DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE (Ph.D.)
A graduate student is awarded by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering a doctorate
degree completing the required course of study and successfully defending and writing her/his Ph.D.
thesis, as described in detail below. Depending on the research area of the student’s thesis, the student
is awarded either a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, or a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering. The
maximum duration allowed for completion of the Ph.D. degree is set by the university regulations.

Admission to the Ph.D. Program
The applicants to the Ph.D. program must possess the equivalent of a B.S. or a M.Sc. degree in Civil
and/or Environmental Engineering, or in a related field of science or engineering, from the University
of Cyprus or other accredited university.
The candidates must submit a formal application to the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering within the announced time limits. The application to the Ph.D. program consists of:
• A standard application form, completed with comprehensive information about the applicant’s
background, past performance and other qualifications;
• A statement of purpose detailing the applicant’s motivation, goals and objectives, plans for an
intended focus area and expectations from the doctoral studies;
• Letters of recommendation by qualified individuals familiar with the applicant’s past work and
future promise;
• Other supportive documentation as evidence of the applicant’s qualifications.
All applications are evaluated by the Graduate Committee of the CEE Department which makes
suggestions to the Council of the Department for final approval of the selected candidates. The
applicants to the Ph.D. program are selected according to the following criteria, while the CEE
Department reserves its right to fill only as many announced graduate student positions as the
Department considers being appropriate:
• Quality of the applicant’s background in breadth and depth, and past performance in his/her
undergraduate or graduate studies
• Indications of ability for original and innovative research in the proposed area of study
• Relevance of the proposed field of research to the interests of the department, the university
and the society
• Availability of graduate positions in the doctoral program and the necessary infrastructure
and resources to support the proposed doctoral work
• Knowledge of the English language is required for admission to the doctoral program.

Academic Advising
Upon admission to the Ph.D. program and before the first day of registration, each doctoral student is
assigned or may select a temporary advisor among the faculty of the CEE department to arrange an
academic plan covering the first semester of study.
Prior to registering for subsequent semesters, the doctoral student must identify a permanent
dissertation advisor who agrees to assume the role of academic advisor, and with whom a suitable
dissertation topic and the remaining plan of study are arranged. Prior to submitting a dissertation
proposal the student with his/her academic advisor must form a dissertation committee with at least
three members. The dissertation committee consists of the dissertation advisor, at least one other
faculty member from the CEE Department; at least one other member. Other members can be faculty
from the CEE Department or other departments, from other accredited institutions or programs, or
other qualified experts holding a Ph.D. degree or equivalent. The committee members should be
selected because of their abilities to assist in the student’s dissertation research.
The schedule of advising is as follows:
• Temporary advisor – meets with student prior to first registration to plan first semester of
study.
• Dissertation advisor – selected by student prior to registering for subsequent semesters.
• Dissertation committee – formed by the student and his advisor prior to submitting a
dissertation proposal and consists of three members: the dissertation advisor, at least one more
CEE faculty, and at least one other member.
This schedule ensures that students are well advised and actively engaged in research at the
early stages of their program.

Course of Study
The program of studies at the University of Cyprus is based on the European Credit Transfer and
Accumulation System (ECTS). The ECTS is a student-centered system based on the student workload
required to achieve the objectives of a program by attaching credits to its components.
The course of study leading to the Ph.D. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering
requires the completion of a minimum of 240 ECTS units beyond the Bachelors degree, or 150 ECTS
units beyond the Masters degree. For students proceeding directly from B.S. to Ph.D., the 240 ECTS
units should be distributed as follows:
- Coursework: total of 48 ECTS units
- Graduate courses in CEE (related to the Ph.D. thesis): 30 ECTS units
- Graduate course in/outside of CEE: 18 ECTS units
- Thesis research (CEE 690): 160 ECTS units
- A combination of at least two of the following: 32 ECTS units
- Additional coursework
- Graduate seminar (CEE 610)
- Independent Studies (CEE 650)
TOTAL: 240 ECTS units
Although the student has the flexibility to distribute (in consultation with her/his advisor) the
last 32 ECTS units, as shown above, in either case, the result of the thesis research (CEE 690) must be
a completed Ph.D. thesis.
Students who have joined the doctoral program after successfully completing a relevant M.Sc.
program can be credited with:
- up to 24 ECTS units from graduate courses to count towards the required 48 ECTS units of
the coursework,
- up to 24 ECTS units from graduate research directly related to the Ph.D. dissertation to count
towards the required 160 ECTS units of the thesis research, and/or
- up to 12 ECTS units from additional coursework or dissertation research to count towards the
required 32 ECTS units of the relevant combination
ECTS units for previously completed graduate work are credited only after approval by the
Graduate Committee of the CEE Department, following a justified petition by the student, signed by
his/her academic advisor.
Students should select, in consultation with their advisors, the courses that will help them in the
completion of their Ph.D. thesis, and the course selection must be approved by the CEE Department.
Coursework eligible for the Ph.D. program should include graduate courses. However, undergraduate
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courses or/and courses outside the CEE (in addition to the 6 ECTS units permitted) can only be
acceptable after prior approval by the CEE Department, following a justified petition by the student,
signed by his/her academic advisor. In order to count towards the Ph.D. program requirements, the
Graduate Committee of the CEE Department must approve the petition before the student registers for
the respective courses.

Ph.D. Thesis
An original research study and a thesis are required for the Ph.D. degree. The subject of the student’s
research is chosen in consultation with his/her advisor. The proposal must be made within a year of
after admission to candidacy, and at least one year before the intended date of defense.
Upon written approval of the proposal by the advisor, the Department will appoint a thesis
committee which will consist of the student’s advisor and two additional faculty members with related
research interests. The student’s advisor will be the chairperson and coordinator of the thesis
committee. Midway towards the completion of his/her research the student must submit a progress
report to the committee members for feedback. Upon successful completion of his/her research the
student must write an appropriate thesis and submit a draft to the committee for feedback.
When the thesis is complete, the student must present his/her work in front of an open
audience. This audience can be the graduate seminar attendees if time permits or a wider attendance.
After the presentation, the student must defend his/her work to the thesis committee in a closed door
session. If the defense is satisfactory, the thesis committee will sign the thesis and submit two original
copies, one for the Department records and one for the Library. An electronic version of the thesis in
PDF format will also be submitted for the Department records and for dissemination.

Qualifying Examination
Admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. program is granted when the student has satisfactorily
passed a qualifying examination, intended to measure fundamental ability and knowledge in civil or
environmental engineering as well as specialized knowledge and understanding of the intended
research area. The responses to the examination are evaluated by the departmental graduate
committee.
For students in the B.S.-to-Ph.D. program, the qualifying examination must be taken no later
than three academic semesters after the student enrolled in the Ph.D. program. For students in the
M.Sc.-to Ph.D. program, the qualifying examination must be taken no later than two academic
semesters after the student enrolled in the Ph.D. program. In case of failure, the student is allowed to
repeat the entire qualifying examination one more time, in the same or different curriculum areas, at a
date mutually agreed between the graduate committee and the student’s advisor. The dates and details
of the qualifying examination procedure can be obtained from the CEE department secretary.
If a doctoral student is not admitted to candidacy or if a candidate withdraws from the Ph.D.
program, he/she may submit a written petition for admission in the M.Sc. program in Civil and
Environmental Engineering, and for transfer of credit received for his/her doctoral course and research
work to the M.Sc. program. This petition must be submitted while the student is still enrolled in the
university, and is reviewed by the CEE graduate committee, that decides on its acceptance or rejection,
as well as on the amount of doctoral work credit transferable to the M.Sc. program if appropriate. If
accepted to the M.Sc. program, the student must complete all requirements of this program in order to
be awarded the M.Sc. degree.

Dissertation Proposal
Each doctoral student must prepare a brief written proposal of his/her intended doctoral research, and
make a comprehensive oral presentation on the proposed work, that demonstrates a sound
understanding of the dissertation topic, the relevant literature, the techniques to be employed, the
issues to be addressed, and the work done on the topic by the student to date.
The proposal must be made within a year after admission to candidacy, and at least one year
before the intended date of defense. Both the written proposal and oral presentation are presented to
the dissertation committee and a representative from the CEE graduate committee. The written
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proposal must be handed to dissertation committee and the graduate committee representative at least
one week before the oral presentation. The prepared portion of the oral presentation should not exceed
30 minutes, and 90 minutes should be allowed for discussion. If the dissertation committee and the
graduate committee representative have concerns about either the substance of the proposal or the
student’s understanding of the topic, then the student will have one month to prepare a second
presentation that focuses on the areas of concern. This presentation will last 15 minutes with an
additional 45 minutes that are allowed for discussion. Students can continue their research only if the
proposal is approved.

Doctoral Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation must address current and valid scientific and/or technical issue(s) primarily
by fundamental research, leading to the creation of new scientific and/or engineering knowledge
previously unavailable to the scholarly community. Applied research and development aspects,
leading to a prototype or an application of this basic research, may also be included as a secondary
component of the dissertation. The fundamental research aspects must be novel and original, and of
the highest scholarly standards, qualifying it as acceptable for publication in international academic
journals.
The intellectual merit of the dissertation must be based on significant research findings by the
doctoral candidate, distinguished clearly from the work of others, testifying to the candidate’s personal
contribution and scholarship, and acknowledging support by others in or outside the University. In
addition, the broader impacts of the research must also be highlighted in the dissertation, in terms of
opening new scientific or engineering areas or issues, and generating new technical applications and
innovations. Broader impacts also must be indicated in promoting learning innovation, education at all
student levels and training of the workforce; involving underrepresented groups in science and
engineering; establishing physical infrastructure (laboratory resources, software programs etc) and
virtual resources (centers, networks etc); setting dissemination plans through scholar publications and
presentations, and outreach through the media to the public etc; and indicating societal implications of
the work, including public health and safety, security, environmental impacts etc.
Further details on the format requirements and the posting procedures of the doctoral
dissertation can be obtained by the candidate from the CEE department secretary.

Dissertation Defense
Each doctoral candidate is required to defend the originality, independence, and quality of research
during an oral dissertation defense that is administered by an Examining Committee. The Examining
Committee has five members and consists of the three members of the dissertation committee, a
member from the faculty of a department of the University who has relevant knowledge to the Ph.D.
research topic, and a member from another University or research institute. President of the Examining
Committee is a member of the CEE Department but not the thesis advisor.
The defense is open to public participation and consists of a presentation by the candidate no
longer than one hour, followed by a one hour open discussion, including a concluding closed session
of the examining committee for making a decision on the doctoral work. At least one month prior to
the defense, the candidate must provide a copy of the dissertation to each member of the examining
committee. At the same time, the candidate must make an additional copy available for members of
the university community wishing to read the dissertation prior to the defense, and he/she must also
arrange for public notification of the defense to be given by the CEE graduate secretary.
The examining committee will determine the acceptability of the candidate’s dissertation and
oral performance, and propose modifications to the written dissertation if appropriate, as well as a time
plan for the candidate to address such changes, in mutual agreement with his/her advisor. In this case,
the dissertation advisor will determine the successful and timely conformance of the candidate to the
modifications suggested by the examining committee. If the defense is satisfactory, the dissertation
committee will sign the dissertation, and the candidate must submit two original hard copies, one to
the university library and one for the CEE department records, as well as an electronic version of the
dissertation to the CEE department for documentation and dissemination. If the dissertation is rejected,
the candidate is entitled to request a repetition of the defense one more time. In this case, the timing
and terms of the resubmission of the dissertation must be set out in writing by the examining committee.