Academics / PhD ProgramGeotechnical Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering PhD Specialization
All facilities are built on, in, or with earth materials. As such, the science and engineering of soil and rock, and of the water and other fluids that permeate them, are critical for addressing national and global issues, including infrastructure construction and reconstruction, mitigation of natural hazards, and frontier exploration and development.
Geotechnical engineering is a branch of civil engineering that generally deals with problems involving soil and rock. Examples include the design of foundations for structures, tunneling, excavations, disposal of waste products by burial, dams, and a variety of similar earth-related topics.
Our goal is to educate graduate students to become leaders in geotechnical engineering practice and academia. We strive to provide a broad and fundamental educational experience. To achieve these goals, we maintain a balance between research and teaching in our program. Theory and practice, experimental and analytical techniques, and traditional and cutting-edge ideas are integrated within our research and teaching.
Research
Our geotechnical faculty focus on the science and engineering of soil and rock, and of the water and other fluids that permeate them, in order to address national and global issues. These include infrastructure construction and reconstruction, mitigation of natural hazards, and frontier exploration and development.
We have three faculty active in this research area:
View faculty who are recruiting PhD students for fall 2025
Eligibility and Admissions
Students studying geotechnical engineering earn a doctor of philosophy in civil and environmental engineering through Northwestern University's Graduate School. To be admitted to the PhD program in geotechnical engineering, the student must either hold a master of science in engineering or a non-engineering degree with the coursework described in the MS section covering mathematics through differential equations, fluid mechanics, first-year, college-level chemistry, and statics and dynamics.
These course requirements for admission may be met at Northwestern, but credits from these courses cannot be applied to the graduate degree. In addition, each applicant must meet the usual requirements of The Graduate School and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.