-year students studying for a Ph.D. take the DQE towards the end of their second semester, typically in May of the first year. This exam evaluates whether the student is prepared to continue in their Ph.D. studies based on their research progress to date and plans for future research, as well as grasp of underlying mathematics and engineering concepts.

Possible outcomes of the exam are Pass, Retake, or Fail. Only an outcome of Pass is considered passing the exam. If the outcome of the exam is Fail, the student is dismissed from the Ph.D. program. The student may pursue, with approval from the chair, a Master’s degree. Financial support for a student beyond a failed DQE is not typical. If the student receives a Retake, they are provided a single retake of the exam, typically in the Fall of the second year. Possible outcomes of this exam retake are Pass or Fail.

Annual Reviews

Reviews of all Ph.D. students in the department must be performed annually prior to January 31 (consistent with the WSE policy found in the Graduate Student Academic Review Policy. The review process follows the format given in Annual Review Form. The completed form must be submitted to the Academic Program Administrator via OneDrive (individual folder shared with you) by January 31.

Ph.D. Thesis Committee

Every Ph.D. student must form a Thesis Committee by their third-year annual review. The Advisor, in consultation with the student, selects the committee members, and this information is recorded in the student’s file. The committee must include at least three faculty members, with a minimum of two full-time faculty from the department. Students are expected to meet with their committee at least one year before the student’s planned thesis defense, and no later than the end of the 4th year.

Students are also expected to meet with faculty beyond the advisor, either within or outside the institution, at least once per year and record these meetings on the annual review form.

Thesis Committee Formation

Timing

• The thesis committee must be formed before the student’s third annual review (January of the third year in the program).
• Confirmation of the committee’s formation, with names of members, will be recorded on the annual review form beginning with the student’s third-year review.

Composition

• Minimum of three members:
  • The student’s advisor (chair).
  • At least one additional faculty member from the department.
  • One additional member who may be from the department or external. External members must hold a Ph.D. and be approved by the DGS.

Process

• The student and advisor jointly propose committee members and submit names to the Academic Program Administrator through this Thesis Committee form in the Fall semester of their 3rd year.
• The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) validates the committee.
• Faculty retain discretion to decline invitations but are expected to serve regularly on thesis committees and participate equitably across the program.

Thesis Committee Meeting

Timing

• At least one meeting with the thesis committee is required before graduation.
• This meeting must occur at least one year before the student’s planned thesis defense, and no later than the end of the 4th year.
• Prior to the meeting, the student must submit a brief written report to the committee outlining the research objectives, methods, and anticipated contributions of the thesis, as well as the plan for the remaining research with specific goals and timeline.

Format

• Student presentation: 30 minutes.
• Committee Q&A and discussion: 30 minutes.
• Presentation should be technical and targeted to the committee.
• Other students are encouraged to attend.

Documentation

The committee provides written feedback in a one-page document following the meeting. The meeting does not carry any pass/fail outcome (it is not an exam).

Annual Meeting with Faculty Other than Advisor

Purpose

• To encourage broader academic engagement and feedback beyond the primary advisor.

Requirement

• Students are expected to meet at least once per year with faculty other than their advisor.
• Meetings may occur in various formats (e.g., research group discussions, project collaborations, or individual meetings) and may include thesis committee members or other faculty (including from other institutions).

Documentation

• Students must record these meetings on the annual review form, summarizing the faculty involved and the nature of the interaction.

Responsible Conduct of Research

Every Ph.D. student of the Whiting School of Engineering is required to take the Responsible Conduct of Research course (details on the requirement can be found on the WSE Policy on Responsible Conduct of Research Training webpage. For CaSE students, this should be completed in Fall, Spring or Summer of the first year of studies. Students who do not complete this requirement prior to Fall of their third year of studies may be put on probation.

Masters Degrees for Ph.D. Students

Ph.D. students may petition for a non-terminal (sometimes referred to as 'non-final') M.S.E./M.S. degree following a passed DQE.  If a student fails the DQE, they may petition for a terminal M.S.E./M.S. degree. In all instances, the student must have satisfied the M.S.E./M.S. degree course requirements.

In instances where the research is highly interdepartmental, the student, with permission of the advisor, may request that the Master's degree be awarded by another department in the Whiting School of Engineering. In such cases, the student must have applied to and been accepted in the master's degree program in the other department and satisfied the degree requirements and receive approval from the degree-awarding department. If the student wishes the M.S.E./M.S. from the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering as well, they need to separately satisfy those M.S.E./M.S. degree requirements of the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering and receive approval from our Department Head. All double-counting and transfer rules in the WSE will apply.  In all cases, the awarding of any JHU Master's degree to a civil and systems engineering Ph.D. student may only occur after the student has completed the DQE.

GBO Examination

The University maintains complete guidelines for the Graduate Board Orals here. The GBO committee consists of 5 members, (3 in department, 2 outside) with 2 alternates (1 in department, 1 outside) and is selected by the Department Head and the Director of Graduate Studies, who will consult with the student’s advisor. The GBO in the Civil and Systems Engineering Department is a Final Exam and therefore held simultaneously with the student’s thesis defense. Both students and advisors should be aware that 4-8 weeks advance notice is needed in order to allow for scheduling the exam with the faculty and with the Graduate Board.

The student should provide a copy of the dissertation to the GBO committee at least 2 weeks prior to the exam. The exact format of each GBO examination is specified by the individual Chair of the GBO committee. The public thesis defense is conducted (see below) followed by a private examination conducted by the GBO committee. The examination questions may be on any topic of the committee members’ choosing, but many of the questions relate to the student’s research. At the conclusion of the examination, the GBO committee will recommend one of the following outcomes: pass, conditional pass, fail with re-examination, fail (final).

Thesis Defense

The Thesis Defense, together with the GBO, is the final examination before the conferral of the Ph.D. degree. The student defends their thesis in a seminar setting that is open to the public. The seminar is followed by a comprehensive examination of the student by the GBO committee.

Ethics: The Department of Civil and Systems Engineering is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of academic and research integrity. Plagiarism, and other forms of unethical conduct, are not tolerated. Students are referred to the JHU Graduate Board Policy webpage and the Whiting School of Engineering's Responsible Conduct of Research Policy for a discussion of ethics and university policies. In addition, all CaSE graduate students are required to complete the EN.500.603 Graduate Academic Ethics, and AS.360.625 Responsible Conduct of Research. Students are encouraged to contact their academic staff in their department for more information on these expectations and requirements.

Thesis Readers: A committee of at least 3 members (from the GBO committee) is required to read the candidate’s dissertation and sign the Readers' Letter confirming that the dissertation meets the standards of a Ph.D. thesis. The letter may be signed at the time of the defense if the thesis is found satisfactory or may be signed at a later time if corrections are required. The Advisor in consultation with the department selects the committee members, at least 2 of whom must be full-time faculty of our department. The 3 readers are also expected to serve on the GBO committee.  Selection of the readers should be done at the beginning of the semester in which the student plans to graduate. 

Scheduling and Pre-Defense: The Defense should be scheduled, at least 6 weeks in advance through the department’s Academic Program Administrator. There are the following items to be sent in 6 weeks notice:

• Proposed committee
• Proposed week of the exam

There are the following items to be sent in 2 weeks notice:

• Title and abstract
• Photo for the announcement

A complete written dissertation should be given to the GBO committee at least 14 days in advance of the exam. Failure to meet this 2-week deadline will result in rescheduling the Ph.D. defense and GBO exam. A thesis abstract suitable for advertising the defense should be delivered to the Academic Program Administrator at least 14 days in advance. The date and place of the Defense, along with the thesis abstract, will be circulated by the department at least 5 days prior to the exam.

Post-Defense: University requirements for the thesis can be obtained from the Graduate Board website. Dissertation must be submitted to both the ETD (Library) and the department. The deadline date for filing is set by the Graduate Board Office. This date also applies to filing with the Whiting School Graduate Committee and with the department. A receipt of ETD approval email must be sent to the Academic Program Administrator. Students must include the title of their dissertation/essay/project typed in the body of the email in title case format with correct spelling and punctuation — Please do not use all upper case or all lower case letters.*

All data and source codes related to the thesis should be properly archived according to requirements set forth by the Advisor. Any changes or additions specifically requested by the reviewers before or during the defense seminar should be incorporated into the thesis in consultation with the Advisor. A final copy of the thesis must then be made available to the reviewers for inspection no less than 48 hours before the deadline date for filing set by the Graduate Board.

Additional Information: It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of requirements and deadlines. It is suggested that this information be obtained before the start of the semester of intended graduation. All students should plan the timing of the final defense accordingly (making sure to account for the 4-8 week period following the defense) to satisfy any deadlines related to upcoming graduation.