Overview

The Civil and Environmental Engineering PhD degree from Portland State University offer research specializations that lead to real-world impacts in structural, geotechnical, environmental and water resources, and transportation

Our flexible curriculum allows students to select courses outside the major to tailor a degree to their interests, and our robust research activities fund many graduate research and teaching assistants in support of our mission.

Career opportunities:

Civil and environmental engineers are in high demand. Civil and environmental engineers plan, design, manage and construct all of the public and private infrastructure that is the foundation of our modern society, including multimodal streets and highways, public transportation systems, water, and wastewater distribution systems, energy systems, buildings, bridges, and dams.

With a graduate degree, you will be grounded with the real-world knowledge and skills you need to succeed. You will be prepared to enter the field with significant technical credentials that are highly valued by employers.

Most of our alumni are working for consulting engineering firms or governmental agencies. Our bachelor’s degree also prepares students for graduate engineering programs and many have pursued advanced degrees in our program as well as the University of Washington, University of California, Berkeley, and many others.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Unit Operations of Environmental Engineering

Chemistry of Environmental Toxins

Advanced Soil Mechanics

In Situ Behavior & Testing of Soils

Vibration Analysis in Structural Engineering

Matrix & Computer Methods in Structural Analysis

Transportation & Logistics Modeling & Optimization

Transportation Operations

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 60 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-29 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-05-01 00:00:00
Starting 2027-01-05 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-10-01 00:00:00
Starting 2027-03-30 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-11-01 00:00:00

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

120

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TOEFL^® IBT

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PTE Academic

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IELTS

6.5

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Credits

51 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Portland, United States

Disciplines

Environmental Engineering Civil Engineering & Construction View 57 other PhDs in Environmental Engineering in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

2.7

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Admission requirements for the PhD program include a M.S. degree in an engineering field, science, or closely related area. All applicants must contact a CEE faculty member prior to submitting an application seeking a PhD advisor.
For admission, a student must have a CEE faculty member agree to be his/her PhD advisor. Applicants must also meet PSU graduate admission requirements.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

8149 USD / year

≈ 8149 USD / year
Out-of-State

8149 USD / year

≈ 8149 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

5640 USD / year

≈ 5640 USD / year

Living costs

Portland

United States

1271 - 2262 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Career opportunities:

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Portland

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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