CEE-PHD - Civil and Environmental Engineering (PhD)

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Stanford conducts fundamental and applied research to advance the civil and environmental engineering professions, educate future academic and industry leaders, and prepare students for careers in professional practice. Civil and environmental engineers work to protect and sustain the natural environment while creating and maintaining a resilient, sustainably built environment. Civil and environmental engineers are essential to providing the necessities of human life, including water, air, shelter, infrastructure, and energy, in increasingly more efficient and renewable ways. Combining rigorous coursework with novel research mentored by Stanford faculty, the PhD program enables students to develop as independent intellectual leaders working at the interfaces between engineering and sustainability.

Applications require online submission of the application form and statement of purpose, followed by three letters of recommendation and transcripts of all courses taken at colleges and universities. See https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/. Further details for each of the programs in the department are available on the department website.  See: https://cee.stanford.edu/. 

All PhD students in CEE who are in good standing relative to their PhD program requirements are funded to the department’s PhD standard. This funding is at least equivalent to Stanford’s 20-hour-RA salary plus tuition to cover the department’s required enrollment (summer enrollment requirements vary by department. It is 3 units over summer for CEE PhDs). Arranging for this funding is the responsibility of the department and the faculty PhD advisor, and can include fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships.

Often, our PhD students apply for and may receive individual fellowships which can reduce the department’s or advisor’s cost of funding. In these cases, the guarantee of funding to the student will include the fellowship award and additional support from the department/advisor to reach the department-standard level. For educational purposes, departments and advisors may encourage their students to apply for such fellowships and provide resources to strengthen their applications; however, no department or faculty member may require students to obtain external individual funding or to “self-fund” as a condition of admission, entry to or continuation in the Ph.D.

Applying for the PhD Program as a Current MS or Engineer Degree Student  
If you are a current MS or Engineer student at Stanford and wish to continue study for the PhD, you must submit a new application for the program through the Stanford application system in the fall quarter, which will be considered alongside all other applications. Details for how to apply can be found on the Civil & Environmental Engineering website.