Civil Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Students and professor working together in lab with hard hats on

Get Your Civil Engineering Ph.D. at UW

At UW, graduate civil engineering faculty and students are imagining a maverick future where biomaterials make natural gas, where fracking wastewater is cleaner, autonomous vehicles are safer and America’s highways are used more intelligently.

Help create this more sustainable world by working toward the highest degree possible in this transformational field.

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This program is currently offered in
the following locations:

Laramie Campus

About the Civil Engineering Ph.D. Program at UW

UW’s Ph.D. program in civil engineering offers a close-knit academic and research environment that affords abundant student-faculty collaborations and access to UW’s remarkable research facilities.

The civil engineering doctoral degree program prepares you for post-doctoral work, academic positions and advanced roles in the industry.

Two students working on a wooden structure together

 

The University of Wyoming's doctoral program in civil engineering offers specialized concentrations, allowing graduate students to personalize their degrees to match their individual interests and professional ambitions.

Concentrations:

  • Building Mechanical Systems Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Structural Engineering
  • Transportation Engineering
  • Water Resources Engineering
Civil engineering faculty members and students assembling a wall full of cinder blocks

 

Faculty member pointing at white board

 

Civil Engineering Doctoral Degree Program Highlights

Graduate Assistantships

The majority of civil engineering graduate students are supported by a research or teaching assistantships.

Assistantship Information

UW has civil engineering-related facilities that include the Multidisciplinary Fluids Laboratory, an Environmental Lab, Soils Lab, the Structural Testing Lab at the High Bay Research Facility, a Driving Simulation Lab and Water Resources Data System.

 

Look into UW’s civil and interdisciplinary research groups such as the Center for Computational Hydrology and Hydrosciences, Office of Water Programs, Construction Research and Innovation Lab, Center for Biogenic Natural Gas Research, Center for Excellence in Produced Water Management, Carbon Capture and Storage and Transportation Safety. 

Student Groups

Learn about UW’s civil engineering faculty, many of whom are leading cutting-edge research. Their work spans areas like sustainable infrastructure, advanced materials, smart transportation systems and climate resilience, offering students opportunities to engage in meaningful, real-world problem-solving.

Meet Our Faculty

What Can You Do With a Civil Engineering Doctoral Degree?

UW’s civil engineering Ph.D. program prepares you for top roles in industry, government and academia. Graduates lead cutting-edge research, teach at universities or work in research and development at leading firms and institutions—driving innovation in infrastructure, sustainability and technology.

  • Architectural and Engineering Manager
  • Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Manager
  • Civil Engineer
  • Transportation Engineer
  • Water/Wastewater Engineer
  • Postsecondary Engineering Teacher
  • Research Scientist in Civil or Environmental Engineering
  • Structural Engineering Consultant
  • Geotechnical Engineer
  • Sustainability or Resilience Engineer
  • Construction and Project Manager
  • Urban and Regional Planner
  • Policy Advisor or Analyst (Infrastructure/Environmental Policy)
  • Director of Engineering
  • Smart Infrastructure or Systems Engineer
  • Hydraulic Engineers
  • Environmental Compliance Manager
  • Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Technology Commercialization Specialist

  • Assistant professor at St. Cloud State University
  • Assistant professor at Purdue University, Fort Wayne
  • Assistant professor of at Cairo University
  • Postdoctoral fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • Postdoctoral fellow at the University of California Merced
  • Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Buffalo
  • Transportation engineer at ZOOX Autonomous Mobility
  • Research scientist at Batelle
  • Staff engineer at ARA
  • Senior project manager/chief geotechnical engineer at MC Squared, Inc.
  • Hydraulic engineer at Free Flow Power
  • and more!

Here are a few examples of civil engineering thesis title/topics:

  • “Integrating machine learning and optimization tools in asset management for data collection and decision-making costs”
  • “Role of climate and watershed on drought modulation from observations and climate models”
  • “Online-learning-based fault detection and diagnosis for HVAC systems in commercial buildings”
  • “Modeling groundwater recharge and streamflow and potential changes in the future climate: Bayesian averaging and machine-learning paradigm”
  • “Updating and implementing the grade severity system for Wyoming mountain passes”
  • “Load and resistance-factored design and construction of driven piles in intermediate geomaterials”

UW’s civil engineering Ph.D. program offers a small, collegial environment in which faculty and students encourage each other to ask big questions about energy production, transportation, water resources, sustainability and other aspects of the greater built environment for the betterment of all. Our faculty, researchers and students are leading the way to a more resilient and equitable future!

As a civil and architectural engineering Ph.D. candidate, Majid Karami, Ph.D. ’19, was awarded a $10,000 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Grant-in-Aid award. Each year, only 10 to 25 applicants worldwide receive this prestigious distinction. Today, he works as an autonomous systems and A.I. developer for PassiveLogic.