PhD Civil Engineering Syllabus and Subjects

Lisha Gupta

Updated on - Jan 4, 2023

The PhD Civil Engineering syllabus can differ for the students based on the specialization that the students decide to pursue. PhD Civil Engineering subjects are spread across six to twelve semesters and are designed to provide students with a deeper context of the course and specialization they choose to proceed with.

Semester Wise PhD Civil Engineering Syllabus

The PhD Civil Engineering subjects cover various concepts to provide holistic knowledge to students. With every specialization, the subjects in PhD Civil Engineering courses differ, as the primary focus topics change. The PhD Civil Engineering 1st year syllabus primarily focuses on the foundational subjects.

Due to this reason, the PhD Civil Engineering first-year syllabus doesn’t change all that much. PhD Civil Engineering introduces students to all the vital information they need. Listed below are the syllabi of PhD Civil Engineering according to the semester which is core subjects and therefore, tend to be the same across the board.

PhD Civil Engineering First Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of PhD Civil Engineering subjects in the first year:

PhD Civil Engineering Second Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of PhD Civil Engineering subjects in the second year:

PhD Civil Engineering Third Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of PhD Civil Engineering subjects in the second year:

PhD Civil Engineering Subjects

PhD Civil Engineering topics are dependent on the specialization that the aspirants decide to pursue. PhD Civil Engineering subjects are decided based on the core topics in Business Analytics, as well as the topics in the specialization. 

The PhD Civil Engineering curriculum is divided into core and elective subjects. The elective subjects are optional subjects that give course flexibility.

PhD Civil Engineering Core Subjects

The core PhD Civil Engineering subjects list contains essential subjects that all PhD Civil Engineering students study irrespective of their specialization, which is as follows:

• Geodetic GPS surveys
• Satellite data processing and application
• Laser scanning technology
• Laser scanning applications
• GIS applications
• Foundation Engineering
• Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering
• Ground Improvement Techniques
• Other Geotechnical Research Areas
• Climate Change
• Surface Water
• Ground Water
• Experimental Hydraulics and Sediment Transport
• Construction Management
• Infrastructure Assets
• Maintenance of Infrastructure Assets
• Planning and Creation of Infrastructure Assets
• Concrete Engineering
• Computational Mechanics and Structural Analysis
• Earthquake Engineering
• Seismic Analysis and Design
• Risk & Reliability
• Concrete and cement-based materials
• Structure Materials
• Design and Experiment
• Sensing and Monitoring
• Traffic Engineering
• Transport Demand Analysis
• Traffic Safety
• Highway Financing and Policy Analysis
• Pavement Engineering

PhD Civil Engineering Elective Subjects

Below is the list of core subjects that a student should choose from when entering the 3rd semester of PhD Civil Engineering.

• Town and Country Planning
• Advanced Geoinformatics
• Computer-Aided Design Methods
• Civil Engineering Applications of Remote sensing and GIS

PhD Civil Engineering Course Structure

This postgraduate course is similar to many other PhD courses, as the duration, methodology of teaching, etc. are mostly the same. However, the PhD Civil Engineering course is slightly different from many of them. Below are the points that will clarify PhD Civil Engineering course structure for an aspiring candidate:

• PhD Civil Engineering is a 3-6 year doctorate course 
• It is segregated into 6 to 12 semesters
• It consists of internships, assignments and reports as part of the curriculum.
• Additionally, there are core subjects as well as elective subjects which are to be chosen by candidates' preference.
• In order to complete the PhD Civil Engineering course, research project submission is mandatory.

PhD Civil Engineering Teaching Methodology and Techniques

PhD Civil Engineering teaching methodology and techniques include traditional lecture-based training. The traditional classroom teaching methods provide the students with the opportunity to ask queries and get answers to them. 

The course has teaching methods and strategies designed to ensure that the students pursuing PhD Civil Engineering courses have access to all the infrastructure and facilities. Listed below are the teaching methodology and strategies in general:

• Lectures
• Research Papers
• Practical Sessions
• Group Discussions
• Seminars
• Traditional Classroom-Based Teaching

PhD Civil Engineering Course Projects

When pursuing a PhD Civil Engineering course, research projects are an integral part of the studies. The PhD projects in Civil Engineering are judged by the professors to evaluate the student's understanding of taught subjects. Students can choose their project report topics based on the specialization they choose. Some of the popular research projects are listed below:

• Tall Building Design
• Geography Information System
• Structural and Foundational Analysis
• Constructional Projects Management
• Building Information and Design Modeling

PhD Civil Engineering Course Books

When pursuing a PhD in Civil Engineering, books can be a great investment for the students as they can really help them learn about their specialization in great detail. Books can be a great source of information for the students where they can learn about concepts of their interest. 

Students can rent the course books from libraries, download them through websites or purchase them. Listed below are some of the popular PhD Civil Engineering course books that the students can invest in: