PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering

With a century dedicated to research and teaching in the field, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is ranked among the top departments in the nation.

Our award-winning faculty develop fundamental tools and conduct innovative research by creating new techniques to interrogate complex systems. The result is disruptive technologies tied to equitable social policy and adaptive and resilient climate action, including robotics in construction, autonomous mobility systems, large-scale 3D printing, combined structural, geo-energy, and waste recovery systems, design of net-zero water and energy cycles, and predictive and innovative responses to extreme events.

Our PhD program prepares students to become the next generation of leaders in research, academic, corporate, and public service settings who will create a healthier, more prosperous future.

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Ranked among the nation’s premier research and academic departments in the field.

years of research and education

Northwestern’s Department of Civil Engineering was instituted in 1926.

National Academy of Engineering members

including two who are also National Academy of Sciences members

Young Investigator Awards

the National Science Foundation’s highest honor to outstanding researchers

Chicago, located on the shores of the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world, is the third-largest city in the US and offers access to dynamic urban and natural research environments.

Students focus their studies on one of these four research domains. Each domain addresses multiple system-level research areas. Choose a specialization to learn more about the curriculum.

View Areas of Research

Environmental Engineering & Science

Geotechnical Engineering

Mechanics, Materials, and Structures

Transportation Systems Analysis & Planning

The curriculum varies based on the specialization that is chosen and consists of coursework, research, teaching, and a dissertation. Students develop unique study plans suited to their backgrounds and interests and may include courses outside the department that address a wide variety of social, economic, and physical topics related to the field. Research involves problem formulation, quantitative skills, and communication, culminating in a dissertation. Students often publish several articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Students typically complete their PhD in about 4-5 years.

Entering with a BS degree

Students must take a minimum of nine graduate-level courses toward the degree plus additional coursework to meet area-specific training requirements, as directed by their area coordinator and research adviser.

Entering with an MS degree

Students entering with an MS degree from an outside institution must take a minimum of nine graduate-level courses toward their PhD. Students continuing for the PhD after obtaining their MS degree at Northwestern generally need not take further courses unless required by their adviser.

Haley LewisPhD Student

What Students Are Saying

“Our department is the perfect size for collaboration, and everybody’s work is far-reaching and impactful. I also appreciate the range of backgrounds everyone brings to the department, from physics to chemistry to material science. I am always learning at Northwestern.”

Perform research in top facilities

Students have access to state-of-the-art facilities within our department and throughout Northwestern, such as our Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE), and our 3D Printing Laboratory. Students can also access some of Argonne National Laboratory’s large scale lab facilities.

Work with renowned faculty in a close community

Working with award-winning, internationally renowned faculty, students find an exceptional range of opportunities to advance their knowledge and careers in a scholarly community that’s small enough to assure individual attention and effective mentoring.

Meet our faculty >

Network with alumni in prominent positions worldwide

Our alumni hold a wide variety of positions at top firms, government agencies, consultancies, and in academia across the US and worldwide. Benefit from alumni panel events where graduates share their experiences from their work in the field.

To make our communities robust to all the challenges of modern society, our department looks at research differently. We connect across disciplines to understand the fundamental aspects of problems and craft solutions that anticipate unexpected outcomes. We explore new technologies, new materials, and new ideas with the community and distributional impact of our solutions in mind.

Immerse yourself in our innovative ways of approaching problems to prepare yourself for your career.

In addition to the extensive career placement resources available through both Northwestern’s Engineering Career Development office and Northwestern Career Advancement, the department supports student career development and placement through career talks with panels of graduates working in different sectors, teaching and research experience, and networking through faculty.

Our graduates pursue careers in: