Academics / PhD Program / Transportation Systems Analysis and Planning SpecializationCurriculum & Requirements
Students' programs are tailored to their individual backgrounds and interests. A typical study plan includes two years of coursework followed by at least one year of intensive research under faculty supervision.
The first year of coursework is similar to that pursued by master of science students. In subsequent years, PhD students delve more deeply into methodological areas related to their research interests through courses in such fields as urban planning, operations research, economics, psychology, marketing, and computer science.
The program culminates in PhD dissertation research, which advances the student’s knowledge, perspective, and intellectual maturity, and contributes to the state of the art in transportation.
PhD students engage in additional seminars guided by faculty teams specifically directed at advanced problem identification, formulation and solution. This close interaction with faculty members provides the PhD student with experiences similar to those faced by professors at research universities or analysts with major research firms and laboratories.
Emphasis on problem formulation, quantitative skills and communications distinguishes the Northwestern PhD program from those at other universities.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Student must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 and a good performance on graduate coursework, based on subjective assessment by all transportation systems analysis and planning faculty members. Student must also have support of at least one faculty member to serve as the research advisor.
Candidacy
The initial offer of admission to the PhD program does not guarantee admission to candidacy.
- A PhD student should be considered for Admission to PhD Candidacy no earlier than the end of the first academic year (3 quarters) and no later than the end of the second academic year. PhD students must have a research advisor who has agreed to supervise their PhD studies before consideration.
- For each PhD student, the Program Areas conduct a Qualifying Exam that the student must pass before consideration. The Program Areas are free to choose the form of the Qualifying Exam.
- Once a quarter, the Program Areas forward a list of the PhD students to be considered for Admission to PhD Candidacy by the CEE Graduate Committee. The Graduate Committee will review the records of all students, and discuss their research potential, and issue approvals. PhD students will be admitted to PhD Candidacy only upon this final approval by the Graduate Committee.
More information on the Qualifying Exam here.
Prospectus
The prospectus process typically involves development of a written research proposal that will culminate in the dissertation. This research proposal is also typically delivered in oral form to the prospectus committee.
Dissertation Defense
The program culminates in PhD dissertation research, which advances the student's knowledge, perspective, and intellectual maturity, and contributes to the state of the art in transportation systems analysis and planning. Significant milestones in the completion of a dissertation include a proposal defense taking place 1-2 years prior to completion, as well as an oral defense, which occurs upon completion of the work. The average completion time for a dissertation is four to five years.