2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Web Page: http://www.eng.famu.fsu.edu/cee/
Faculty
Department Chair: Lisa Spainhour; Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Student Services: Michelle Rambo-Roddenberry
Professors: Yassir AbdelRazig, Gang Chen, Tarek Abichou, Wenrui Huang, Ren Moses, Primus Mtenga, Virgil Ping, John Sobanjo, Lisa Spainhour, Kamal Tawfiq, Clayton Clark
Associate Professors: Sungmoon Jung, Michelle Rambo-Roddenberry
Assistant Professors: Eren Ozguven, Youneng Tang, Maxim Dulebenets, Juyeong Choi, Qian Zhang
Assistant Teaching Professor: Qianwen Guo
Teaching Faculty I: Raphael Kampmann
Professor of Practice: Sean Martin
Professors Emeriti: Andrew Dzurik, Soronnadi Nnaji, Jerry Wekezer
Mission
The mission of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is to teach the fundamentals of civil engineering science, analysis, design, and management in order to empower students to assume careers as professional engineers; to conduct basic and applied research, in order to improve the state of knowledge of civil engineering; to serve as a source of information and advice to the community on engineering matters; and to assist in the continuing education of professional engineers and other interested individuals. The department has a special mission to provide an opportunity for a civil engineering education for under-represented groups in the profession.
Opportunities and Facilities
Many opportunities exist in the field of civil engineering that encompass planning, designing, and managing a variety of projects. Your work could be on site at a project or at a computer workstation. Civil and environmental engineers often find themselves involved in many of the public work projects funded by federal, state, and municipal governments, as well as those projects undertaken by the private sector. As a structural engineer, you might analyze and design structures out of steel, concrete, aluminum, timber, plastic, and other new materials that are able to support required loads and withstand natural disasters. An environmental engineer, with a background in either physical, chemical, or biological science, helps to prevent and solve environmental problems. Engineers in the geotechnical realm apply technology, field test information, and laboratory analyses related to mechanics and mathematics to create the infrastructure facilities within and on top of the earth. The structure and stability of soils determine how and where to construct tunnels, pipelines, and deep foundations as well as highways and other buildings. In hydraulic and water resources engineering, you might design, construct, or maintain facilities related to the quality and quantity of water, flood prevention, wastewater treatment, and water front erosion protection. As a professional in transportation engineering, your purpose is to move people and things in a safe and efficient manner locally and through mass transportation systems. Transportation facilities include highways, airfields, railroads, and sea ports. Several courses are also offered in construction engineering.
Instructional equipment includes the MTS structures and material testing systems with computer control for data acquisition and analysis, equipment for in situ and laboratory measurements of engineering properties of soils and rocks, including triaxial, bearing, and shear testing equipment and seismographs; and a self-contained glass-sided tilting flume for investigations of flow phenomena and sediment transport. A complete stand-alone automated data acquisition and analysis system is available for undergraduate student laboratory work and research. A fully equipped water quality testing lab as well as portable field testing kits are used both for classroom teaching as well as for student research and design projects.
Students have access to a large number and variety of computer systems. A network of nearly 700 computing devices is available for the academic and research efforts of the college.
The college computers are connected to a high-speed, switched, fiber-optic LAN and to the Internet via the Florida State University connection to the NSF v BNS network. Other nearby resources include the Department of Scientific Computing. Additional information about the department can be obtained from the college home page: http://www.eng.famu.fsu.edu.
Programs Offered
The department offers a program of study for the Bachelor of Science (BS) in civil engineering which is accredited by ABET, Inc, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD, 21202-4012, phone (410) 347-7700. The civil engineering major is broad-based, emphasizing all aspects of civil engineering practice, including structural geotechnical, construction, transportation, hydraulics, water resources, and environmental engineering. Within the civil engineering program, the environmental engineering major is a course of study that focuses primarily on environmental engineering, hydraulics, hydrology, water resources, and water quality.
The department also offers a minor in environmental engineering science. Regardless of focus, all students learn to apply state-of-the-art technologies to solve problems in these areas.
The department offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in civil engineering. Within the MS program, the courses only Master of Engineering (MEng) option is available. These programs provide areas of concentration in structural, geotechnical, environmental/water resources, and construction/transportation engineering.
Admission to graduate programs requires a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in the last two years of undergraduate school and an acceptable score on the graduate record exam (GRE). For the MEng option, evidence of passing the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) or Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam or holding PE licensure may be used in lieu or the GRE. For more details, refer to the Graduate Bulletin or the department website at http://www.eng.famu.fsu.edu/cee/grad/application_process.html.
B.S. - M.Eng. Pathway
This pathway provides academically talented undergraduate students an opportunity to complete both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in 5 years. Upon approval, this pathway allows 6 graduate hours to be double-counted toward an undergraduate degree program. The student will earn the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree upon completion of the undergraduate program and the Master of Engineering (MEng) degree upon completion of the graduate program.
The program requirements for the graduate portion of this pathway are identical to the M.Eng. program requirements shown above. The only difference is that the pathway students take 24 hours of coursework instead of 30 hours, because 6 graduate hours were already taken while getting the undergraduate degree.
The admission for the B.S. - M.Eng. Pathway has two parts:When the student is in the undergraduate program, the student submits an on-line application to the combined degree pathway. Overall GPA of 3.2 as well as area-specific requirements must be met. To ensure smooth transition to the graduate program, it is recommended that the students apply during Terms 5 or 6 (the Junior year) according to the CEE Undergraduate Academic Map. Additional information and the online application is available at https://eng.famu.fsu.edu/cee/bs-ms-pathway.
During the last year as an undergraduate, the student applies to the Master of Engineering program. The admission requirements for this step are identical to the master’s admission requirements shown earlier.
Program Educational Objectives
Consistent with the mission and goals of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and based upon the input and needs of its constituents, the Civil Engineering Program will produce graduates who will achieve the following program educational objectives several years after graduation. Graduates will:
- Progress in successful professional careers in civil and environmental engineering or related fields, and/or enroll in studies at the graduate level;
- Apply engineering principles to address the needs of society, including sustainability; and practice effective management, communication, and leadership skills;
- Respond to the rapid pace of change in civil and environmental engineering by becoming professionally licensed, engaging in ongoing continuing education and participating in professional society activities; and
- Contribute to work force diversity as members and leaders of multidisciplinary teams.
Student Outcomes
By the time students graduate from the Civil Engineering program, they should attain the following outcomes:
1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed using appropriate learning strategies.
Engineering Design
Following engineering design criteria established by ABET, the civil engineering curricula provide excellent design experiences for students. The faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has carefully integrated design components into the curriculum with increased complexity as students progress toward graduation. These design components offer opportunities for students to work individually and in teams on meaningful engineering design experiences building upon the fundamental concepts of mathematics, basic sciences, humanities, social sciences, engineering topics, and oral and written communication skills. Design components in engineering coursework help students develop an appreciation for and apply the knowledge of the wide variety of courses they have studied. Consequently, they participate in meaningful solutions and effective design development for practical engineering problems.
A majority of the design experiences are integrated into junior and senior level courses.
In both majors, CGN 4800, Pre-Senior Design and Professional Issues, and CGN 4802, Senior Design Project, provide significant, culminating design experiences in which students working in interdisciplinary teams apply realistic constraints to an actual engineering scenario.
Additional information about design credits may be obtained from departmental brochures and by contacting faculty advisors at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
State of Florida Common Program Prerequisites
The State of Florida has identified common program prerequisites for this University degree program. Specific prerequisites are required for admission into the upper-division program and must be completed by the student at either a community college or a state university prior to being admitted to this program. Students may be admitted into the University without completing the prerequisites, but may not be admitted into the program. Students are strongly encouraged to select required lower division electives that will enhance their general education coursework and that will support their intended baccalaureate degree program. Students should consult with an academic advisor in their major degree area.
The following lists the common program prerequisites or their substitutions necessary for admission into this upper-division degree program:
- MAC X311 or MAC X281
- MAC X312 or MAC X282
- MAC X313 or MAC X283
- MAP X302 or MAC X305
- CHM X045/X045L or CHMX045C or CHS X440
- PHY X048/X048L or PHYX048C or PHYX043/X048L
- PHY X049/X049L or PHYX049C or PHYX044/X049L
Common Program Prerequisites can also be found at http://www.facts.org
Department Policies
Pre-Engineering students must adhere to the policies set by the College of Engineering, including standards on declaring Civil Engineering as a major. Students must achieve a grade of “C-” or better in all transfer courses and in all courses that are prerequisites to any required or elective engineering course. In addition, students are required to earn a “C-” or better in all engineering courses that apply toward the degree. In extenuation circumstances, a maximum of one “D” may be waived. The waiver shall not be applied to Senior Design, nor to a course that is a prerequisite for a course in the CEE department.
Pre/Co Requisite Requirements
It is the policy of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering that a student must receive grades of “C-” or better in all prerequisite courses prior to enrolling in a CEE course. Concurrent registration in a course and its prerequisites is not allowed. All prerequisites of the prerequisite course must be completed. Failure to abide by this policy can result in the cancellation of your enrollment in any course at any time during the semester and with no refund of fees. Corequisite courses must be taken concurrently or prior to enrolling in the course. Registering for and remaining in a course without having completed all of the pre- and corequisite courses as well as all their prerequisites can result in the Department or the College of Engineering administratively canceling your course enrollment at any time during the semester and with no refund of fees. Changes to prerequisites will be accompanied by a phase-in period: in such cases the CEE undergraduate committee shall serve as the authority regarding the implementation of such changes.
Course Repeat Policy
Criteria
A student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering will be placed on probationary status if the student falls into any of the following situations:
- Accrues two grades below “C-” in a single engineering course that is required under his/her curriculum, CHM 1045, CHM 1045L, MAC 2313/3313, MAP 3305/MAP 2302, or PHY 2049/PHY 3049, CHM 1045/1046, STA XXXX and courses from Group A B C electives.
- Accrues a total of three grades below “C-” in engineering courses that are required under his/her curriculum, CHM 1045, CHM 1045L, MAC 2313/3313, MAP 3305/MAP 2302, and PHY 2049/PHY 3049 STA XXXX and courses from Group A B C electives.
- Has an overall GPA below 2.0.
Consequences
A student who meets the above criteria will be placed on academic probation during the subsequent semester and will be required to sign an academic probation/readmit contract with the department. A student may not graduate while on probation.
Reinstatement
To be reinstated, the following conditions must be met:
- The student will have one semester (the probationary semester) to raise his/her GPA above 2.0.
- The student must retake all courses that were the cause for probation according to an agreed upon schedule (during the probationary semester, if available) and achieve a grade of “C-“or better.
Dismissal
A student on probation will be permanently dismissed from the CEE program and will not be eligible for further reinstatement upon the following conditions:
- If a student who is on probation does not raise his/her GPA above 2.0 and/or achieve a grade of “C-“or better in all courses taken during the probationary semester.
- If a student who has been reinstated to the program subsequently falls below an overall GPA of 2.0 and/or fails to achieve a grade of “C-” or better in any math, science, or engineering course.
- A student who has already reached or exceeded the course repeat limits stated above prior to declaring the civil or environmental major is considered to be on reinstatement, and must achieve a grade of “C-” or better in all subsequent courses to avoid permanent dismissal.
Fundamental of Engineering Exam
All undergraduate students are encouraged to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam in the civil engineering discipline during their senior year.
Honors in the Major
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers Honors in the Major to encourage students to undertake independent and original research to enhance their undergraduate experience. For requirements and other information, see the “University Honors Office and Honor Societies” chapter of this General Bulletin.
Undergraduate Course Descriptions
Definition of Prefixes
CCE, Civil Construction Engineering CEG, Civil Engineering
CES, Civil Engineering Structures CGN, Civil Engineering
CWR, Civil Water Resources
EES, Environmental Engineering Science
EGN, General Engineering
ENV, Environmental Engineering
TTE, Transportation and Traffic Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Programs
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs with concentrations in structural, geotechnical, transportation, water resources and environmental engineering. Within the MS program, the Master of Engineering (MEng) option is available. Special areas of emphasis in civil
engineering are bridge design, bridge management systems, construction management, coastal construction, structural stability, and structural reliability; geo-environment, pavements, and soil dynamics; transportation networks and multimodal system;
and computer-aided design and decision support systems as well as the integration of physical and numerical models of civil engineering systems. In water resources, the focus is on hydraulics, hydrology, hydrodynamics, groundwater, and the modeling of watersheds and coastal areas. Emphasis within environmental engineering includes water quality, drinking water and wastewater treatment, remediation, hazardous waste management, environmental systems analysis, and environmental sustainability.
Centers and Laboratories
The college has many instructional and research laboratories. Specific laboratories for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are geotechnical, environmental, hydraulic, pavement, construction materials, structures, and the traffic-engineering laboratory.
Geotechnical laboratory facilities include equipment for soil classification, compaction, hydraulic conductivity, slurry evaluation, shear strength, and compressibility of soils. Electronic data acquisition systems, personal computers, sampling devices, and a machine shop are also available for student use.
The environmental engineering laboratories include both an undergraduate teaching lab and a graduate research lab. The facilities include equipment and instrumentation needed for physical, chemical, and microbiological analysis of water quality, sampling and filtering devices, and space for bench scale experiments.
The hydraulic laboratory is used by students to reinforce the basic concepts of hydraulics and become familiar with hydraulic equipment and instrumentation, and to learn procedures of data collection and analysis. Students can perform experiments of hydrostatic pressure, hydrostatic forces on submerged bodies, flow measurement, friction in pipe flow, pump power, open channel flow, hydraulic jump, and wave mechanics.
The multi usage laboratory supports preparation of specimens for other laboratories. It also has an open-circuit wind tunnel with a twenty-four inch square cross section.
Construction materials laboratory facilities include equipment for compression strength testing, concrete, mixer, MTS shock tester, L.A. abrasion test machine, and MTS test system.
The materials and structures laboratory, two stories high, includes equipment for compression strength testing, concrete, mixer, L.A. abrasion test machine, MTS test system, and electronic data acquisition systems. The lab has a three-foot reinforced concrete reaction slab with 100-kip anchorage pods spaced at four-foot intervals. This facility provides undergraduate and graduate students with applied instruction on specialized testing of materials and structures, support for high quality research in developing and testing innovative structural materials and systems for bridges, buildings, etc.
The department houses the Center for Accessibility and Safety for an Aging Population (ASAP), a Tier I University Transportation Center (UTC), funded by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). ASAP concentrates its efforts on Florida where it is projected that twenty-two percent of the population will be 65 or older as early as 2020, the highest percentage in the nation, but the Center’s research are valuable in addressing transportation issues for an aging population nationwide. The Center addresses two of USDOT’s strategic goals: improving highway safety and strengthening transportation planning. Providing seniors with safe and convenient access to the goods and services they need to participate fully in society is a key issue explored by ASAP personnel. The Center also focuses on transportation issues of rural and minority segments within the elderly population. The Center focuses on four interdisciplinary areas: (1) Accessibility and community connectivity among older adults; (2) Human factors affecting the older population, especially regarding acceptance of emerging technologies; (3) Geometric design research, especially regarding elder crash mitigation and (4) Health, wellness and safety of seniors as it relates to multimodal transportation and emergency operations. ASAP also supports educational and outreach activities, including an annual Transportation Day, brown bag lunches, student research seed grants and dissertation fellowships and annual student research colloquia.
Additionally, the department manages a large research program called TraCS Florida. This program is funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to provide Florida law enforcement agencies (LEAs) with a cost effective (FREE) way to collect and transmit electronic crash and citation data, to submit crash data electronically to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), and to submit citation data to local county clerks of court. The TraCS Florida team uses TraCS to develop Florida specific forms to meet the data submission requirements set by DHSMV.
Computer and Other Resources
Students have access to a large number and variety of computer systems. A network of nearly 700 computing devices is available for the academic and research efforts of the college.
The college computers are connected to a high-speed, switched, fiber-optic LAN and to the Internet via the Florida State University connection to the NSF v BNS network. Other computation resources include the Department of Scientific Computing, FSU Academic Computing and Network Services (ACNS), and FAMU Computing Services.
A small collection of reference works and heavily used books and journals is located in the College of Engineering Reading Room/ Library Services.
Students may also participate in engineering clubs such as the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE); Society of Women Engineers (SWE); American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE); Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi; Engineers Without Borders (EWB); and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).
Borders (EWB); and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).
Master’s Admission Requirements
Admission requirements for the Master of Science (MS) program, which includes the MS thesis and Master of Engineering (MEng) options, include the following:
- A baccalaureate degree in civil engineering, or an allied academic discipline, from an accredited college or university. International students must have a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in civil engineering from a recognized academic institution.
- Good standing in the academic institution last attended.
- A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, on all work attempted while registered as an upper division student (beyond sixty semester hours of undergraduate work).
- A minimum graduate record examination (GRE) percentile rank of 25% on the verbal reasoning section and 65% on the quantitative section. For tests taken after 2015, the corresponding scaled scores are 145 (verbal) and 158 (quantitative). For the MEng option, evidence of passing the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) or Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam or holding PE licensure in any state may be used in lieu of the GRE.
- The following minimum score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for all international applicants whose native language is not English: 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based) or 80 (Internet-based); three letters of recommendation; and an essay of intent stating goals and reasons for pursuing the mater’s degree
Doctoral Admission Requirements
Admission requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree include the following:
- A Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degree in civil or environmental engineering or a closely related field;
- A grade point average (GPA) or 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate and graduate work;
- A minimum graduate record examination (GRE) percentile rank of 35% on the verbal reasoning section and 70% on the quantitative section. For tests taken after 2015, the corresponding scaled scores are 148 (verbal) and 159 (quantitative).
- A minimum score of 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based) or 80 (Internet-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if their native language is not English;
- Three letters of recommendation;
- An essay of intent stating goals and reasons for pursuing the PhD degree; and
- If requested, an interview by the Graduate Committee or its representatives.
Master’s Degree Requirements
The MS thesis option requires twenty-four semester hours of coursework and six semester hours of thesis work. The MS thesis option requires a final oral examination in which the student defends a thesis. For the MS thesis option, the general course requirements include twelve to fifteen hours in the depth area, six to nine hours in supplementary electives and three hours of advanced mathematics or statistics. Students also must register in a non-credit graduate seminar course each semester. The MEng option requires thirty semester hours of coursework, consisting of fifteen hours in the specialty area, twelve hours in supplementary electives, and three hours of advanced mathematics, statistics, or computation.
For both the MS thesis and MEng options, a maximum of six semester hours of graduate coursework, in which the student earned a grade of “B” or better, may be transferred from another program. Courses sponsored by other universities, taken through the Florida Engineering Education Delivery System (FEEDS) should account for no more than fifty percent of the student’s coursework. Each individual program is designed with the approval of a major advisor and, for the MS thesis option a supervisory committee. The general course requirements for the MS thesis and MEng options are given below.
Course Distribution
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MS
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MEng
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Specialty (Depth) area
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12-15
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12-15
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Supplemental electives
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6-9
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12-15
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Advanced mathematics
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3
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3
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Thesis with oral defense
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6
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N/A
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Non-theses project with oral defense
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N/A
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N/A
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Graduate seminar
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0
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N/A
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Total credit hours required for the master’s degree
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30
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30
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Graduation requirements include a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and the successful defense of a thesis (MS) for the thesis option.. All of the above requirements must be met within seven calendar years.
Doctoral Degree Requirements
The program of study for the PhD degree is flexible and depends on the individual student’s background and objectives. The CEE department has two tracks for the PhD program. The typical track is the MS-PhD track where the applicants already have an MS degree. An alternative is the BS-PhD track where exceptionally-qualified applicants who are well prepared may enter the PhD program with only a BS degree. A student may specialize in any of the several areas that are offered in the department. In addition to the specialty courses, the student must have a minor consisting of at least nine semester hours from another department. Each student’s specific program of study is uniquely tailored through consultation with an advisory committee that the student selects. The objectives of course selection are to develop a broad-based understanding of engineering and science, and to gain fundamental contemporary capabilities in an area of concentration necessary to conduct significant and original scholarly research.
A student must choose a major professor by the second semester of enrollment in the PhD program. If a student has not chosen a major professor by this time, a professor approved by the graduate committee chair will act as the student’s academic advisor. The major professor is formally appointed by the department chair and will serve as chair of the supervisory committee. The supervisory committee is formally appointed by the department chair at the request of the major professor. There must be a minimum of four committee members, including the major professor. One member must be from outside the department, representing the student’s minor. The committee supervises the student’s work until all degree requirements are completed and is responsible for an annual written assessment of the student’s progress. This assessment shall be made available to the student, the coordinator of graduate studies and the department chair.
The student will prepare, with the approval of the doctoral supervisory committee, a complete plan of study to be submitted to the graduate committee within the first year of the program and to be retained on file in the department. The plan should identify the courses necessary to meet the following semester hours of course requirements and a time schedule for taking them. Degree requirements for PhD students are outlined below.
The PhD course requirements include nine hours in a student’s depth area, nine to eighteen semester hours beyond the master’s degree in supplementary electives, up to nine semester hours in a non-departmental minor area and twenty-four semester hours of original dissertation work. Students also must register for a noncredit graduate seminar course each semester.
Students admitted with:
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MS Degree
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BS Degree
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Articulation/other requirements
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0-22
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6-22
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Depth area
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9
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21
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Supplementary electives
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9-18
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18
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Minor courses
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0-9
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0-9
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Dissertation
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24
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24
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Graduate seminar
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0
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0
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Total credit hours for the doctoral degree
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51
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69
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Following completion of a major portion of the coursework defined in an approved plan of studies, the doctoral supervisory committee must issue certification that the student has: maintained a minimum of 3.0 GPA; demonstrated sufficient progress toward mastery of a sub-discipline; and developed a command of requisite research tools to begin independent research in the area of the proposed dissertation. Once certified, students will be permitted to take a doctoral preliminary examination.
The preliminary examination will be a written and oral exam prepared by the student’s supervisory committee. The exam will be administered by the committee near the end of or after completion of the student’s coursework and will comply with the requirements of the college and the university in which the student is registered. The examination committee shall report the outcome to designated college and university authorities as: “passed,” “failed,” “additional work to be completed,” or “to be reexamined.” Students are admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree only after passing this examination. If any student requires re-examination, the outcome can only be reported pass or fail. Any student who fails re-examination is dismissed from the program. Upon successful completion of the second trial the student may continue to register for dissertation hours.
The most important element of the doctoral program is original and fundamental research resulting in a doctoral dissertation. The research subject is selected by the student in consultation with the major professor and the student’s doctoral supervisory committee. The dissertation must be completed on a topic approved by the Committee. To be acceptable, it must comprise original research constituting a significant contribution to knowledge and represent a substantial scholarly effort on the part of the student. The defense of the dissertation will be oral. The doctoral supervisory committee and other members of the faculty as appointed by the academic dean or specified by the university regulations will conduct the examination. Publication of the dissertation shall conform to the regulations of the university through which the student is registered.
Applicants holding degrees in areas other than civil engineering, or closely allied fields, will be required to take coursework beyond the minimum requirements for the master’s degree. Graduation requirements include a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and the successful defense of a thesis or project report for the master’s degree and a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better and the successful defense of dissertation for the PhD degree. All of the above requirements must be met within seven calendar years.
Assistantships and Financial Aid
Students may be supported through research or teaching assistantships on a competitive basis. Most graduate students currently hold half-time assistantships equivalent to twenty hours per week. Graduate assistants also receive tuition waivers from the universities on a competitive basis. Inquiries about research assistantships should be made to the professor directing an individual research project of interest to the student. Please visit the department website to learn more about individual faculty research. The department chair should be contacted about prospects of teaching assistantships. For other financial and scholarship opportunities, contact the FAMU Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at (850) 599-3730, or online at http://www.famu.edu. Contact the admissions office for application materials. For information on financial assistance contact the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street Rm A129, Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046, phone: (850) 410-6136.
Faculty
The faculty has broad ranging interests and specialties. Faculty members, their rank, degree, and research areas are listed below:
AbdelRazig, Yassir, Professor, Ph.D., Purdue University; Construction Engineering and Management, Infrastructure, Assessment, Computer Applications.
Abichou, Tarek, Professor, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison; Environmental Geotechnics, Geotechnical Engineering, Waste Containment Systems, Groundwater Remediation, Flow in Porous Media.
Chen, Gang, Professor, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, P.E.; Subsurface Transport, Environmental Biotechnology, Surface Chemistry, and Geochemistry.
Juyeong Choi, Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Civil Engineering Purdue University, Infrastructure planning for sustainability and resilience Infrastructure system-of-systems Construction project management Capital rehabilitation planning Pre-demolition planning.
Clark, Clayton, Professor, Ph.D. University of Florida, P.E. Environmental Engineering; Hazardous Waste Management & Contaminant Degradation Site Monitoring & Delineation Water Resources Engineering & Hydrology Environmental & Water Chemistry Remediation of Contaminated Soil and Water Systems Pollutant Transport
Dulebenets, Maxim Assistant Professor, Ph. D., University of Memphis, P.E., Operations Research, Optimization,
Simulation Modeling, Metaheuristics, Hybrid Algorithms, Evolutionary Computation, Transportation Engineering.
Huang, Wenrui, Professor, Ph.D., University of Rhode Island, P.E.; Hydrodynamic and Pollutant Transport of Estuaries and other Surface Water Systems, Hydraulic and Coastal Engineering Analysis.
Jung, Sunmoon, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Structural Engineering; Wind Engineering, Wind Energy, Structural Health Monitoring, Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis
Kampmann, Raphael, Teaching Faculty I, Ph. D., Florida State University, Multi-axial failure behavior of concrete, Construction materials, Destructive test methods
Mtenga, Primus V., Professor, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, P.E.; Structural Systems; Behavior Modeling and Analysis, Wood and Wood Based Structural Components and Structures, Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of Structures, Biocomposites, Structural Mechanics.
Moses, Ren, Professor, Ph.D., Arizona State University, P.E.; Incident Detection and Management Systems, Traffic Operations and Control, Highway Safety Analysis and Remedial Measures, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
Ozguven, Eren, E., Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Rutgers University; Transportation Engineering.
Ping, Wei-Chou Virgil, Professor, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, P.E.; Transportation Design and Materials, Pavement Design and Management, Geotechnical Engineering.
Roddenberry, Michelle, Interim Associate Chair and Associate Professor, Ph.D., Virginia Tech., P.E.; Prestressed Concrete, Segmental Bridges, Bridge Durability and Structural Monitoring.
Sobanjo, John, Professor, Ph.D., Texas A & M University, P.E.; Transportation Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering and Management, Construction Engineering, Computer Applications.
Spainhour, Lisa, Interim Chair and Professor, Ph.D., North Carolina State University, P.E.; Computer Applications in Civil Engineering, Engineering Data Management, Computer Aided Analysis and Design, Composite Materials, Structural Analysis.
Youneng Tang, Assistant Professor, Ph. D., Arizona State University, Biological Processes for Drinking-water Treatment
Biological Processes for Wastewater & Landfill Leachate Treatment & Resource Recovery
Tawfiq, Kamal, Professor, Ph.D., University of Maryland, P.E.; Geotechnical Engineering, Soil Structure Interaction, Dynamic/Nondestructive Testing, Numerical Modeling.
Zhang, Qian, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., University of Michigan; High-performance and multi-functional cementitious materials, Innovative application of advanced materials in structures and infrastructure
Definition of Prefixes
CCE - Civil Engineering Construction CEG - Civil Engineering Geotechnical CES - Civil Engineering Structures CGN - Civil Engineering General
CWR - Civil Engineering Water Resources
ENV - Civil Engineering Environmental
TTE - Civil Engineering Transportation
ProgramsBachelor’s DegreeMaster’s Degree
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