Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering

Summary

The PhD is a globally recognised postgraduate research degree and the highest level of degree you can achieve. PhD students are critical, curious, creative thinkers who undertake original research over at least 3 years.

This course is also offered at overseas locations.

Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering is about the creation, improvement and protection of the environments we live in.

Subject overview

Civil Engineering teaches you about the effective planning, design and construction of the built environment. This includes the working and living spaces people depend on, as well as critical infrastructure such as motorways, bridges, and water supply networks. The many and varied elective courses available within Civil Engineering encourage you to find a path that resonates with your own interests, giving you opportunities to see how you can shape the world that we live in.

This specialisation gives you the chance to see how you can shape the world we live in. In topics with an environmental focus, you will learn how to design, develop and evaluate structures, equipment and systems to provide practical solutions to problems caused by increasing consumption and waste.

Some of the topics you can study in Civil Engineering include:

• Structural Engineering
• Transportation Engineering
• Water Engineering
• Construction Management
• Geotechnical Engineering

Programme structure

The University of Auckland PhD is a three-to-four year full-time advanced research degree.

On possible to the PhD programme, you will be enrolled provisionally. By the end of your first year, you must meet a number of goals to be confirmed into the PhD programme, including developing a full thesis proposal. After confirmation, you will continue to work on your research before submitting your thesis for examination after three years and within four years of your start date. The examination process includes an oral exam.

As part of your PhD study, you can take part in our doctoral skills programme, designed to help you achieve success in your research and develop skills for your future. We have a dedicated postgraduate careers advisor, and our library service includes specialist subject librarians to help you in your research. The central School of Graduate Studies provides dedicated support and advice for the doctoral community.

We welcome research proposals in topics relating to our key areas, including:

• Earthquake engineering, which covers broad research areas such as from seismic assessments, materials, community resilience, and more
• Geotechnical engineering, including soil behaviour modelling, structural foundation systems, dynamic properties of soils, and liquefaction
• Resilience, with a variety of broad topics ranging from building and transportation infrastructure, to organisational management and communities, and disaster reduction
• Structural engineering, on areas such as the development of materials and innovative new solutions
• Transportation, including traffic operations, road safety and skid resistance, network modelling and public transport, and Electric Vehicles
• Water and environmental engineering, focusing on areas such as hydraulic engineering, flow structures, sustainability, waste management, resource recovery, and more