Specialization Program Requirements

Students are strongly advised to enroll in EOC 6934 CESD Seminars and Professional Development in their first Fall semester on campus and to enroll in EOC 6939 Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics Seminars for all semesters thereafter as these courses are essential for gaining disciplinary breadth and exposure to CESD faculty and students. In addition, students are advised to take courses that are both within and outside of their disciplinary degree program (e.g. Civil and Coastal Engineering students should take 1 or more courses focused on ecological systems or environmental engineering, and EES student should take at least 1 course in Coastal Engineering, Oceanography, Physical Processes and/or Geosystems Engineering to support their development in multi-disciplinary science and engineering.

Students must complete a minimum of 30 total semester hours. Of these 30 total semester hours, a minimum of 15 hours must be in departmental courses (Group A, see below)

Elective Notes

• Other classes in Civil, Coastal, Environmental engineering or courses with an EGN prefix taught by the College of Engineering may be taken upon approval of advisor
• Other courses may be taken as electives, including a maximum of 6 credits of 3000-4000 level courses outside the School (ESSIE), subject to the approval of the student’s advisor

Group A: ESSIE Core Courses (15 credits required):

• CEG 5205C InSitu Measurement of Soil Properties
• CEG 6015 Advanced Soil Mechanics
• CEG 6405 Seepage in Soils
• CWR 6240 Mixing and Transport in Turbulent Flow
• EGM 5816 Intermediate Fluid Dynamics
• EES 6307 Advanced Ecological Engineering
• EES 6309 Wetland Restoration and Design
• EES 6932 Ecosystem Engineers
• ENV 5518 Field Methods in Environmental Hydrology
• ENV 6508 Wetland Hydrology
• ENV 6932 Advanced Engineering Hydrology I
• ENV 6932 Ecosystems Engineers
• ENV 6932 Environmental Systems Dynamics
• ENV 6932 Coastal Systems
• ENV 6935 Wetland Seminar
• EOC 6934 Mathematical models for riverine, estuarine and coastal geomorphology
• EOC 6934 Hydrodynamic models for estuarine and coastal waters
• EOC 6934 CESD Seminars and professional development
• OCP 6298 Coastal Sediment Transport Processes
• OCP 6165 Ocean Waves I
• EOC 6934 Nearshore Circulation

Group B: ESSIE Elective Courses:

• CEG 5115 Foundation Design
• CGN 6905 Computational Poromechanics
• CGN 6905 Urban Stormwater Systems Design
• CGN 6905 Water Resources Engineering
• CWR 5125 Groundwater Flow I
• CWR 5127 Evaluation of Groundwater Quality
• CWR 5235 Open Channel Hydraulics
• CWR 6116 Advanced Surface Hydrology
• CWR 6537 Contaminant Subsurface Hydrology
• ENV 5565 Hydraulic Systems Design
• ENV 5518 Field Methods in Environmental Hydrology
• ENV 6050 Advanced Pollutant Transport
• ENV 6441 Water Resources Planning and Management
• ENV 6050 Advanced Pollutant Transport
• ENV 6052 Immiscible Fluids
• ENV 6416 Advanced Stormwater Control Systems
• ENV 6435 Advanced Water Treatment Process Design
• ENV 6437 Advanced Wastewater System Design
• ENV 6438 Advanced Potable Water Systems Design
• ENV 6511 Biological Wastewater Treatment
• ENV 6617 Principles of Green Engineering Design and Sustainability
• ENV 6932 Global Environmental Policies and Institutions
• ENV 6932 Absorption Phenomenon
• ENV 6932 Stormwater Systems
• ENV 6935 System Ecology Seminar
• ENV 6439 Activated Carbon: Environmental Design and Application
• EOC 6939 Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics Seminars

Group C: Non ESSIE Elective Courses:

• ABE 6252 Advanced Soil and Water Management
• ABE 6265 Vadose Zone Water and Solute Transport Modeling
• GLY 5827 Ground Water Geology
• GLY 5245 Hydrogeochemistry
• GLY 5247 Surface and Ground Water Interaction
• GLY 6075 Global Climate Change
• GLY 6826 Hydrogeologic Modeling
• SUR 5625 Geographical Information Systems Analysis
• SWS 5234 Environmental Soil, Water, and Land Use
• SWS 5235 South Florida Ecosystems
• SWS 5245 Water Sustainability
• SWS 5248 Wetlands and Water Quality
• SWS 5208 Sustainable Agricultural and Urban Land Management
• SWS 5308 Waterborne Pathogens
• SWS 5551 Soils, Water, and Public Health
• SWS 5721C GIS Land Resource Management
• SWS 6366 Biodegradation and Bioremediation
• SWS 6448 Biogeochemistry of Wetlands and Aquatic Systems
• SWS 6932 Florida Lake Management
• URP 6276 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

Coursework Requirements

The Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics program does not have any specific requirements for PhD coursework. Students enrolled in the Coastal PhD Program after earning a masters degree will design their study program and choose their courses in consultation with, and with the approval of, their adviser. However, students enrolled in the PhD program directly from undergraduate studies are required to observe the Coastal coursework requirements for a Master’s degree first. Students in the PhD program must enroll in one letter-graded graduate course at the minimum in the home department in order to establish a GPA.

If a student holds an assistantship, the student should be registered for 9 credit hours during the Fall and Spring and 6 credit hours during the summer in order to maintain the appointment. If the student registers for more than that, the student will have to pay out of pocket based on the student’s residency. Anything less than 9 credit hours is considered part-time in the Fall and Spring and anything less than 6 is considered part-time in the summer. Advanced Research (7979) is open to doctoral students not yet admitted to candidacy (classified as 7 and 8). Students enrolled in 7979 during the term they qualify for candidacy will stay in this registration unless the academic unit elects to change their enrollment to Research for Doctoral Dissertation (7980), which is reserved for doctoral students admitted to candidacy (classified as 9). During the student’s final term, the student must be registered for research hours (a minimum of 3 in the Fall and Spring and 2 in the summer). If the graduating student is on an appointment, the student must be registered full-time based on the appointment requirements.

QUALIFYING EXAMINATION: All Ph.D. students must take the qualifying examination. It may be taken during the third term of graduate study beyond the bachelor’s degree. The student must be registered in the term the qualifying examination is given. The examination, prepared and evaluated by the full supervisory committee or the major and minor academic units, is both written (sometimes referred to as a preliminary exam) and oral (sometimes referred to as the oral defense) and covers the major and minor subjects. Except for allowed substitutions, all members of the supervisory committee must attend the oral part. The student and chair or co-chair must be in the same physical location. With approval of the entire committee, other committee members may attend remotely using modern technology. At this time the supervisory committee is responsible for deciding whether the student is qualified to continue work toward a Ph.D. degree.

The Qualifying Examination consists of a written test and an oral qualifying examination (defense).

The goal of the written test is to determine the student’s ability to conduct PhD research.

The goal of the oral qualifying examination (defense) is to gauge the suitability of the student’s proposed research plan within the Coastal PhD Program.

Graduate students in the Coastal PhD Program should take the written portion of the qualifying examination no later than their third semester after entering the program, although they are encouraged to take the examination during their second semester. Students who take the qualifying exam must meet two eligibility requirements:

1. The student holds cumulative GPA of 3.5;
2. The student has the advisor’s permission to take the qualifying examination.

Written Examination: The graduate coordinator administers the written test on campus in months 2-3 of each semester, as needed. The test consists of a written research prospectus prepared by the student. At the beginning of the written test week, the student will receive specific guidelines on the

prospectus format. In general, the prospectus will review the state-of-the-art of the topic that the student intends to pursue. The student will then have one week to complete the prospectus and deliver it to the graduate coordinator.

The student’s written answer to the test is evaluated, within two weeks after completion, by a panel composed of Coastal Faculty. The outcome of the written test is Pass or Fail. Students who pass proceed to schedule the oral qualifying exam (defense). Students who fail the written test are required to withdraw from the Coastal PhD Program.

Oral qualifying examination (defense): The oral qualifying examination provides guidance to the students that have passed the written test and will determine whether the student should be promoted to PhD Candidacy.

The oral qualifying examination (defense) is scheduled within one year after completion of the evaluation of the written test. The oral qualifying examination (defense) is administered by the student’s PhD committee. The format is at the discretion of the committee, but should consist of a brief presentation of the student’s plan for doctoral research, followed by questions. The topics of the questions are at the discretion of the PhD committee. They can relate to the presentation or focus on other topics the PhD committee deems important. The PhD committee will evaluate the answers and provide a Pass or Fail decision.

If a student fails the qualifying examination, the Graduate School should be notified. A re-examination may be requested, but it must be recommended by the supervisory committee. At least one term of additional preparation is needed before re-examination.

*Time lapse: Between the oral part of the qualifying examination and the date of the degree there must be at least 2 terms. The term the qualifying examination is passed is counted, if the examination occurs before the midpoint of the term.

ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY: A student is admitted to candidacy upon completion of the qualifying exam when all committee members have approved the candidacy form and approved the dissertation topic.

FINAL TERM REQUIREMENTS: A student about to graduate should check the Graduate School website for deadlines and final term requirements. This would include the Editorial Office’s guidelines as well.

• Apply for the degree/certificate (found on the Office of the University Registrar website or in ONE.UF)
• Transmittal Letter (Request from the ESSIE Graduate Records staff.) This is submitted by the student’s chair for processing.
• First Submission
• Final Exam (Packet found on the ESSIE website under the forms area.) This is submitted by the student’s chair for processing.
• Final Submission
• Degree Certification

Candidates are required to complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours. 18 credit hours must be within the Coastal Program. Of these, 9 credits will include enrollment in the following core required courses:

• OCP 6165 Ocean Waves I (Linear Theory) (3 credits),
• EGM 5816 Intermediate Fluid Dynamics (3 credits),
• MAP 5304 Intermediate Differential Equations (3 credits)

In addition to the core courses, 9 credit hours of elective courses within the Coastal Program are required. The remaining 12 credit hours toward the minimum of 30 hours for degree completion may include courses outside the program. All course selections must be approved by the student’s advisor.

The Coastal program does not have any specific requirements for PhD coursework. Students enrolled in the Coastal PhD Program after earning a Master’s degree will design their study program and choose their courses in consultation with, and with the approval of, their adviser. However, students enrolled in the PhD program directly from undergraduate studies are required to observe the Coastal coursework requirements for Master’s degree first. Students in the PhD program must enroll in one letter graded departmental/in major course at the minimum in the PhD program in order to establish a GPA.

If a student holds an assistantship, the student should be registered for 9 credit hours during the Fall and Spring and 6 credit hours during the summer in order to maintain the appointment. If the student registers for more than that, the student will have to pay out of pocket based on the student’s residency. Anything less than 9 credit hours is considered part-time in the Fall and Spring and anything less than 6 is considered part-time in the summer. Advanced Research (7979) is open to doctoral students not yet admitted to candidacy (classified as 7 and 8). Students enrolled in 7979 during the term they qualify for candidacy will stay in this registration unless the academic unit elects to change their enrollment to Research for Doctoral Dissertation (7980), which is reserved for doctoral students admitted to candidacy (classified as 9). During the student’s final term, the student must be registered for research hours (a minimum of 3 in the Fall and Spring and 2 in the summer). If the graduating student is on an appointment, the student must be registered full-time based on the appointment requirements.

Minimum 30 total semester hours of coursework. Coursework should satisfy the ESSIE core, electives and other electives criteria indicated below.

ESSIE Core Courses (15 credits required)

• CEG6117 Advanced Deep Foundation Design
• CEG5114 Advanced Geotechnical Aspects of Landfill Design
• CEG6015 Advanced Soil Mechanics
• CEG6116 Advanced Shallow Foundation Design
• CGN 6905 Computational Poromechanics
• CGN 6905 Computational Inelasticity
• CEG6515 Earth Retaining Systems and Slope Stability
• CEG5115 Foundation Design
• CEG6405 Seepage in Soils
• CEG5205C In situ Measurement of Soil Properties
• CGN 6905 Nondestructive Testing & Geophysics Methods
• CGN 6905 Unsaturated Soil Mechanics
• CGN 6905 Ground Modification Design

ESSIE electives

• ENV 6932 Applied Practice in Beneficial Use of Waste Materials
• ENV 5306 Municipal Refuse Disposal
• ENV 6617 Principals of Green Engineering and Sustainability
• ENV 6052 Immiscible Fluids
• ENV 6932 Absorption Phenomenon
• CES 5116 Finite elements in Civil Engineering

Other electives 

As geosystems engineering is highly interdisciplinary, graduate students are encouraged to choose electives from other branches of civil and environmental engineering and a variety of other disciplines including but not limited to: Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Geology, Soil Sciences and Physics. Students must choose non-ESSIE electives in consultation with their advisors.

The PhD students should seek to take at least two classes from the ESSIE core courses of the geosystem group listed below. The courses must be chosen in consultation with the faculty advisor and considering past classes taken (if any) at a previous graduate-degree program.

Upon completion of the qualifying exam, the faculty may recommend students to take additional geotechnical classes to enhance their breadth of knowledge. Once the requirements of the qualifying exam are satisfied, the students can complete the remaining coursework (credit requirements) by choosing courses from any department in UF so as to best suit their dissertation work. This overall program of work will be developed by the student in consultation with the faculty advisor.

ESSIE Core Courses (6 credits required)

• CEG6117 Advanced Deep Foundation Design
• CEG5114 Advanced Geotechnical Aspects of Landfill Design
• CEG6015 Advanced Soil Mechanics
• CEG6116 Advanced Shallow Foundation Design
• CGN 6905 Computational Poromechanics
• CGN 6905 Computational Inelasticity
• CEG6515 Earth Retaining Systems and Slope Stability
• CEG5115 Foundation Design
• CEG6405 Seepage in Soils
• CEG5205C In situ Measurement of Soil Properties
• CGN 6905 Nondestructive Testing & Geophysics Methods
• CGN 6905 Unsaturated Soil Mechanics
• CGN 6905 Ground Modification Design

Core Materials and Pavement Courses

Students must take at least four (4) of the following courses:

• CGN 5715 Experimentation and Instrumentation in Civil Engineering Materials Research
• CGN 6505 Properties, Design and Control of Concrete
• CGN 6506 Bituminous Materials
• CGN 6905 Pavement Design
• CGN 6905 Superpave Technology
• TTE 5837 Pavement Management Systems
• CGN 6905 Concrete Durability
• CGN 6905 Concrete Structural Rehabilitation
• CGN 6905 Microstructural Analysis of Cementitious Systems
• CGN 6525 Sustainable Materials

Electives (18 credits)

• CGN 6971 Master’s Research (3 to 6 credits required only for thesis option)
• BCN 6748 Construction Law
• CEG 5115 Foundation Design
• CES 5010 Probabilistic and Stochastic Methods in Civil Engineering
• CES 5116 Finite Elements in Civil Engineering
• CES 5235 Design of Highway Bridges
• CES 5606 Topics in Steel Design
• CES 5715 Prestressed Concrete
• CES 5801 Design and Construction in Timber
• CES 6106 Advanced Structural Analysis
• CES 6706 Advanced Reinforced Concrete
• CES5835 Design of Reinforced Masonry Structures
• CES6108 Structural Dynamics
• CES6855 Condition Assessment of Structures
• CGN6905 Advanced Instrumentation
• CGN 6905 Design of Temporary Structures
• EAS 6242 Advanced Structural Composites
• ECH 6126 Thermodynamics of Reaction and Phase Equilibria
• ECH 6851 Impedance Spectroscopy
• EGM 6570 Principles of Fracture Mechanics
• EGN 6039 Engineering Leadership
• EGN 6640 Entrepreneurship for Engineers
• EGN 6642 Engineering Innovation
• EMA 5008 Particle Science and Technology: Theory and Practice
• EMA 6136 Diffusion, Kinetics, and Transport Phenomena
• EMA 6316 Materials Thermodynamics
• EMA 6319 Applied Colloid and Interfacial Chemistry for Engineers
• EMA 6507 Scanning Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis
• EMA 6507 Scanning Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis Lab
• EMA 6510 Survey of Materials Analysis Techniques
• EMA 6516 X-Ray Methods of Material Characterization
• EMA 6516L X-Ray Methods Laboratory for Materials Characterization
• EMA 6715 Fracture of Brittle Materials
• EMA 6803 Classical Methods in Computational Materials Science
• EMA 6804 Quantum Methods in Computational Materials Science
• EMA 6808 Error Analysis and Optimization Methodologies in Materials Science
• EMA 6938 Monte Carlo Methods
• ENV 5306 Sustainable Materials Management (Municipal Refuse Disposal)
• ENV 6617 Prin. Green Eng. Design & Sustainability
• ENV 6932 Beneficial Use of Waste Materials
• ENV 6932 Construction and Demolition Debris Management
• GLY 3200C Principles of Mineralogy

Elective notes

• Classes listed in core materials and pavement courses taken above the credit hour requirement in that competency may count toward the elective credit requirement
• Other classes in Civil, Coastal, Environmental engineering or with a prefix of EGN may be taken upon approval of advisor
• Other electives outside of the college of engineering may be taken upon approval of advisor
• A maximum of 9 credits outside of engineering may be used to satisfy degree requirements.

Class requirements needed to provide the student with a practical and theoretical knowledge base will vary widely based on the area of specialization in civil engineering materials. Because of this, classes will be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor and approved by the doctoral committee.

In the NIPEM program, if a student chooses non-thesis, then the student is required to take a minimum of nine credit hours of graduate courses listed under group B and another fifteen credit hours of graduate-level course work from Group C depending on your career goals and objectives. The NIPEM graduate student should take CGN 6905 and CGN 6971 with the faculty advisor Dr. Najafi or must receive approval from the advisor to complete the coursework with another faculty member.

Group A (required courses)

• CGN 5605 New Infrastructure Planning/Best Practices (3 credit hours)
• CGN 5606 New Infrastructure Engineering and Management/Best Practices (3 credit hours)

Group B (9 credit hours required for non-thesis)

• CCE 5035 Construction Planning and Scheduling
• CGN 5125 Legal Aspect of Civil Engineering
• CES 6585 Wind Engineering
• TTE 5256 Traffic Flow Theory
• CES 6588 Protective Structures
• TTE 5006 Advanced Urban Transportation Planning
• CGN 6905 Urban Stormwater Design
• CEG 5105 Geotechnical Engineering
• TTE 5255 Traffic Signal Operation
• CEC 5115 Foundation Design
• CES 5801 Design and Construction in Timber

If a student decides to complete a thesis, then the student must take a combination of 9 credit hours of the following courses in lieu of Group B coursework.

• CGN 6905 – Graduate “Special Problems” – Departmental assigned course / Max 10 credit toward the degree (letter grade assigned).
• CGN 6971 – Research for a written Master’s Thesis and oral defense. Maximum 6 credit toward the degree (S/U assigned). CGN 6971 offered during Fall and Spring semesters.

Group C (15 credit hours)

• Any additional course taught within ESSIE  advisor approval
• ENG 5036 Municipal Refuse Disposal
• MAN 6149 Developing Leadership Skills
• ACG 5995 Financial Accounting
• SUR 6935 Topics in Geographic Information Systems
• ENV 5105 Foundation of Air pollution
• EGS 6039 Engineering Leadership
• EGS 6626 Fundamentals of Engineering Project Management
• BCN 5778 Facilities Operation and Maintenance
• BCN 6748 Construction Law
• ENV 5305 Advanced Solid Waste Treatment Design
• EGN 6642 Engineering Innovation
• REE 6045 Introduction to Real Estate
• BCN 6585 Sustainable Construction
• BCN 6621 Bidding Strategies
• BUL 6841 Employment Law
• BCN 5754 Site Planning and Scheduling
• FES 6827 Business Continuity and Disaster Planning
• FES 6836 Impacts of Natural & Manmade Disasters
• EES 5306 Energy Analysis
• Or courses from the following  programs with advisor pre-approval:
  College of Journalism and Communication, College of Law, Design Construction and Planning, Fisher School of Business (Accounting), Agriculture and Life Sciences, Construction Management, Arts, Education, Health and Human Performance, Liberal Art and Sciences, Public Health and Health Profession, and Natural Resources and Environment.

• Masters program (with Structures Concentration) advising instructions and Program Plan of Study form

The structural engineering PhD program requires a minimum of 90 total credits hours which includes a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework. The remaining 60 credit hours can be a combination of courses and/or research hours. Students must take all four (4) Group A courses below, and at least four (4) Group B courses. The remaining courses required to reach 30 credit hours may be selected from Group B or Group C. However, there is considerable flexibility beyond the first eight (8) courses, to be determined in consultation with the student advisor and committee. The courses listed are subject to periodic updates as offerings fluctuate. All courses are 3 credits. Internships shall not be used to satisfy course requirements.

Group A (required courses)

• CES 6106 Advanced Structural Analysis (Fall)
• CES 6706 Advanced Reinforced Concrete (Fall)
• CES 5607 Behavior of Steel Structures (Spring)
• CES 6108 Structural Dynamics (Spring)

Group B (take at least 4)

• CES 5010 Probabilistic and Stochastic Methods in Civil Engineering (Spring)
• CES 5116 Finite Elements in Civil Engineering (Fall)
• CES 5325 Design of Highway Bridges (Fall)
• CES 5715 Prestressed Concrete (Spring)
• CES 5801 Design and Construction in Timber (Fall)
• CES 6585 Wind Engineering (Spring)
• CES 6588 Protective Structures (Spring)
• CES 6590 Impact Engineering
• CES 6591 Applied Protective Structures
• CES 6592 Retrofit of Protective Structures
• CES 6593 Advanced Protective Structures
• CGN 6905 Advanced Bridge Design (Spring)
• CGN 6905 Advanced Finite Element Analysis (Spring)
• CEG 5115 Foundation Design (Fall)
• CEG 6116 Advanced Shallow Foundation Design (Fall)
• CEG 6117 Advanced Deep Foundation Design (Spring)

Group C

• ARC 6512 Structural Modeling (Fall)
• CEG 6515 Earth Retaining Systems and Slope Stability
• CGN 6505 Properties, Design and Control of Concrete
• CGN 6905 Concrete Repair
• CGN 6905 Microstructural Analysis of Cementitious Materials
• CGN 6905 Concrete Durability
• EGM 5533 Applied Elasticity and Advanced Mechanics of Solids
• EGM 6365 Structural Optimization

Preliminary Examination

In the Structural Engineering program, students are required to take both a preliminary examination (written and oral), followed by an oral qualifying examination (research proposal defense) in a subsequent term.

The written & oral preliminary exam focuses on academic performance in core structures courses, and is administered after the student completes two full semesters in the graduate program. The qualifying examination is then scheduled at least one semester after successful completion of the preliminary exam and in consultation with the research advisor.

Written Component: The written portion of the preliminary examination for doctoral students is four (4) hours in duration. Books, notes and other reference material are not permitted. A calculator is allowed. The candidate will receive four questions at the beginning of the exam. Students are required to budget their time to complete all exam material. The student is not required to bring design manuals to the exam.

Written Exam Topics:

1. Structural analysis question
2. Structural dynamics question
3. Concrete question (behavior and/or design)
4. Steel question (behavior and/or design)

Oral Component: If the doctoral student passes the written portion of the exam, an oral defense of their exam will be administered within several weeks of the written exam (depending on examiner and student scheduling coordination). The student will meet with several structures faculty, where the strengths and weaknesses of the student as demonstrated in their written exam will be further explored. The discussions typically stay within the realm of the written exam, but may address aspects of material not specifically covered in the written exam. The oral portion of the exam lasts approximately one hour. At least 24 hours prior to the oral exam, the student may briefly review their written exam under the supervision of a structures faculty member.

If the student passes the oral portion of the exam, the student is admitted to the structures PhD program and may begin preparation for the qualifying examination (oral dissertation research proposal defense.) Failure of either the written or oral component of the preliminary exam constitutes failure of the exam. Students failing the exam are given the opportunity to retake the written and oral exam in the subsequent semester. Students failing a second time are not permitted to advance any further in the PhD program

A. Technical Fundamentals of Construction Competency (9 credits required):

• BCN 5618C Comprehensive Estimating
• CGN 6905 Construction Simulation and Modeling
• CCE 6037 Civil Engineering Operations I

B. Construction Materials Competency (3 credits – take one of the following courses):

• CGN 6525 Sustainable Materials
• CGN 6505 Properties, Design and Control of Concrete
• CGN 6905 Concrete Durability
• CGN 6905 Concrete Structural Rehabilitation
• CGN 6506 Bituminous Materials

C. Construction-Applied Resources Competency (3 credits – take one of the following courses):

• CGN 6905 Construction Faults and Safe Practices
• CGN 6905 Advanced Construction Information Systems

D. Field Construction Operations Competency (3 credits):

• CGN 6905 Design of Temporary Structures

E. Electives (12 credits):

• CGN 6971 Master’s Research (3 to 6 credits required only for thesis option)
• CEG 5115 Foundation Design
• CEG 6515 Earth Retaining Walls
• CEG 5114 Advanced Geotechnical Aspects of Landfill Design
• CES 5801 Design and Construction in Timber
• CES 5235 Design of Highway Bridges
• CES 5606 Topics in Steel Design
• CES 6706 Advanced Reinforced Concrete
• CES 5010 Probabilistic and Stochastic Methods in Civil Engineering
• CES 5715 Prestressed Concrete
• CGN 5605 Public Works Planning
• CGN 5606 Public Works Management
• CGN 6905 Microstructural Analysis of Cementitious Systems
• CGN 6905 Railroad Engineering
• EGN 6039 Engineering Leadership
• EGN 6640 Entrepreneurship for Engineers
• EGN 6642 Engineering Innovation
• ENV 5306 Sustainable Materials Management (Municipal Refuse Disposal)
• ENV 6932 Construction and Demolition Debris Management
• ENV 6617 Prin. Green Eng. Design & Sustainability
• ENV 6932 Beneficial Use of Waste Materials
• BCN 5874 Equipment and Methods for Heavy Construction
• BCN 5885 Methods & Management for Heavy Construction
• BCN 6748 Construction Law
• BCN 5729 Design-Build Delivery Methods
• BCN 5776 International Construction Business Management
• BCN 6641 Construction Value Engineering
• BCN 6558C Building Integrated Renewable Energy Systems

Elective notes

• Classes listed in core competencies taken above the credit hour requirement in that competency may count toward the elective credit requirement
• Other classes in Civil, Coastal, Environmental engineering or with a prefix of EGN courses may be taken upon approval of advisor
• Only one of BCN 5874 BCN 5885 may be taken
• Other electives outside of the college of engineering may be taken upon approval of advisor
• A maximum of 9 credits outside of engineering may be used to satisfy degree requirements. Since BCN 5618C is required, only an additional 6 credits outside of engineering may be taken.

Class requirements needed to provide the student with a practical and theoretical knowledge base will vary widely based on the area of specialization. Because of this, classes will be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor and approved by the doctoral committee.

Core Courses (min 9 credits)

• TTE 5305 Advanced Transportation Systems Analysis
• TTE 5106 Advanced Urban Transportation Planning
• TTE 6267 Traffic Flow Theory
• TTE 6315 Highway Safety Analysis
• TTE 5256 Traffic Engineering

Transportation Electives (min of 9 credits)

• TTE 6606 Urban Transportation Models
• TTE 5805 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities
• TTE 6259 Urban Streets Simulation and Control
• TTE 6505 Discrete Choice Analysis
• TTE 6205 Freeway Operations and Simulation
• CGN 6905 Machine Learning
• CGN 6905 Transportation Data Analytics
• CGN 6905 Advanced Traffic Simulation

Other Electives (max of 12 credits)

As transportation engineering is highly interdisciplinary, the graduate students are encouraged to choose electives from other branches of civil engineering and a variety of other disciplines including but not limited to: Industrial and Systems Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, Geography, and Statistics. Students must choose electives in consultation with their advisors.

A total of 13 courses in transportation engineering are offered by the six faculty members in transportation engineering. The PhD pre-qualifying exam generally includes one or more questions from each of the six faculty members on the courses they teach. PhD students should seek to take at least one class from 4 or more of the transportation faculty members within the first year of their graduate studies so that they are prepared for the pre-qualifying exams.

• TTE 6267 Traffic Flow Theory (Elefteriadou)
• TTE 6259 Urban Streets Simulation and Control (Elefteriadou)
• TTE 5256 Traffic Engineering (Washburn)
• TTE 6205 Freeway Operations (Washburn)
• CGN 6905 Advanced Traffic Simulation (Washburn)
• TTE 5106 Advanced Urban Transportation Planning (Srinivasan)
• TTE 6505 Discrete Choice Analysis (Srinivasan)
• EGN 5215 Machine Learning Applications in Civil Engineering (Zhao)
• CGN 6905 Transportation Data Analytics (Zhao)
• TTE 5305 Advanced Transportation Systems Analysis (Du)
• TTE 6606 Urban Transportation Models (Du)
• TTE 6315 Highway Safety Analysis (Guo)
• TTE 5805 Geometric Design of Transportation Facilities (Guo)

Pre-qualifying exams are administered every summer (typically in May, a couple of weeks after the end of the spring semester). The students are provided with one or more questions from each of the six faculty members covering the courses they teach. The students are expected to answer four or more of the questions in detail (the exact number of questions to be answered will be indicated to the students in advance). This exam is typically open book / open notes and will be held over a period of 1 day. In addition, the student will also be required to submit a research paper on a topic provided by their advisor. The student must coordinate with the advisor to agree upon this research topic by early spring semester so that they have enough time to work on it.

If a student’s performance in the written exam / paper was not satisfactory, the faculty members may choose to have an oral follow up exam. If the oral exam was not satisfactory either, the student is considered to have failed (Under exceptional circumstances the faculty members may recommend a re-exam to be taken later in summer or in early Fall). The faculty members (and advisor in particular) will discuss with the student why a PhD at UF is not the right fit for them and develop a plan of action for the student’s graduation with a master’s degree.

MS or ME with thesis: Min. 24 hours coursework + max 6 hours Masters Research permitted,  OR  27 hours coursework + 3 hours Masters Research. 

Non-thesis option: Min. 30 hours coursework (15 hours min from group A, 15 hours from groups B and C)

Group A: ESSIE Core Courses (15 credits required)

• CGN 6905 Computational Poromechanics
• CGN 6905 Urban Stormwater Systems Design
• CGN 6905 Water Resources Engineering
• CWR 5125 Groundwater Flow I
• CWR 5127 Evaluation of Groundwater Quality
• CWR 5235 Open Channel Hydraulics
• CWR 6116 Advanced Surface Hydrology
• CWR 6240 Mixing and Transport in Turbulent Flow
• CWR 6537 Contaminant Subsurface Hydrology
• EGM 5816 Intermediate Fluid Dynamics
• EES 5307 Ecological Engineering
• EES 6307 Advanced Ecological Engineering
• EES 6309 Wetland Design and Restoration
• ENV 5518 Field Methods in Environmental Hydrology
• ENV 5565 Hydraulic Systems Design
• ENV 6050 Advanced Pollutant Transport
• ENV 6052 Immiscible Fluids
• ENV 6416 Advanced Stormwater Control Systems
• ENV 6435 Advanced Water Treatment Process Design
• ENV 6437 Advanced Wastewater System Design
• ENV 6438 Advanced Potable Water Systems Design
• ENV 6441 Water Resources Planning and Management
• ENV 6508 Wetland Hydrology
• ENV 6511 Biological Wastewater Treatment
• ENV 6932 Absorption Phenomenon
• ENV 6932 Advanced Engineering Hydrology I
• ENV 6932 Ecosystems Engineers
• ENV 6932 Environmental Systems Dynamics
• ENV 6932 Global Environmental Policies and Institutions
• ENV 6932 Stormwater Systems

Group B: ESSIE Elective Courses

• ENV 6439 Activated Carbon: Environmental Design and Application
• ENV 6617 Principles of Green Engineering Design and Sustainability
• ENV 6932 Coastal Systems
• ENV 6935 System Ecology Seminar
• ENV 6935 Wetland Seminar

Group C: Non ESSIE Elective Courses

• ABE 6252 Advanced Soil and Water Management
• ABE 6265 Vadose Zone Water and Solute Transport Modeling
• GLY 5827 Ground Water Geology
• GLY 5245 Hydrogeochemistry
• GLY 5247 Surface and Ground Water Interaction
• GLY 6075 Global Climate Change
• GLY 6826 Hydrogeologic Modeling
• SUR 5625 Geographical Information Systems Analysis
• SWS 5234 Environmental Soil, Water, and Land Use
• SWS 5235 South Florida Ecosystems
• SWS 5245 Water Sustainability
• SWS 5248 Wetlands and Water Quality
• SWS 5208 Sustainable Agricultural and Urban Land Management
• SWS 5308 Waterborne Pathogens
• SWS 5551 Soils, Water, and Public Health
• SWS 5721C GIS Land Resource Management
• SWS 6366 Biodegradation and Bioremediation
• SWS 6448 Biogeochemistry of Wetlands and Aquatic Systems
• SWS 6932 Florida Lake Management
• SWS 6932 Wetlands Seminar
• URP 6276 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

Elective Notes

• Other classes in Civil, Coastal, Environmental engineering or courses with an EGN prefix taught by the College of Engineering may be taken upon approval of advisor
• Other courses may be taken as electives, including a maximum of 6 credits of 3000-4000 level courses outside the School (ESSIE), subject to the approval of the student’s advisor

A minimum of 15 credit hours must be taken within ESSIE. A list of typical in major Water Systems courses is provided below. This list is not exhaustive and other in-major courses can been taken if approved by the faculty advisor.

In addition to the 15 credit in major courses, the student will complete their remaining coursework (credit requirements) by choosing courses from any department at UF so as to best suit their dissertation work along with research hours. The overall program of work will be developed by the student in consultation with their faculty advisor.

Water Systems Courses

• CGN 6905 Computational Poromechanics
• CGN 6905 Urban Stormwater Systems Design
• CGN 6905 Water Resources Engineering
• CWR 5125 Groundwater Flow I
• CWR 5127 Evaluation of Groundwater Quality
• CWR 5235 Open Channel Hydraulics
• CWR 6116 Advanced Surface Hydrology
• CWR 6240 Mixing and Transport in Turbulent Flow
• CWR 6537 Contaminant Subsurface Hydrology
• EGM 5816 Intermediate Fluid Dynamics
• EES 5307 Ecological Engineering
• EES 6307 Advanced Ecological Engineering
• EES 6309 Wetland Design and Restoration
• ENV 5518 Field Methods in Environmental Hydrology
• ENV 5565 Hydraulic Systems Design
• ENV 6050 Advanced Pollutant Transport
• ENV 6052 Immiscible Fluids
• ENV 6416 Advanced Stormwater Control Systems
• ENV 6435 Advanced Water Treatment Process Design
• ENV 6437 Advanced Wastewater System Design
• ENV 6438 Advanced Potable Water Systems Design
• ENV 6441 Water Resources Planning and Management
• ENV 6508 Wetland Hydrology
• ENV 6511 Biological Wastewater Treatment
• ENV 6932 Absorption Phenomenon
• ENV 6932 Advanced Engineering Hydrology I
• ENV 6932 Ecosystems Engineers
• ENV 6932 Environmental Systems Dynamics
• ENV 6932 Global Environmental Policies and Institutions
• ENV 6932 Stormwater Systems