Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering

The Environmental Engineering Program of the University of Houston is an interdisciplinary graduate engineering program within the Cullen College of Engineering, administratively housed in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The Program and its faculty are internationally known for their research and teaching in water, wastewater, microbiology, nano- and biotechnologies, bioremediation, soil and hazardous waste treatment and modeling, and airborne particulates. The emphasis of study and research is placed on municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment, water reuse, hazardous-waste management, and groundwater restoration with elective courses in the fields of air pollution modeling, measurement and control, engineering management, business and public policy, environmental law, water resources engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, biochemistry and geosciences.

In addition to continued study of a broad range of environmental engineering fundamentals, candidates for the doctoral degree enjoy intensive exposure to a specific field of environmental engineering research. Individual research is the major focal point for doctoral students, who are expected to expand the frontiers of knowledge in their area of endeavor. Moreover, candidates learn and experience the general philosophy, methods, and concepts of research and scholarly inquiry. Acceptance into the full-time Ph.D. program is generally accompanied by financial support.

A BS degree in engineering or in a science related to engineering from an accredited college or university or the foreign equivalent of an accredited American BS or MS degree in engineering. Non-engineers with degrees in related fields may be considered for admission after certain prerequisite courses are completed. A list of pre-requisites and leveling courses can be found on the Information for Non-Engineers page. Applicants with non-science bachelor’s degrees in fields such as technology, management, business, and the arts must obtain an accredited engineering degree before applying.

A minimum grade point average (GPA) of “B”, i.e., 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on the last 60 hours of course work attempted.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

The minimum TOEFL score required is 79 for the internet-based test. The minimum TOEFL score for the paper-based exam is 550.

IELTS (International English Language Testing Service)

The minimum IELTS score required is an overall score of a 6.5.