Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 1

Steps to a Doctoral Degree in CEE

[September Start of Degree Progress]
1. Begin planning Doctoral Program with academic advisor [Fall Academic Year 1 (AY1)]
2. Approval of Doctoral Program and admission to general exam through Student Interview
[Fall AY2]
3. Selection of Exam Committee and Scheduling of General Exam Part 2 for April or May AY2
[scheduling done in January AY2]
4. Complete General Exam Part 1 and Part 2 [by end of AY2]
5. Complete Responsible Conduct of Research course [by end of AY2]
6. Formation of Doctoral Thesis Committee following completion of General Exam
7. Approval of Doctoral Research Proposal [by Dec. 31, AY3]
8. Meet regularly [minimum of once per academic year] with Doctoral Thesis Committee
9. Doctoral Degree earned with satisfactory defense of the Ph.D. thesis [AY 5 or 6].

Degree Program, Thesis Supervision and Registration

Doctoral Program
A Doctoral Program in CEE consists of 96 units of graduate level coursework, including a 3-Subject
Core (33-36 units) and one breadth subject. The student should consult their faculty advisor when
preparing their Doctoral Program. The 3-Subject Core reflects core knowledge in the student’s
chosen field, which is tested in Part 1 of the General Exam (below). The three subjects are selected
from an approved list of 4 to 5 subjects within a specific sub-group of CEE. The approved subjects are
included at the end of this document and are also available at https://cee.mit.edu/resources/.

The remainder of the doctoral program consists of graduate subjects that complement the Core. In
addition, the Doctoral Program must include one breadth subject; it is recommended that the CEE
Professional Development Seminar (1.976, 6 units) serve this purpose, and that it be taken in the
second year. The Doctoral Program may incorporate subjects completed during a CEE Master of
Science degree. The Doctoral Program form can be downloaded from the CEE web site
https://cee.mit.edu/resources/.

Thesis Supervision
A student’s thesis supervisor can be 1/MIT CEE Faculty member(s), 2/CEE Senior Research
Scientist/Engineer, 3/ co-advised by a CEE and other MIT faculty member, 4/WHOI Scientist with an
MIT CEE faculty advisor (Joint Program students only). A thesis supervisor is responsible for
certifying and signing the thesis. In the case of co-supervisors, both must certify and sign thesis

Emeritus faculty
Emeritus faculty can be involved in mentorship of graduate students at their discretion, without
compensation. They can serve as co-advisors as long as there is a primary advisor who will provide
funding and who is actively engaged in supervising the student. It is acceptable for emeritus faculty to
serve as PhD committee chair.

For CEE graduate students whose primary research advisor is not affiliated with CEE:
The primary research advisor and the CEE co-advisor share responsibility for ensuring that a student
is meeting CEE program requirements. We recommend that the primary research advisor submit the
grade for 1.THG and participate in the student annual review process. We recommend that the CEE
co-advisor, who we expect to have greater familiarity with CEE degree requirements, be assigned to
approve the student registration up until the student has successfully completed their General Exam,
after which time, the primary advisor outside of CEE may take over approving student registration. We
note that these are general recommendations, but advisor tasks may be re-distributed between the
primary and co-advisor if appropriate to circumstances; in this case we ask that you promptly inform
the Academic Program Office ([email protected])
Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 2

Research Requirement and 1.THG

1.THG is a subject associated with a program of research leading to the writing of a graduate thesis.
Research plays an integral role in the graduate degree, and research effort is tracked through
enrollment in 1.THG. This subject is associated with the laboratory, field, computational, or theoretical
research undertaken by each student working with a faculty advisor in CEE at MIT.

Graduate students are required to register for 1.THG every semester, and as part of this, meet with
their supervisors on a regular basis. If a student is registered only for 1.THG during a term, the
department recommends a load of 48 units. Through enrollment in 1.THG, students are formally
graded on research performance each semester, in accordance with MIT Faculty Rules and
Regulations 2.62.3.
http://facultygovernance.mit.edu/rules-and-regulations

CEE Graduate Student Annual Review of 1.THG

The annual review is an opportunity for (1) advisors to provide formal feedback (both positive and
negative) on student performance and progress toward graduation and (2) for students to discuss their
professional development goals, and to provide positive and negative feedback on their mentoring
needs, and/or group climate. In particular, the questions here are designed to promote self-reflection
and to facilitate an annual conversation between a faculty advisor and a graduate advisee. The annual
review meeting will occur in the spring term, and is associated with the 1.THG grade for that term. The
student and advisor submit a signed form to attest that a meeting has occurred, but the review itself
remains confidential between student and advisor to promote frank feedback and discussion.

General Exam Process

Student Interview [Fall Term AY2]

During the Fall term, second year students are sent an email from the Academic Administrator (Kiley
Clapper) announcing the upcoming Student Interview and requesting them to indicate if they wish to
participate. Students select which of the two interviews, Parsons or Pierce, to attend by contacting the
appropriate Doctoral Program Officer listed below. Approval of the Doctoral Program and admittance
to the General Exam are based on a review of academic and research performance. Students are
expected to have a GPA ≥ 4.5 to be considered for the General Exam. The Student Interview is held
with a group of faculty and research staff, organized by research area (see below).
In advance of the Student Interview, the following should be submitted to one of the following Doctoral
Program Officers:

Prof. Dara Entekhabi – Environmental Science and Engineering, CSE

[email protected]
Prof. Oral Buyukozturk - Mechanics of Materials, Structures, Geomechanics, Systems, CSE
[email protected]

1) A one-page summary of doctoral research written for a general scientific audience. Clearly
enunciate how your research goals and methods will build on the current state of knowledge in
your field and the potential impact of your research on a broader societal issue.
2) The Doctoral Program form with advisor signature. Be sure to keep a copy for your records.
3) A form from the research advisor stating the student’s strengths and weaknesses, and stating
whether, or not, they support admission to the General Exam. If the advisor supports admission to
the General Exam, they should also indicate willingness to supervise the student for the proposed
doctoral work and willingness to provide and/or seek funding necessary for the duration of the
degree. This form is submitted by the faculty advisor to the Academic Program Office.
Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 3

At the interview, the student briefly describes the research they plan to pursue, explaining how the
proposed set of subjects supports their research and career plans. The student will also identify their
breadth class. Faculty may give advice on classes to add or take away from the proposed Doctoral
Program. After the student leaves the room, there is a 5 to 10 minute discussion, beginning with a
reading of the faculty advisor letter. At the end of the discussion, a formal recommendation is made to
admit or decline the student for the General Exam, and the recommendation may include formal
requirements to alter the Doctoral Program.

After the Student Interviews: The Academic Administrator [Kiley Clapper] will confer with the Doctoral
Program Officers to review decisions and recommendations made by the faculty. The Academic
Administrator will 1) send an email (with copy to advisor and Doctoral Program Officer) to the student
with the outcome, admit or decline, and any recommendation by the faculty; and 2) collect signature
for the doctoral program form.

Once the Doctoral Program form has been submitted, students may not change their selection of
Core subjects. Exceptions are rarely permitted, and require approval by the Graduate Program Chair.
The remaining subjects in the Doctoral Program may be altered, with approval from the doctoral
thesis committee. A Petition for Revision of Doctoral Program is available at
https://cee.mit.edu/resources/.

General Exam Part 1 [Core Knowledge]

The General Exam Part 1 tests core knowledge within the selected field of study, as represented by
the 3-Subject Core. To pass General Exam Part 1, the student must receive a grade of A (including
A-) in each of the subjects selected for the Core. The subjects identified in the 3-Subject Core are firm
and rarely are exceptions permitted. In the circumstance where a subject is not offered for two
consecutive academic years and there are no other options within the 3-Subject core list, a
comparable level graduate subject may be substituted with approval from a student’s advisor. The
process for substitution is a memo, that includes the rationale for the substitution and the advisor’s
signature of approval, which is reviewed and approved by the graduate officer and included for review
and discussion for the CEE faculty during the Student Interview.

In the circumstances of a "Significant Disruption" of academic activities where alternate grades (PE,
NE, and IE) are put in affect for relevant core classes (e.g. during covid-19 pandemic), when possible
a memo from the class instructor describing whether the student has mastered the subject material
will be accepted by the department in lieu of official grading. If this is not possible, the student will
have an additional opportunity to complete a written exam.

If the student receives a grade less than A, they have three options: 1) re-take the subject to improve
the grade, 2) retake the final exam of that subject the next time it is offered, or 3) take and pass a
separate written exam. The choice between 2) and 3) is at the discretion of the instructor. If 3) is
chosen, the instructor prepares the written exam. The instructor decides the appropriate length (not to
exceed eight hours) and format of the exam. During the written exam, the student may not request
information from anyone other than the instructor and may not use information from the internet. All
texts used by the student must be cited. The written exam should be completed a minimum of one full
term after the original subject was taken, to allow time to study the material more deeply and improve
understating. If the instructor is not a member of CEE and declines to provide a question, a CEE
faculty or Senior Research Staff in the appropriate area will write the exam.
Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 4

General Exam Part 2 [Research Aptitude]

This exam tests the following skills. First, can the student formulate a research question, set out a
plan of research, and interpret the results. Second, can the student clearly present and defend this
research. Third, does the student have sufficient understanding of the field to answer a broad range of
questions and to comment on relevant literature. The research presented by the student can be drawn
from their SM or MEng thesis, their current RA at MIT, or research conducted as part of a previous
position. The research must be in the same field as the subgroup core listed in the Doctoral Program.

Part 2 of the General Exam must be completed by the end of the fourth academic term. In most
cases, this exam occurs in April or May of AY2. Students should consult their research advisors when
choosing the members of the evaluation committee (see requirements below). Your Part 2 general
exam committee should be similar or identical to the thesis committee. Students must submit the Part
2 Schedule Form [available at https://cee.mit.edu/resources/] before the beginning of the term in
which the exam will be held, which is the end of January for exams on April/May of AY2.

The exam has three components.

1) A written document describing research completed.
2) A review of a relevant publication chosen by your advisor. The paper will be assigned one week
before the presentation meeting.
3) A 30-minute oral presentation of research completed with significant questioning from committee.

Research Paper
The research paper should have a maximum of 10 pages, single-spaced, with 12-pt font and should
review research done to date. The page limit includes figures, but not references. Students may ask
their advisor for advice in the preparation of this document. Students may also get assistance from
MIT’s Writing and Communication Center, http://writing.mit.edu/wcc and the CEE Communications
Lab, https://mitcommlab.mit.edu/cee/. The following elements must be included:

Abstract - A concise summary of the motivation, research objectives, methods, and key results. A
person unfamiliar with the topic should be able to understand the abstract.
Introduction – [≈ 2 pages] At least one paragraph should be written for a general audience, clearly
enunciating why someone outside your field should care about this work. The introduction
should also contain a detailed literature review that explains how your research done to date
is related to previous research in the field and what your research will add to the larger body
of research. Finally, the introduction should clearly state the short- and long- terms goals of
the work, connecting to a broad engineering or societal problem that motivates the work.
Methods – Describe and defend your methods, including your assessment of uncertainty. Include
citations of previous applications of the method.
Results - Describe specific results, including a careful explanation of the uncertainty.
Discussion - Compare and contrast the results with other studies, including citations. Explain how
you have addressed the technical questions and long-term applications mentioned in the
methods and introduction.

The student distributes the research report to their committee a minimum of one week before the
presentation. The student should inquire whether each committee member prefers a pdf or hard copy,
and deliver the preferred format.
Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 5

Review of a Relevant Publication

Your advisor, in consultation with the GE2 committee, will select a single journal publication in your
field. It may be a seminal paper from years ago or a new paper. It should not be longer than 20 pages
and cannot be too broad, e.g. no general reviews of the field, nor should it be written by a member of
the committee. You should be prepared to informally discuss the paper (no slides), focusing on a set
of 2 to 4 questions that will be provided by the committee when the paper is assigned. The questions
may include some of the following, or they may be more specific to the paper. Please prepare for the
paper review on your own.

What is the most important result and why is it significant?

What is the value of the paper to the broader field?
What are the limitations of the work and results presented?
What is the most significant uncertainty and how could it be reduced?
How do the results of this paper relate to your research?
Please show the full derivation of equation (5).
Are all of the conclusions justified by the results?
Are the boundary conditions realistic?
Explain in physical (chemical, biological) terms why the relationship shown in Figure 7 makes
sense, or does not make sense.
How does this paper challenge the existing theory regarding _________ ?
Propose a new research question or hypothesis that expands on the work presented in this paper,
i.e. where would you go next? Defend your choice.

Oral Presentation Meeting

The student should schedule the committee meeting for 2 hours. The Chair of the Committee, who will
be sent specific instructions before the meeting, runs the meeting. The student will begin by informally
presenting their response to the question(s) posed by the committee regarding the paper chosen for
review (see Review of a Relevant Publication above). The student should not prepare slides for this
response. Necessary visuals or equations can be sketched on the black board. Committee members
may ask questions for clarification or to go into further depth. After twenty to thirty minutes, the
committee chair will end this discussion and instruct the student to begin their research presentation
on work done to date. The student should plan a 30-minute presentation, but the actual presentation
will take longer as faculty will interrupt with questions. The committee members are expected to have
read the report and come prepared with questions. The committee members should push questions to
the point at which the student says, “I don’t know”. The student should not be afraid of saying, “I don’t
know”. It is at this point that the real scientific discourse begins, an exchange of ideas that provides a
learning experience for the student. It is important to note that the research advisor is encouraged to
ask questions, but he/she should not answer questions. This is a test of the student's understanding
and research ability, not a test of the advisor’s research ideas. The GE oral presentation also serves
as a practice for the student in preparation for their thesis proposal, which has a similar format, and is
distinct in topic as it will talk about future research.

Evaluation Committee for General Exam Part 2

The evaluation committee for Part 2 is comprised of three MIT faculty or senior research staff,
including the student’s thesis advisor. The committee must have a minimum of two faculty or Senior
Research Staff in CEE. In many cases this group will become the Doctoral Thesis Committee. The
chair of the evaluation committee must be a faculty member or Senior Research Staff in CEE and
cannot be the thesis advisor. The student invites the committee members and includes their names
on the Part 2 Schedule Form. After the form is submitted, one additional CEE faculty member from
outside the core area will be assigned. The role of the outside person is to promote active
questioning, especially on a basic level. The goal is to test the student’s ability to answer questions in
a way that a non-expert will understand.
Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 6

General Exam Part 2 Outcomes

After the exchange of questions and ideas has finished, or at 1hr 40 min, whichever comes sooner,
the committee chair will ask the student to leave and wait nearby. The faculty advisor will be given a
few minutes to add their perspective on the student’s performance that day, on the student’s broader
research ability, and any specific requirements for the student. The committee chooses one of the
following outcomes, which must be communicated with the student immediately following the meeting.

1) Pass with no additional requirements (may include minor changes to paper)

2) Re-take (may include additional requirements as noted below)
3) Fail with no option to retake (only if this is a second attempt)

Additional requirements could include any activity that the committee feels will improve on a perceived
deficiency in core knowledge or research skill. Here are some examples:
Repeat a class as a listener to strengthen weakness in fundamental knowledge
Write a detailed review of a particular experimental method or paper
Take a public speaking course
Meet with writing center staff to go over research paper
Do a more complete literature search
Re-write a section of the research paper
Complete additional analyses on the data presented in the paper

The student is informed of the outcome directly after the meeting. In addition, the outcome is officially
recorded by the Committee Chair with the General Exam Part 2 form [available at
https://cee.mit.edu/resources/] that is downloaded by the student and completed and submitted by the
Committee Chair via the CEE Program Form Submission Jot Form. The submission link can be found
on the resources page of the CEE website, or alternatively, sent to the Academic Programs Office
([email protected]) signed by the Committee Chair with a cc in email to the entire committee. A copy
is also provided to the student.

Completion of any additional requirements will be monitored by the faculty advisor and communicated
to the Academic Administrator (Kiley Clapper) when completed.

Thesis Proposal and Annual Committee Meetings

Doctoral Thesis Committee and Approval of Doctoral Research Proposal

After passing Part 1 and Part 2 of the General Exam (typically at end of AY2), the student forms a
Doctoral Thesis Committee and within one academic term schedules a defense of Doctoral
Research Proposal, i.e. typically by the end of Fall Term AY3. The Doctoral Thesis Committee
consists of a minimum of three MIT faculty or Senior Research Staff, including a minimum of two of
faculty or Senior Research Staff from CEE. The committee may have the same membership as the
Part 2 Evaluation Committee. If appropriate, the student may invite members from outside MIT. The
student invites one committee member to be the Chair. The Chair must be a faculty or Senior
Research Staff in CEE and cannot be the student’s advisor. Once the Thesis Committee is formed,
the student prepares a Research Proposal and schedules a date to present the proposal orally to the
Doctoral Thesis Committee. The proposed research must be in the field defined by the student’s Core
area. The objectives of the research should be prepared with guidance from the advisor. Because
most doctoral research is funded by projects developed by the advisor, it may need to meet specific
benchmarks. The proposed work must accommodate these constraints. The necessary components
are given below. The oral presentation is 45 minutes, followed by 45 minutes of questions.
Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 7

Required Components in the Research Thesis Proposal

The thesis proposal should be a maximum of 15-pages of single-spaced, 12-point font. The
document should be written by the student. Faculty advisors may review one draft and provide
feedback. Figures are included in the page count, but references are not. The following sections must
be included.

Abstract - A ½ to 1-page summary of the topic, the objectives/hypotheses to be achieved/tested,

and the methods. The abstract should be written for a general scientific audience, i.e. a person
unfamiliar with the topic should understand what is being proposed and why it is important.
Introduction - The goal of this section is to motivate the research. Convince the reader why the
project is important. The following progression is recommended. Introduce the topic and
explain the broad engineering or societal problem that motivates the work. The introduction
should contain a detailed literature review that explains how your research is related to
previous research and what your research will add to the larger body of research. Identify
knowledge gaps and connect proposed research to the state of understanding in the literature.
Objectives and Hypotheses - Clearly state the research question to be answered and/or
hypotheses to be tested and support it by explaining the logic that led to it. Preliminary data
may be used as support.
Proposed Research - Describe the methods in detail, explaining how each research question will
be answered and/or how each hypothesis will be tested. Include a timeline to demonstrate that
the proposed work is feasible within the duration of a PhD degree. Describe specific expected
results, and clearly explain how these results 1) address the original research question and 2)
connect to the broad engineering or societal problem that motivated the work.

Defense of Thesis Proposal to Doctoral Thesis Committee

At least 10 days prior to the proposal defense, the student e-mails the written proposal to the
committee members with a final schedule of when and where the presentation will take place. After
submitting the proposal to the committee, the candidate should neither solicit nor expect to receive
feedback from any of the committee members, including the advisor, prior to the presentation. On the
day of the proposal defense, the student downloads the Record of Approval of Doctoral Thesis
Research, which is available at https://cee.mit.edu/resources/ and shares with the Committee Chair.

During and after the oral presentation, the Committee members ask questions related to the
presentation, to the written proposal, and to the general topic of the proposed research. The
Committee should raise questions about the motivation, novelty, potential impact, and feasibility. The
research advisor is encouraged to ask questions, but should not answer questions. This is a test of
the student's understanding and research ability. It is not a test of the advisor.

At the end of the question period, the student is asked to leave the room while the Committee,
including the advisor, evaluates the candidate’s performance in these areas: quality of written
presentation, quality of oral presentation, technical quality and novelty of proposed research,
feasibility within duration of degree, and ability to respond to questions. The possible outcomes are:

1) Approved

2) Modification required as specified by the committee. Committee must provide detailed feedback
and timeline for re-submission of proposal.

The Committee Chair records the outcome and any specific requirements for alteration and collects
the signatures on the form Record of Approval of Doctoral Thesis Research.
Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 8

The Committee Chair shares the form with the student who then uploads the completed form with a
pdf of the thesis proposal via the CEE Program Form Submission Jot Form found on the resources
page: https://cee.mit.edu/resources/, or sent to the Academic Programs Office ([email protected])
signed by the Committee Chair with a cc in email to the entire committee, and provides a copy to the
student.

After the approval of the thesis proposal, the student schedules regular meetings with the doctoral
committee to demonstrate progress and receive feedback. Two meetings per year are recommended,
and a minimum of one meeting per year is required. The committee chair may require additional
meetings in response to significant problems or changes in research direction. The Committee Chair
must bring the form, Record of Doctoral Thesis Committee Meeting, which is available at
https://cee.mit.edu/resources/. After the meeting, the Committee Chair should secure the committee’s
signatures and submit the signed form to the CEE Academic Programs Office (1-290) via the CEE
Program Form Submission Jot Form found on the resources page: https://cee.mit.edu/resources/, or
sent to the Academic Programs Office ([email protected]) signed by the Committee Chair with a cc in
email to the entire committee. The minimum requirement of one meeting per year is assessed at each
CEE Grades Meeting (January and May) based on the forms on file at the Academic Programs Office.

Defense and Thesis Submission

Approaching the Defense of a Doctoral Thesis – Green Light Meeting

One or two months before the anticipated doctoral defense date, the student must convene a final
committee meeting, called the Green Light meeting, usually around 90 minutes in length. The student
presents an outline of the full thesis, highlighting results from each chapter, indicating papers
published, in review or in prep, and lays out a timeline for completion. They may then spend time
discussing new results (since last committee meeting) and the plan for uncompleted work prior to the
defense. The committee will provide their opinion of what is the weakest component of the work and
what they foresee as possible stumbling blocks for completion. The committee will then decide
whether to approve the outline, which allows the student to schedule the thesis defense. If the
committee approves the work, they will sign the Green Light Thesis Committee Meeting form
[available at https://cee.mit.edu/resources/], which is submitted via the CEE Program Form
Submission Jot Form found on the resources page: https://cee.mit.edu/resources/, or sent to the
Academic Programs Office ([email protected]) signed by the Committee Chair with a cc in email to
the entire committee. Once this form has been received, the student can schedule the doctoral
defense.

Checklist for Doctoral Thesis

MIT has specific guidelines for writing and formatting your thesis. Please follow them closely.
https://libraries.mit.edu/archives/thesis-specs/

MIT has three degree-granting cycles per year: February, May and September. Several months
prior to the defense date, the student should register to be on the appropriate degree list, by going to
student.mit.edu; selecting “online degree application,” and following the instructions. Once this
registration is complete, the Academic Administrator will send the student an email outlining the steps
to complete the degree and organize the thesis defense within the timeline required for the selected
degree-granting cycle.

Preparing for and Scheduling your Defense

The doctoral defense must occur a minimum two weeks prior to the department’s thesis
submission deadline. The date changes each year, so the student must check with the Academic
Administrator to find out the date for a particular degree list. The first draft of the thesis must be
sent to the committee two weeks before the scheduled defense date. At least 10 days prior to the
defense date the student should communicate the date, time and location to the Academic
Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 9

Administrator and fill out the abstract template, which is available from the Academic Administrator.
The student should also send a pdf copy of the thesis draft to be shared with the CEE faculty prior
to the defense.

Planning the Public Presentation.

The thesis defense has two components, a public presentation and a closed session with the thesis
committee. The entire thesis committee must attend the defense, either in person or remotely via
web-conferencing. The public presentation should be 40 minutes long and have a ten minute
questions period at the end. The student should encourage lab- and classmates to attend the public
presentation. The public presentation must accommodate a broad audience, with an Introduction
that is understandable to a general audience (including family members), but with other sections
demonstrating technical depth that may only be accessible to people within the field. After the
public presentation is completed, the audience is asked to leave, so that the closed session can
begin. The closed session will range from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours long. A Record of Successful
Defense form [available at https://cee.mit.edu/resources/] should be submitted by the Chair of the
Committee to the Academic Program Office following the defense via the CEE Program Form
Submission Jot Form found on the resources page: https://cee.mit.edu/resources/, or sent to the
Academic Programs Office ([email protected]) signed by the Committee Chair with a cc in email to
the entire committee.

To book a room, the student should work with the administrative assistants in Pierce or Parsons.
We suggest a reservation of 3 hours – with a start time 15 to 20 minutes before the scheduled
defense start time and an end time 15 to 20 minutes past the projected meeting end.

Publicizing the Defense Date

The student should make flyers publicizing the defense. The flyer should include the student’s
name, the title and abstract of the thesis, the thesis supervisor’s name, and the date, time and
location of the defense. We strongly encourage the inclusion of interesting images. The abstract
should be no more than 350 words. Once the flyer is completed, the student should send a pdf to
the Academic Administrator, who will distribute the announcement electronically to the CEE
community. In addition, the student should print 11 copies and post 5 in Parsons, using the public
bulletin space in the hallways and kitchen, and 5 in Pierce, using the public bulletin space in the
hallways and lounge, and drop one off in 1-290.

Submitting the Thesis to the Academic Programs Office

The committee will usually request edits to the written document. Once the edits have been
completed, the student submits two copies of the thesis printed on acid-neutral or archival bond paper
and signed by the advisor(s). The final copies must be submitted by 5 pm on the department’s
deadline, which is provided by the academic administrator. The academic administrator will retrieve
the signature of the Chair of the Graduate Education Committee, so the student need not contact
him/her directly. The copies must be unbound but secured between heavy cardboard covers with a
binder clip. The front cardboard cover of each thesis copy should feature a photocopy of the top half
of the thesis signature page (from the copyright up), which can be simply taped or glued on.

Important Notes on Thesis Completion

• All thesis content must be present in draft form prior to the defense. When a PhD document is
sent to the department to circulate two weeks in advance of the defense, the APO will verify
that all the chapters listed in the Table of Contents are present in the document. If not, the
APO will follow up with student and advisor.
• When the final thesis is submitted to the department:
Doctoral Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering [updated 2020] 10

o the APO will issue a receipt (with carbon copy kept in the department), signed by both
the student and the recipient
o the final thesis will be secured until it is submitted to the MIT libraries
• No substantive changes can be made to the final thesis after it is submitted to the department.
Only minor modification (e.g. replacing a single page with an incorrect figure) will be
considered prior to submitting the thesis it the MIT library, and must be approved by the
Graduate Officer.
• The student’s graduate appointment will be terminated on the day of their thesis submission.
o Prorated tuition and fees are available to graduate students who complete their thesis
early. The APO will notify the Registrar that the student is leaving early, and the
Registrar will adjust the tuition or fee amount.

Congratulations!!
We look forward to the hooding ceremony and graduation to celebrate. Please let us know what is
next by filling out the Graduate Student Exit Form: http://cee.mit.edu/graduate/exitform
 11

Appendix A :: 3-Subject Core

The 3-Subject Core reflects core knowledge in the student’s chosen field, which is tested in Part 1 of the
General Exam. The subjects are selected from an approved list within one of the following sub-groups.
All three subjects must come from the same core list.
Engineering Physics for Urban Systems [choose three, at least two from CEE]
1.204 Computer Modeling: From Human Mobility to Transportation Networks
1.631 Fluid Dynamics and Disease
1.57 Mechanic of Materials: An Energy Approach
4.433 Modeling Urban Energy Flows for Sustainable Cities and Neighborhoods (Offered every other year)
8.333 Statistical Mechanics I

Environmental Chemistry [choose three, at least two from CEE]

1.76 Aquatic Chemistry (Offered every other year)
1.83 Environmental Organic Chemistry
1.84 Atmospheric Chemistry
1.841 Atmospheric Composition and Global Change (Offered every other year)
1.727 Surface Water Ecosystems: Biogeochemistry and Chemical Transport (Not offered regularly)
EPS 236: Environmental Modeling (Harvard Class)

Environmental Fluid Mechanics [choose three, at least two from CEE]

2.25 Fluid Mechanics
1.63 Advanced Fluid Mechanics
1.69 Introduction to Coastal Engineering (Offered every other year) or 1.685 Nonlinear Dynamics and Waves
(Offered every other year) or 1.138 Wave Propagation (Offered every other year)
1.72 Groundwater Hydrology
1.61 Transport Processes in the Environment

Environmental Microbiology
1.87 Microbial Genetics and Evolution
1.89 Earth’s Microbiomes (Offered every other year)
and one of the following:
1.871 Computational Ecology (Not offered regularly)
6.874 Computational Systems Biology
7.492[J] Methods and Problems in Microbiology

Ecology and Evolution [choose three, at least two from CEE]

1.871 Computational Ecology (Not offered regularly)
1.873 Ecological Dynamics and Modeling
1.837 Resilience of Living Systems to Environmental Change (Offered every other year)
8.591 Systems Biology
12.849 Mechanisms and Models of the Global Carbon Cycle or 12.586 Modeling Environmental Complexity
HST.508 Evolutionary and Quantitative Genomics

Hydrology [choose three]

1.72 Groundwater Hydrology
1.714 Surface Hydrology (Offered every other year)
1.731 Water Resource Systems
1.723 Computational Methods for Flow in Porous Media (Offered every other year)

Geotechnics / Geomechanics
1.361 Advanced Soil Mechanics and two of the following:
1.364 Advanced Geotechnical Engineering
1.38 Engineering Geology
1.72 Groundwater Hydrology
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Mechanics and Materials [choose three, one from each concentration, at least one from CEE]
Concentration 1: Fundamentals
1.581 Structural Dynamics
1.535 Mechanics of Materials
1.S979 Solid Mechanics
Concentration 2: Computation
1.001 Engineering Computation and Data Science
1.545 Atomistic Modeling and Simulation of Materials and Structures
2.098 Introduction to Finite Element Methods for Partial Differential Equations (next offered Spring 2023)
Concentration 3: Specialization
1.541 Mechanics and Design of Concrete Structures
2.074 Solid Mechanics: Elasticity
1.361 Advanced Soil Mechanics
3.36 Cellular Solids: Structure, Properties, Application
1.583 Topology Optimization of Structures

Systems Engineering
Select one course each from two different methods
Probability and Statistics: 6.436, 1.203, 6.431
Optimization: 15.093, 15.081
Machine Learning: 6.883 or 15.077 (or 6.867 with permission of research advisor)
Select one of the following CEE domain subjects
1.208 Resilient Networks 1.271 Supply Chain
1.202 Demand Modeling 1.731 Water Systems
1.260 Logistics Systems 1.001 Eng Computation and Data Science

Computational Science and Engineering [CSE/CEE]

for students enrolled in the CSE PhD program in the Center for Computational Engineering (CCE) and residing in
CEE; or for students entering the CEE PhD program after completing the CSE SM program from the CCE.

Systems Engineering
Select one course each from two different methods
Probability and Statistics: 6.436, 1.203, 6.431
Optimization: 15.093, 15.081
Machine Learning: 6.883 or 15.077 (or 6.867 with permission of research advisor)
Select one of the following CEE domain subjects
1.208 Resilient Networks 1.271 Supply Chain
1.202 Demand Modeling 1.731 Water Systems
1.260 Logistics Systems 1.001 Eng Computation and Data Science

Software Systems in CSE/CEE [choose three]

1.125 Arch & Eng. Software Sys - CSE approved Subject
1.001 Engineering Computation and Data Science
6.255 Optimization Methods
6.337J Introduction to Numerical Methods - CSE approved Subject

Flow Models in CSE/CEE [choose three]

1.208 Resilient Infrastructure Networks

1.723 Computational Methods for Flow in Porous Media (Offered every other year)
2.097 Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations – CSE approved Subject
2.096 Intro to Numerical Simulation – CSE approved Subject

Computational Science for Resource Engineering CSE/CEE [choose three]

1.723 Computational Methods for Flow in Porous Media (Offered every other year)
1.545 Atomistic Modeling and Simulation of Materials and Structures. (Not offered regularly)
1.125 Architecting and Engineering Software Systems - CSE approved Subject
6.337 Introduction to Numerical Methods - CSE approved Subject
2.096 Introduction to Numerical Simulation – CSE approved Subject
 13

Appendix B ::General Overview of Administrative Requirements for the Doctoral Degree

Transfer Credit
Up to 24 units of graduate credit taken outside MIT may be transferred to the CEE Doctoral Program.
All transfer credits must be related to the core research area, and cannot be counted as your breadth.
The Graduate Education Committee approves transfer credits. To request transfer units, submit the
following to the Academic Program Office: 1) syllabus, 2) one or more assignments, 3) transcript, 4) a
statement that explains how the course is related to your research core, and 5) approval from your
advisor (an email is fine). This package must be submitted to the Academic Program Office within 2
weeks of the start of the Fall semester of your second year.

Application for Bridge Funding

Bridge funding is one semester of financial support (stipend+tuition) intended to support a graduate
student’s transition from one research group to another to complete their PhD. This funding is not
guaranteed, and is allocated on an individual basis. Students who would like to be considered for bridge
funding must be in good academic standing. Bridge funding is primarily made available to students
aiming to transition research groups prior to their thesis proposal. To initiate such a request please
make an appointment with the Academic Administrator.

Form Submission Instructions

Students are responsible for filling out and acquiring signatures for the Doctoral Program Form and
also the General Exam Part 2 scheduling form.

For the following forms the Committee Chair is responsible for acquiring signatures and submitting to
the Academic Programs Office [full instructions on the forms]:
- General Exam Part 2 Completion Form,
- Record of Approval for the Doctoral Thesis Research Proposal,
- Record of Doctoral Thesis Committee Meeting,
- Record of Doctoral Thesis Green Light Meeting,
- Record of Doctoral Dissertation Defense

All forms can be downloaded and submitted from this page: cee.mit.edu/resources

Summer Tuition Subsidy

Graduate students who are enrolled in a research degree program and who are not taking subjects or
are registered as a listener are eligible to have their summer tuition subsidized from Institute general
funds.

The subsidy applies to new or continuing graduate students in normal resident status during the
preceding spring term, and who are only registered for thesis or pre-thesis research credit during the
summer.

Some key points to remember:

• Graduate students who register for other summer subjects will be charged tuition on a per unit
basis up to the maximum tuition.
• Students registering for summer internship subjects are not eligible for the tuition subsidy and
will be charged the per unit rate, up to a maximum of four units.
• Be sure to confirm with your advisor before registering for any summer subjects.

Tuition rates can be found here: https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/tuition-fees/graduate

 14
Appendix C :: Responsible Conduct of Research

Responsible Conduct of Research

Each PhD student is required to complete MIT’s online course on the Responsible Conduct of
Research within the first two years, i.e. by Spring term of AY2. If you are paid on an NSF grant, you
are required to complete the course within 60 days of being assigned to the grant. You can access the
course from this web site and following the instructions below. You will need an MIT certificate.

http://osp.mit.edu/compliance/responsible-conduct-research/take-training

1. At the top of the page, click on “Take the Training””

2. From there select “I don’t have a CITI Program account and I need to create one.”.

3. Click on “Create a New CITI Program Account”

4. Select “View Courses”

 15
5. Select “Add a Course”

6. Go to question 4 and select “RCR for Engineers”

7. Complete the Integrity Assurance Statement before beginning the course.

8. Once you have completed the course (10 modules with 80% or better on the individual quizzes)
send a screen shot of your completion report to the Academic Programs Office ([email protected])