Geology and Geological Engineering, Ph.D.
Advance your expertise at the intersection of earth sciences and engineering. The Ph.D. in Engineering Science with an emphasis in Geology and Engineering prepares students for research-driven careers through specialized study in environmental engineering, geology, geological engineering, and hydrology and computational hydroscience.
About This Program
The Ph.D. in Engineering Science with an emphasis in Geology and Engineering offers students the opportunity to tailor their research and coursework across four specialized areas: Environmental Engineering, Geology, Geological Engineering, and Hydrology and Computational Hydroscience.
- Designed for students from a wide range of academic backgrounds—including engineering, geology, chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics—this program provides advanced technical training and research experience for careers in academia, industry, or government service.
Each specialization allows students to dive deeper into a specific area of study:
Environmental Engineering focuses on water resources, stormwater and wastewater systems, solid waste, air pollution, groundwater remediation, and geospatial technologies.
Geology emphasizes earth systems and prepares students for research-based roles in geosciences.
Geological Engineering combines engineering skills with geological expertise to address real-world challenges like natural resource development and environmental protection.
Hydrology and Computational Hydroscience explores surface and groundwater systems through advanced modeling, fluid dynamics, and data analysis.
All students work closely with faculty advisors to shape a program of study that aligns with their goals, culminating in original dissertation research that contributes to their chosen field.
On this Page…
Program Information
Degree
Ph.D. in Engineering Science
Emphases
Geology and Geological Engineering
Specializations
Environmental Engineering ;
Geology ;
Geological Engineering ;
Hydrology and Computational Hydroscience
Required Credit Hours
54
Program Type
Doctorate Program
Program Location
School
Specialization Information and Graduate Program Coordinators
Choosing the right doctoral program can be difficult enough, so getting the application right shouldn't add to your stress. We've gathered all the info you need to apply to the Ph.D. in Geology and Geological Engineering to make things as easy as possible.
A Ph.D. in engineering science with emphasis in environmental engineering prepares a student with advanced technical knowledge and communication skills for pursuing a career in industry, engineering research and development, or public service.
Depending on their career focus, students can concentrate in any of the following specialty areas: water resources, watershed systems, hydrology, surface water quality, stormwater, wastewater, solid waste, air pollution, groundwater modeling and remediation, and remote sensing and geospatial technologies.
Students entering the program come from a variety of engineering and nonengineering disciplines, such as geology, chemistry, biology, and mathematics.
Course Requirements
The Ph.D. with emphasis in environmental engineering requires 24 hours of course work beyond a master’s degree or 48 hours beyond a bachelor’s degree, and 18 hours of dissertation credit. At least two courses must be in mathematics (e.g., Engr 591-Engineering Analysis I, Engr 592- Engineering Analysis II, Math 555-Advanced Calculus I, Math 556-Advanced Calculus II, Math 575-Mathematical Statistics I), one course must be in numerical method (e.g., Engr 590-Finite Element Analysis), and one course must be in mechanics (e.g., Engr 617-Continuum Mechanics).
Other graduate course work must be approved by the student's advisory committee.
Other Academic Requirements
Completion of a qualifying examination, a comprehensive examination, a dissertation prospectus, and a dissertation defense is required. Before admission to candidacy, the student must pass written and oral comprehensive exams.
Meet the Graduate Program Coordinator for Enviromental Engineering
Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions!
A Ph.D. in engineering science with emphasis in geology prepares a student with advanced technical knowledge and communication skills for pursuing a career in industry, research and development, or public/government service.
Students entering the program come from a variety of engineering and nonengineering disciplines such as geological engineering and physics.
Course Requirements
The Ph.D. with an emphasis in geology requires 54 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the bachelor’s degree; selection of courses must be approved by the student’s advisory committee.
Other Academic Requirements
Successful completion of both written and oral comprehensive exams is required before undertaking the dissertation.
Meet the Graduate Program Coordinator for Geology
Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions!
A Ph.D. in engineering science with emphasis in geological engineering prepares a student with advanced technical knowledge and communication skills for pursuing a career in industry, engineering research and development, or public/government service.
Students entering the program come from a variety of engineering and nonengineering disciplines such as geology and physics.
Course Requirements
The Ph.D. with an emphasis in geological engineering requires 54 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the bachelor’s degree; selection of courses must be approved by the student’s advisory committee.
Other Academic Requirements
Successful completion of both written and oral comprehensive exams is required before undertaking the dissertation.
Meet the Graduate Program Coordinator for Geological Engineering
Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions!
A Ph.D. in engineering science with emphasis in hydrology and computational hydroscience prepares a student with advanced technical knowledge and communication skills for pursuing a career in industry, engineering research and development, or public/government service.
This degree is cross-listed between several departments within the School of Engineering. The student’s home department is the same as the student’s academic adviser’s home department.
This degree covers the fields of surface hydrology, groundwater hydrology, computational hydroscience and/or hydraulic engineering.
Course Requirements
For the Ph.D. in engineering science with emphasis in hydrology and computational hydroscience, a student must complete a minimum of 36 hours beyond the B.S. degree and 18 hours of dissertation credit. Graduate coursework must be approved by the student's advisory committee. Below is a full list of recommended courses. In addition to the previously mentioned credit hours, students must enroll in a 1-hour graduate seminar each semester.
Students must choose from this recommended list:
- Engr 591 - Engineering Analysis I
- Engr 593 - Approximate Methods of Engr Analysis I
- Engr 609 - Time Series Analysis
- Engr 617 - Continuum Mechanics
- Engr 620 - Advanced Remote Sensing
- Engr 625 - Adv. Topics in Computational Mechanics
- Engr 636 - Groundwater Mechanics
- Engr 637 - Groundwater Modeling
- Engr 711 - Turbulence
- Engr 597 - Advanced Geospatial Analysis
- Engr 598 - Water and Wastewater Treatment
- Engr 604 - Fluid Dynamics II
- Engr 573 - Environmental Remediation
- Engr 645 - Contaminant Transport
- Engr 618 - Vadose Zone Hydrology
- Engr 616 - Isotope Hydrogeology
- Engr 627 - Applied Probability Modeling
- Math 555 - Advanced Calculus I
- Math 556 - Advanced Calculus II
- Math 575 (675 / 775) - (Advanced) Mathematical Statistics I
- Math 576 (676 / 776) - (Advanced) Mathematical Statistics II
- C E 541 - Flow in Open Channels
- C E 572 - Stormwater Engineering and Management
- Ch E 560 - Advanced Transport Phenomena I
- Ch E 561 - Advanced Transport Phenomena II
- Geol 500 - Introduction to GIS
- Geol 505 - Hydrogeology
- Geol 615 - Geostatistics
- G E 510 - Remote Sensing
- G E 503 - Environmental Geochemistry
- Csci 526 - Parallel Computing
- Csci 547 - Digital Image Processing
Other Academic Requirements
Other academic requirements include passing written and oral comprehensive exams including dissertation prospectus and dissertation defense.
Before admission to candidacy, the student must pass written and oral comprehensive exams.
Meet the Graduate Program Coordinator for Hydrology and Computational Hydroscience
Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions!
Next Steps
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