Ph.D. in Building Construction

PhD Degree Requirements

The PhD in Building Construction requires 62 credit hours of graduate course work beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Up to 21 credit hours from a Master’s degree or previous graduate course work are transferable on the approval of the Ph.D. Program Chair. It also requires a Comprehensive Written and Oral Examination before dissertation research commencement, a Comprehensive Research Proposal Examination defined as the Proposal Defense, and a Final Oral Examination defined as the Dissertation Defense.

PhD Curriculum Structure

Total Credit Hours above Bachelor’s Degree: Min. 62

  1. Number of credit hours transferable from a Master’s degree (6000 or higher-level courses): Max 21
    (shall be approved by the Ph.D. Program Chair and/or school’s Ph.D. committee)
  2. Number of credit hours for Building Science (BSCI) graduate courses (6000 level or above): Min. 9
    1. BSCI 8060: Advanced Research Methods in Building Science-1 (3)
    2. BSCI 8070: Advanced Research Methods in Building Science-2 (3)
    3. Other BSCI 6000 or higher-level courses from the BSCI Graduate Course List
  3. Number of credit hours for BSCI or other graduate courses (6000 level or above) directly related to the candidate’s area of research: Min. 18
  4. Dissertation Seminar Credit Hours: Min. 4
    1. BSCI 8950: Dissertation Seminar (1)
  5. Dissertation Credit Hours: Min. 10
    1. BSCI 8990: Dissertation (1-10)

A specific plan of study for each student will be established by the Major Professor (PhD Advisor), in consultation with the PhD Program Chair, to ensure that the student takes all courses that can directly assist in gaining advanced proficiency in the chosen area of research.

A student with a Master’s degree in disciplines other than construction may need to take some Building Science foundation courses that are offered in the Summer semester only. These foundation courses will not count toward the degree requirements but will appear in the transcript. Please consult with the PhD Program Chair to determine if you require enrolling in any of the foundation courses.